Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona bosses settle the bad blood

Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are no strangers to trading blows, and not only on the field (where it’s been rather one-sided of late). The Robert Lewandowski transfer saga, Bayern’s pursuit of La Masía youngsters Pedri and Gavi, various comments made about Barça’s financial predicaments from Bayern’s Uli Hoeneß and Julian Nagelsmann...it’s been a simmering cauldron of tension recently. Even Oliver Kahn’s smile at the outcome of the Champions League draw pitting the teams together elicited a range of online interpretations.

In light of the sticky mood, the two clubs reportedly took the occasion of their recent group stage meet-up in Munich to sit down and clear the air, per Sport1:

At the obligatory UEFA meeting before last Tuesday’s Champions League group stage clash, the leaders of both clubs sat down at a table in Käfer Schänke, an upscale restaurant in downtown Munich - and talked things out.

“Laporta has once again explicitly thanked Bayern for signing Lewandowski,” reports SPORT1 chief reporter Kerry Hau in the podcast “Die Bayern-Woche”. There are “no more problems” between the clubs.

Indeed, everyone should be happy now that they’ve gotten what they wanted — Lewandowski is enjoying an immense start to the season for the La Liga club, and they’ve recently locked down Gavi as well. And Bayern are over the moon over Liverpool FC transfer Sadio Mané, who would not have been possible without Lewandowski’s move.

Perhaps this will pave the way for fewer barbs and more hugs by the time the return trip to Spain comes around? We’ll take it, and hopefully the wins keep coming as well.