Vincent Kompany revealed that the training week leading up to this final match in Heidenheim reminded him of times that are fortunately long gone: “It was like during the coronavirus pandemic,” said the FC Bayern head coach, “whenever the doctor came, we had to worry that we would lose another player.” As a result, nine players were unable to take part in the last competitive match of the calendar year on Sunday: Neuer, Laimer, Bischof, Pavlović, Musiala, Boey, Kim, Jackson – Kimmich missing for the first time since February. But those who remained did an outstanding job at 1. FC Heidenheim: FC Bayern won 4-0 (2-0) at the second-to-bottom team and celebrated Christmas four days early – with four goals.
FC Bayern unbeaten in Bundesliga away games in 2025
The record champions did not lose a single one of their 16 Bundesliga away games (twelve wins, four draws) in the entire 2025 calendar year – this was only the third time this had been achieved, occurring also in 1986 and 2013. The 41 points collected in the 15 games played so far this season are a club record – only in 2013/14 did the team have the same number of points at this stage of the season. And the away win meant that, with two matchdays remaining in the first half of the season in January, they had already secured their 28th ‘Herbstmeisterschaft’, sitting top-of-the-table at the winter break with a nine-point lead over second place – the second-largest lead for a league leader at this stage in the history of the league. “We sometimes feel like we did when we first started to play football,” replied defender Jonathan Tah when asked about the secret to their unique success: “It's the combination that makes it work: we have fun and that's how we win games!”
“The Club World Cup was a gift for us”
Max Eberl summed up the evening in Heidenheim similarly: “The Club World Cup was a gift for us, even if it ended dramatically. But as a team, together with the entire staff, we had an incredibly great time, which meant a lot. We grew closer together, focused and concentrated. And with every success, the team became more confident and stable. The lads feel the trust of the coaches and the club, there’s a real sense of togetherness now.” It was only natural that Vincent Kompany was also beaming after the 4-0 win in the last game. The coach also sang the praises of the team spirit: “I'm very proud of the team,” he said, “you can’t take for granted how the squad covered the many absences today.”
