“The hardest part of living is making peace with your past. Most of all, it’s making peace with yourself.” ― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Retribution

Ask this to the pillars of Bayern Munich! Ask this to the gems that epitomize camaraderie, epitomize bonding, and epitomize success! Ask this to the legends of the game, Phillip Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had to live the dreadful moment of walking past the coveted Champions League trophy to collect the runners up medal and watch Javier Zanetti’s men lift it. When Bavaria’s favorite child, Schweinsteiger, had scored the ultimate penalty and had taken his team to the final to be played in the team’s stadium itself, the ever beautiful Allianz Arena, all the memories must have come flooding in.

Champions League trophy (© Sampics)

When Bayern were put in the group comprising of the success hungry Manchester City, the destroyers from Italy, Napoli, and the Spanish wonders, Villareal, few must have thought that they would win the group ever so convincingly, let alone reach the finals. The previous season had been disastrous, as the same team which had snatched their dream of winning the fifth European crown had riddled them off progress from the Round of 16. Moreover, an abysmal third spot finish in the league and a trophyless season under the tyrannous Louis van Gaal had summed up the confidence levels, but a couple of positive signings in the name of Manuel Neuer and Jerome Boateng had pumped in a new hope. The team got together, played their game, poured in their heart and made it. They triumphed while people cheered.

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Every football fan has a club which he loves and supports. Every football fan has his own reasons for choosing his favorite team. Sometimes it’s the trophies, sometimes it’s the team players, sometimes it’s the style of play, and sometimes it’s the spirit. But, when it comes to Bayern Munich, it lies in the invisible magnet that draws you to love and support the team without any conditions; not only in their glory moments, but also in their downfalls.

FC Bayern (© millerneutron)

Bayern is not only a football club, it’s a way of life where one finds examples of commitment, loyalty, respect, discipline, love, and devotion, and most importantly it’s a family, a true family. The Bayern magnet leads you to cheer for them more and more with every single game they play. And when they lose, it just charges you with positive energy to support them more and more in their next game.

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“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.” The 19th century speaker and social reformer, Henry Ward Beecher, provides with a wonderful explanation about strength and cohesively explains the qualities possessed by Hans-Joerg Butt, who although was a number 2 at Bayern Munich, his presence and his character had made him more than just that in the hearts and minds of the countless fans.

Hans-Joerg Butt (© dpa)

Many know him as the goalkeeper who takes penalties, but there are a lot of facets to this ‘rock of Gibraltar’ goalkeeper, who although was brought in from Benfica on a free transfer and to support the then young and upcoming Michael Rensing, fate having other plans, he was brought in to replace Rensing and delivered some memorable performances.

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It was tremendous. Personally, I went berserk. I ran out of my house and threw myself from the porch to the grass, screaming; with the slight hope that from the region of the world I was in, my roar could also join the roar of Bastian Schweinsteiger – who had just concreted the winning penalty goal that lead Bayern Munich to the 2012 Champions League final, that will be hosted in our own stadium, the Allianz Arena.

FC Bayern (© dpa)

The task was not easy. After 15 minutes, it seemed that this clash would be tipped in favor of Real Madrid. But Bayern was determined to hit back and we did, making the tie 2-1, before reaching the half hour. After that, the ongoing battle between titans was incredible. The quality of this European Rivalry could be inhaled, could be felt in the skin of your own teeth. There were times that Real Madrid showed off their incredible attacking force, by heavily conspiring into scoring a goal. There were times that Bayern showed off their incredible ability in creating spaces, daunting with the idea of leveling the score-line.

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“For a gallant spirit, there can never be defeat”. Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, says it all. A person filled to the brim with the jubilance of life, the will to live and conquer mountains at glance can never be bogged down by the agony of defeat, and sure, age might take its toll on the performance capabilities but never on the attitude.

Ivica Olic (© M.I.S.)

Many rather, all of Bayern Munich fans must have thought of this on the 9th of February 2012 when it was announced that their favorite child, their savior, their cornerstone for measuring grit and determination, the mighty Croat, Ivica Olic, was set to join Wolfsburg on a two-year deal, leaving a very memorable and sentiment driven three years at Bayern.

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“Unpredictability, too, can become monotonous”. The ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ winner Eric Hoffer mustn’t have ever thought that his quote would be a class A fit for one of the Europe’s elite and most feared sides, the Bundesliga masters, the true representatives of German Football, FC Bayern München. From going gung-ho in the Champions League, by creating records both offensively and defensively, to drawing against the bottom of the table sides, to losing against the subordinate Swiss, the season could be an idea for a theme for a roller coaster.

David Alaba (© M.I.S.)

The team which was found to be gelling well suddenly started showing flaws and loopholes and as a trial and error method (some say to save his face) “Don” Jupp Heynckes placed David Alaba as a left-back, the position he had been played on before by Louis van Gaal, but little did anyone know that this teenager would quickly make that position his backyard and would epitomize the terminology ‘underdog champion’. Still too early to comment on, he certainly has shown glimpses of greatness, but in order for him to mould himself for the future and for Bayern to achieve heroics, both would have to take care of the ‘four ‘T’ thieves’.

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It’s never good to speculate in football. I’m a type of fanatic whose principles goes down as to nothing is achieved until the final whistle is blown, in a knockout stage. But as Bayern Munich lead after a 2-0, defeating Olympique Marseille in their own stadium, I’m going ahead to raise my head and look upon an old familiar foe whom we’ll cross swords with.

Champions League trophy (©getty)

Real Madrid have also a strong 3-0 lead, after defeating APOEL in their own stadium, so everything is set for this two heavyweights to clash in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Even with the 2nd leg of the quarter-finals still to be played, tension and curiosity starts rising, on who will emerge victorious.

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