As summer starts to wane, some football fans might celebrate the re-start of club football. Some might even celebrate the new, elongated international break.
And then there are those who eagerly await the Ballon D'or ceremony.
Gifted to whoever wins the popularity vote is voted the best player over the past season by journalists and footballers alike, the Ballon D'o is a prized award that many dream to win. Among those players is Bayern Munich's #9 , Harry Kane. His extraordinary 73-goal season, along with him winning the DFL Supercup, the German Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, sees him up there among the top candidates to win the award. This sees England's captain filled with pride:
"I'm proud to be nominated with my team-mates. We won all three **** les in Germany and fell just short in the Champions League," Kane said (as captured by iMiaSanMia). "But it's out of my hands and down to the voters. It was a special season personally, but all I can do is focus on this season now."
The ceremony takes place on Monday, October 26. Let us see if Harry Kane can win the award.

#sees

European qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup continued Thursday, meaning recent Charlotte Hornets trade acquisition Dennis Schroder was in action, playing for his home country of Germany. After defeating Croatia Saturday to lift the DBB Supercup **** le, Germany continued their winning ways behind another strong performance from Schroder.
Schroder finished Thursday's contest against the Netherlands with 23 points in 26 minutes on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, 7-for-7 shooting from the free throw line and 2-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added six **** ists, two steals and one rebound as Germany cruised to a 99-83 victory. With the win, Germany is now 6-1 in European World Cup qualifiers and sits third in Group K. Their next match is scheduled Sunday against Poland. Only Poland and Turkey remain undefeated through the first six matches of group play.
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#germany #group

Sacha Boey's future at Bayern Munich appears to be becoming clearer, and it does not seem to involve a significant role in Vincent Kompany's plans for the upcoming season.
After featuring in several of Bayern Munich's preseason friendlies, Boey was left out of the squad for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Borussia Dortmund. The decision has increased speculation that the club is now actively pushing the 25-year-old toward an exit.
Max Eberl addressed the situation after Bayern Munich's victory, explaining that the club had already been transparent with Boey and the other players whose futures remain uncertain.
"We communicated clearly with the three guys (Boey, Palhinha, Zaragoza) from the start – and when you have a game like this, you take the players you're planning to use throughout the season," Eberl told Bild (via iMiaSanMia).
That explanation suggests the decision was not simply about Boey's recent performances, but rather about Bayern Munich's broader planning for the season. Boey has struggled to establish himself as a consistent starter since arriving at Bayern Munich, and the club now appears prepared to move on if the right opportunity emerges.

#boey #season #club #decision

Borussia Dortmund started the season with a disappointing defeat to Bayern Munich in the DFL Supercup, where the absence of depth in the fullback position was clearly visible.
That is why the club are looking to shore up their defensive unit by signing Hector Fort from Barcelona.
Fort is expected to add more depth to Dortmund's fullback department and compete with Julian Ryerson for a place in the starting eleven.
End of the road for Hector Fort at Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona and Dortmund are in talks to finalise Fort's move to the Bundesliga.

#fort #hector #borussia #bayern

Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the DFL-Supercup on Saturday, but Joshua Kimmich believes the performance left a lot to be desired.
Even if Bayern headed into the break 2-0 up, Kimmich was critical of the first-half performance.
"To be honest, I didn't think the first half was that good. Of course, we were leading 2-0, but nevertheless, we have to say that we're happy that we won today," Kimmich said, according to Kicker.
Kimmich admitted that Bayern are "still a long way" from reaching the level of performance he expects this season and have "a lot of work" to do.
"We weren't active enough when we had the ball. We didn't always manage to support each other, and we allowed a little too much – especially from crosses. We have to improve significantly in that area," he said.

#bayern #first #didn 't

The 2-1 scoreline might suggest a closely fought Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, but Bayern Munich's performance told a different story.
Vincent Kompany's side controlled the match for long stretches and dictated the tempo, particularly during a dominant first half that saw Bayern Munich take a 2-0 lead. Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise provided the goals, with Olise also setting up Brown for the opener.
Bayern Munich's control was reflected in the numbers, with the reigning Bundesliga champions enjoying the majority of possession and producing considerably more accurate passing than Borussia Dortmund. Their ability to consistently keep the ball, move Borussia Dortmund around and establish territory in the final third was a major reason they were able to build their advantage.
BVB improved after halftime and Fabio Silva pulled one back in the 75th minute, but Bayern Munich remained composed under pressure.
Ultimately, the statistics backed up what the eye test showed — Bayern Munich was the better side and deserved their first trophy of the season.

#first

Michael Olise scored a goal and created another as Bayern Munich won 2-1 at old foes Borussia Dortmund in the season-opening German Supercup on Saturday.
After a starring role with France at the World Cup, Olise was Bayern's most dangerous attacker, regularly tearing down the right flank.
He found makeshift midfielder Nathaniel Brown for Bayern's 28th-minute opener and then scored one of his own just before the break.
A late goal for former Wolverhampton striker Fabio Silva brought Dortmund closer and the hosts could have levelled deep into stoppage time but Maximilian Beier scuffed a golden chance when through on goal.
Bayern were rusty and barely resembled the barnstorming side which lost just once domestically last season but had enough quality to see off a rebuilding Dortmund team playing in the season opener for the first time since 2021.

#dortmund #michael

Ahead of tomorrow night's Supercup clash with Borussia Dortmund, Vincent Kompany has confirmed that Jamal Musiala won't feature.
"Every decision was made based on the best possible information. We know how to handle it. He'll be training individually this week.
"I spoke to Jamal and he said I can speak about that. He made a slight change to his treatment, which caused some side effects.
"It's perfectly normal to make changes to a treatment plan. Now we want to get things back to how it was before," he said at his press conference.
After adding that Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl will also be unavailable, Kompany discussed the challenge of facing Dortmund.

#dortmund #kompany #jamal #musiala

Germany's biggest clubs Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich will kickstart their season on Saturday with the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup showdown at Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion).
Once a regular fixture at this time of the year, this will be the first head-to-head meeting in the competition since 2021. Back in the days of COVID restrictions limiting attendances, the all-time top-scorer Robert Lewandowski scored a brace at his former homeground to seal a 3-1 victory for Julian Nagelsmann's side.
Bayern won the trophy for the 11th time last year with a narrow win away at Stuttgart on the occasion of the first final under the name of "Franz Beckenbauer Supercup". As for the hosts, four of their six trophies were achieved after wins over FC Bayern.
However, the Black and Yellows are unable to taste victory in this fixture since the arrival of Vincent Kompany. Both Bundesliga fixtures ended in stalemates in his first season before Bayern did the double over their biggest rivals for the first time since 2021/22.
The Rekordmeister ended their pre-season in excellent form, although Jamal Musiala's health scare dominated headlines. Meanwhile, Niko Kovac's men beat Premier League holders ***** nal before a comeback draw at home against AS Roma.

#bayern #season #supercup #fixture

Okay…was that really necessary?
When Bayern Munich first announced an additional preseason friendly, the logic made sense. Bayern's heavy international complement had a busy summer and arrived late to season preparations after the Men's World Cup; head coach Vincent Kompany wanted more time for players who could not appear in the Asia tour.
However the way the scheduled ended up, Bayern handed itself some early match congestion before the season even began. Tuesday's match at FC Heidenheim comes just three days on the heel of the previous contest, an intense Telekom Cup bout against RB Leipzig. And it is now just four days to the next match, the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Borussia Dortmund.
The Leipzig match already had all the makings of a preview of in-season intensity — without any of the stakes. The Supercup, likewise, is an official in season competition — but not one with the weight of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, or Champions League. These two matches together were a good way to ease into the season. So why add a third in between them?
Against Heidenheim, Bayern's big stars played…well, some of them, and not a lot. Harry Kane and Michael Olise had just 30 minutes; the likes of Luis Díaz, Ismael Saibari, and Jamal Musiala already played at the weekend. Kane's spoken already on his uncertainty of being ready for a full 90' at the Supercup, so his cameo Tuesday appears to have done little other than reduce his recovery time.

#supercup #already #bayern #leipzig

In their first competitive game of the 2026/27 season, Bayern Munich will lock horns with familiar foes Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Star striker Harry Kane is back with the squad after enjoying his post-World Cup vacation following England's run in the tournament, but the 33-year-old is unsure how many minutes he will play at the weekend.
"That's not certain. I've already spoken to the coach about it," Kane told reporters on Monday, as captured by iMiaSanMia.
"It's only a week of pre-season, but I'm used to this quick transition. I've played in these tournaments almost every year in my career.
"We have to wait and see. Whether it's 90 minutes or 45 depends on how I feel this week."

#i 've #week #munich

Friendlies are meant to test the conditions of players and give chances to those who couldn't get a lot of playing time. Misfortune seems to have beset Bayern Munich because it lost three players to injury in the Telekom Cup against RB Leipzig just before the start of the new season.
Konrad Laimer was first off when he went into a challenge with David Raum just 10 minutes into the match. Min-jae Kim was next when he exited the match during the second hydration break at 66 minutes. Jamal Musiala appeared to have collapsed from heat exhaustion just four minutes after he scored Bayern's third goal. He almost needed a stretcher for that. To add insult to injury (literally), Sacha Boey cramped up after the final whistle.
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is next week, and Bayern still has a friendly match against Heidenheim a few days before that. The players who got injured are all first team players, which is not something the Bavarians need before the start of the 2026/27 season. This gives Vincent Kompany a big headache, but hopefully the injuries aren't serious.

#players #bayern #season

It's the first game of the season for the Bayern Munich women!
The FC Bayern Frauen kick it off in the women's edition of the DFL-Supercup against familiar foes VfL Wolfsburg. The Bavarians bested the She-Wolves 4-2 in last year's Supercup, and went on to a domestic double with the Bundesliga ****** le as well.
"It's the first chance to win a ****** le. We want to keep raising our standards, hone our style of play and improve every single player both physically and technically. Such hard-fought and challenging matches help our team grow," said Bayern coach José Barcala in his pre-match comments captured via FCBayern.com.
Added center-back Glódís Viggósdóttir: "It's always special to play against Wolfsburg. We share a history of great and thrilling encounters – I love such matches. I'm really looking forward to a match where there's something at stake."
According to the club website, Bayern will be missing Anna Klink, Giulia Gwinn, Vanessa Gilles, Edna Imade, Franziska, Lena Oberdorf, and Sarah Zadrazil.

#play #match #munich #frauen

Borussia Dortmund held to a 2-2 draw at home against AS Roma on Saturday. All four goals were scored inside the first half-hour as Niko Kovac's side came from a two-goal deficit to avoid defeat in front of home fans at Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion).
Paulo Dybala put the visitors ahead before **** isting Bryan Cristante's goal from a corner-kick delivery in the 9th minute. On his first appearance back from an injury he suffered at the World Cup, Julian Ryerson did the same in the next 20 minutes.
The Norwegian scored from close range after fellow World Cup participant Daniel Svensson's cutback in the 12th minute. Serhou Guirassy equalized for Dortmund from Ryerson's typical set-piece delivery.
The hosts had the best chances for the rest of the game, but they were unable to find a winning goal. Konstantinos Karetsas, Joane Gadou, Justin Lerma, Kauã Prates and Takato Yamamoto all made their home debuts as Dortmund introduced the new players to the fans before kickoff.
While FC Bayern will play against Heidenheim in midweek, Dortmund's next game will be against the Rekordmeister in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.

#scored #first #minute #next

Friendlies are meant to test the conditions of players and give chances to those who couldn't get a lot of playing time. Misfortune seems to have beset Bayern Munich because it lost three players to injury in the Telekom Cup against RB Leipzig just before the start of the new season.
Konrad Laimer was first off when he went into a challenge with David Raum just 10 minutes into the match. Min-jae Kim was next when he exited the match during the second hydration break at 66 minutes. Jamal Musiala appeared to have collapsed from heat exhaustion just four minutes after he scored Bayern's third goal. He almost needed a stretcher for that. To add insult to injury (literally), Sacha Boey cramped up after the final whistle.
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is next week, and Bayern still has a friendly match against Heidenheim a few days before that. The players who got injured are all first team players, which is not something the Bavarians need before the start of the 2026/27 season. This gives Vincent Kompany a big headache, but hopefully the injuries aren't serious.

#next

With the 2026 World Cup slowly fading into memory, the new club season is about to begin in a few weeks. Bayern Munich will face Borussia Dortmund on the 23rd of August with most of the squad fit and ready, with a few key notable exceptions.
With England and France both making the semi-finals, certain key players were given an extended vacation by Vincent Kompany. Thus, while most of the squad returned to training a few weeks ago, Harry Kane, Dayot Upamecano, and Michael Olise will only report to the team's performance center for fitness tests near the end of this week (Kicker via iMiaSanMia).
That means the trio will lag behind the rest of the squad in terms of fitness, not joining team training until Supercup week. So, against Borussia Dortmund, Vincent Kompany might have to manage without his three key players — or at least not have them at full capacity. Who he chooses as replacements could determine the future pecking order on the depth chart this coming season.
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#players

FC Bayern Munich have announced they will host a Team Day on the FC Bayern Campus in Munich on August 17th. The senior men's and women's teams — both double winners from last season — will return from their Asian tours and have public trainings at the campus. There will also be interactive events that will feature teams made up of three groups — players, content creators, and fans — going up against each other.
2000 tickets have been made available for the event, but if you cannot make it, the 12-hour event will be streamed for free on the teams Twitch and YouTube pages and moderated by the FC Bayern hosts, Lukas and Ersin. The streams will begin at noon local time (6:00 AM Eastern US). The stream will include the live trainings, some of the other events, and behind the scenes content from the event.
The event will kickoff the week in which both senior teams will play their first competitive matches. The FC Bayern Frauen will begin their Frauen-Bundesliga season the following Friday in Berlin against 1. FC Union Berlin. The men will travel to Dortmund to face BVB in the Supercup that Saturday.

#teams #senior

João Palhinha is not in Vincent Kompany's plans this season for Bayern Munich despite the midfielder saying he was ready to stay and fight for his place after returning from a relatively solid loan spell with Tottenham. For a decent while, he was rumored with a potential move back to Portugal, but neither Sporting CP or Benfica are currently able to afford his wages and Aston Villa have been the club most recently linked with the Portuguese midfielder.
Unai Emery is an admirer of Palinha's and is looking to fill the spot left by Youri Tielemans, who left for Manchester United. Additionally, playmaker Morgan Rogers has left for Chelsea, which leaves another gap in Emery's midfield and while they have already brought in João Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers, there's still a void to be filled.
Villa could now face competitions from a Premier League rival for Palhinha, though. Per information from TalkSport (via iMiaSanMia), Newcastle United have emerged as a potential suitor for the midfielder as new manager Matthias Jaissle really seems him as a good fit for his midfield. In addition to the departure of manager Eddie Howe, The Magpies have already lost Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, and most recently, Bruno Guimarães to ******* nal. Jaissle now has find the right puzzle pieces in the remainder of the summer transfer window and he sees Palhinha as a viable option.
With the players Newcastle have lost, experience in the Premier League is exactly what he's looking for — something Palhinha has plenty of with his tenures at Tottenham and Fulham. They'll really have to fight Villa for his signature, though, as Bayern have the luxury of waiting to see who'll be willing to pay a higher fee for him since they prefer a permanent sale over another loan option.
For Newcastle, they'll want to avoid another situation similar to what happened with Johan Manzambi, who wound up going to Villa from SC Freiburg after all indications were pointing towards a move to Newcastle. A higher wage paid and the prospect of Champions League football from this season after the UEFA Supercup against Paris Saint-Germain was one of the huge selling points for Manzambi after he impressed with Switzerland at the World Cup, so Newcastle have the ball in their court when it comes to Palhinha.

#newcastle #villa #league #premier

As expected, Bayern Munich will have one final opportunity to fine-tune their preparations before the 2026/27 season officially begins per a release from FCBayern.com.
The club has confirmed that Vincent Kompany's side will travel to face Heidenheim on August 18th in their final preseason friendly, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00PM EDT (18:00 CEST). The match will be streamed live on FC Bayern TV Plus, giving supporters one last chance to see the squad in action before competitive football returns.
While preseason results are never the main priority, this fixture could provide valuable insight into Kompany's preferred starting XI, tactical setup, and which players have done enough to earn a place in the team heading into the new campaign. It is also likely to be the final opportunity for several youngsters and fringe players to make one last impression before the season gets underway.
There will not be much time to reflect after the final whistle. Just four days later, Bayern Munich will face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, where the club will have its first chance to lift silverware this season.
With preparations entering their final stage, all eyes will now be on Heidenheim as Bayern Munich look to build momentum before the first trophy of the 2026/27 campaign is on the line.

#bayern #munich #club #face

Former Germany international Lewis Holtby has announced the end of his career on Tuesday. The 35-year-old last played for Eredivisie side NAC Breda, where he regularly featured after his last Bundesliga experience with Holstein Kiel.
The central midfielder previously played for Schalke, Bochum, Mainz and Hamburg in Germany's top-flight league. He also appeared in over 100 2. Bundesliga games with three clubs.
A Fritz Walter gold medalist at the U19 age group in 2009, Holtby also played for English clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers. After making his Bundesliga breakthrough with Thomas Tuchel's Mainz in the 2010/11 season, he won his only trophy when Schalke beat fierce rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 2012 German Supercup.
Holtby scored 26 goals in 225 Bundesliga games. The Erkelenz native played three times for the Germany national team, with his only competitive appearance coming as a late substitute in a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan during the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
"It's time to say goodbye. After almost 20 years as a pro, my active career ends today. I leave the pitch with pride, humility, and endless gratitude. But one thing is certain: I will never turn my back on soccer. This game will always be a part of me, and I'm looking forward to what's next." Holtby wrote on Instagram.

#mainz #Career #games