Q&A with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of Bayern
What does Bayern Munich expect to gain for itself and for Chinese soccer from its new academy in Shenzhen?
Shenzhen has always been a cosmopolitan city, and it’s a pity that I have never been there before. We are glad to visit Shenzhen this summer. We plan to play a game or two there. We are looking forward to working together with the Shenzhen municipal government. What we wish for is a long-standing cooperation to build up Chinese youth soccer. Many stars of Germany’s national team come from Bayern and its youth academy. What’s the club’s secret?
We have been investing in youth training for decades. David Alaba, Holger Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller all made it to the big time as graduates of the Bayern junior team. Our players mainly come from two sources. One is foreign talent, including the likes of Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski and Thiago Alcantara. The other, and most important, is native Bavarian players, embodying the spirit and character of our club. The new youth academy adjacent to Allianz Arena will be completed in August. We have put much manpower and resources into its construction, and we will continue to invest in youth training so that more kids from Bavaria can make it into the first team. Tell us more about the specific details of your cooperation with Shenzhen.
We mainly focus on the youth-training system and the youth-development knowledge, which have been accumulated over 30 or 40 years. Now we are going to teach what we know to Chinese kids. The coach from our youth academy will maintain permanent residence in Shenzhen for the training of both youth players and coaches. The players and coaches who perform the best will visit Germany on a regular basis. On July 22, Bayern will play AC Milan at the Audi Football Summit in Shenzhen. How do you see that game going? And will Bayern visit Shenzhen frequently?
I was a player in Serie A for Inter Milan. The local derbies left me with so many beautiful memories. AC Milan is a powerful team in Europe, winning the Champions League several twice under current Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti. It will be a fun game, and we are bound to be the winner! We want to demonstrate our strength to fans in China. And, yes, we will visit Shenzhen on a regular basis, which will let fans feel our presence there.