Thomas Müller travels to Ibiza with the Bayern stars. © APA/dpa / Peter Kneffel

Much fuss about Bavaria's party trip to Ibiza

The Ibiza trip of some Bayern stars including Thomas Müller has drawn criticism.

12 May 2025

From: dpa

"This has something to do with professionalism and seriousness," said Sky expert Dietmar Hamann. He pointed out that Munich's upcoming opponent, TSG Hoffenheim, is still at stake in their long-distance clash with 1. FC Heidenheim, to avoid direct relegation. However, Heidenheim would have to make up for its significantly worse goal difference with a win, and Hoffenheim would have to lose the home game against FC Bayern.

On Monday, "Bild" published private photos that, according to a description, show Bayern Munich stars Müller and Manuel Neuer celebrating in Ibiza. In addition to the two veterans, Harry Kane, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Raphaël Guerreiro, Jonas Urbig, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Kingsley Coman, Konrad Laimer, and Eric Dier are also expected to be on the trip to the Balearic island.

"I don't understand why the club just rubber-stamped it. Given what the sporting director said last week, nothing has changed. And you're also a role model," Hamann said. "You have a lot of young players at the campus. The competition is still going on. In Heidenheim, jobs and livelihoods depend on it. It's unprofessional and it's not serious."

Accusation of distortion of competition

The previous week, after the Munich team had clinched the championship title, they had canceled a trip to the championship. "We heard about it, spoke with the team, and discussed it openly yesterday. We said: This is not appropriate, the competition is still ongoing. The team understood that, and accordingly: no trip," Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl told Sky before the match in Leipzig.

In spring 2022, there was already a stir surrounding a trip by Bayern Munich players to the party island. "They've done it before. They should have realized back then that it might not be such a good idea," said Oliver Kahn, who was chairman at the time. "You stand there and first say, 'No, we're not doing that,' and then you do it anyway. That's always a bit difficult. What are they going to do in Ibiza now?" Three years ago, the club had accepted the trip as a "team-building exercise."

Sunday celebration on the town hall balcony

They don't want to "play the moralizer, but that's just unfortunate," Kahn said. "We've done one or two things like that. I remember playing golf even though I had a slight strain."

After their short trip during the training-free days, the Bayern stars are expected back in Munich early to prepare for the Hoffenheim match. The following day, the Munich crowd will celebrate on the balcony of the town hall. The club's women's soccer team, who won the league and cup double for the first time in the club's history this season, will also be there.