Finaledahoam!
This Bavarian phrase, meaning "Finals go home," has become a popular slogan in Germany.
As the countdown to the Champions League final begins, tension among fans is rising rapidly, and the atmosphere across the city is heating up.
With the advantage of playing at home, Munich is decorated predominantly in red and white. Manchester City's sky blue is nowhere to be seen.
In the words of Bayern Munich's head of marketing, Jung, "We want Saturday to be a red-and-white festival."
Starting Wednesday, over 2,000 huge posters of Bayern stars were placed in every subway station and public square, so fans could see their heroes everywhere on the streets of Munich.
Jung also revealed that more than 200 million people around the world will watch Saturday's final, making it the biggest sporting event globally, even surpassing the Super Bowl in influence.
The Munich Tourism Bureau released estimates predicting that up to 140,000 tourists will arrive in the city before and after the final, with more than 40,000 staying overnight. This would bring massive economic benefits to Munich's hotels, inns, and bars.
Since Champions League final tickets were sold out early, the city government provided giant screens near the stadium and in key public locations. Even tickets for these fan zones were quickly snapped up. It's estimated that over 100,000 fans will gather outside to watch the game.
Given the scale of the event, the Munich police deployed 2,000 officers to monitor fans with histories of violence and banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in glass bottles—because, quite simply, glass can become a weapon.
Germany and England are historic rivals.
Whether it's at the national team level or in club football, the upcoming showdown between Manchester City and Bayern Munich has only intensified that rivalry.
According to the ticket allocation, between 25,000 and 30,000 British fans are expected to travel to Munich. German authorities are currently screening incoming British supporters and working closely with British police to block over 80 known football hooligans from entering the country.
On matchday, Munich's rail system will add 20 extra trains and 160 additional staff.
The entire city is mobilizing to meet the demands of the Champions League final.
Of course, the German side is already planning the victory celebrations.
After all, if Bayern wins the title at home, the party will be monumental.
…
In this atmosphere, Manchester City arrived in Munich on Friday at noon.
From the airport to the city center, you could see red and white flags and decorations hanging from buildings on both sides of the road—the colors of Bayern.
Massive posters of Bayern players were displayed at nearly every intersection.
The advertisements on the city's digital billboards had all been switched to Champions League final promotions featuring Bayern.
Many sponsors even had Bayern players shoot specific ads to hype up the final.
Bayern fans were everywhere.
Bayern clearly knows how to do business, and they move fast.
After reaching the final, they quickly released a series of themed merchandise—such as final edition supporter T-shirts priced at eight euros, along with flags, scarves, and handkerchiefs.
The prices weren't high, but sales were phenomenal, triggering a frenzy at fan shops.
Behind this success is Bayern's complete control over the production, distribution, and logistics of its merchandise—a feat that doesn't happen overnight.
Keep in mind, it had only been about 20 days since the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Not only that, Bayern also activated 22 of their sponsors, launching a comprehensive promotional campaign not only in Germany, but across Europe and the world.
Gao Shen sat on Manchester City's team bus, looking out at the scenery and reflecting on everything. He couldn't help but admire the might of a traditional powerhouse like Bayern Munich.
If you want to talk about "heritage," this is it.
Everyone knows Bundesliga tickets are the cheapest in Europe, yet Bayern still ranks among the top in global revenue. In fact, they compete toe-to-toe with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United.
They don't earn as much from ticket sales or broadcast rights, but make up for it with their commercial operations.
In this regard, Bayern may be the best in the world.
Some say that it's thanks to Germany's strong economy—and that's true to some extent. But having resources means nothing without the ability to fully leverage them.
Take this final, for example. In all aspects, Manchester City is far behind Bayern.
This disparity shows up everywhere.
Even in terms of final revenue.
From a fan's perspective, all that matters is who wins.
But from a commercial standpoint, the title is just a bonus. What truly matters is the exposure and tangible commercial value the final brings.
In that sense, the trophy is just the cherry on top.
Gao Shen was certain: even if Manchester City won the final, they would still trail far behind Bayern in terms of commercial revenue.
That's a real gap.
It's not something Mansour can fix just by throwing money at it.
Manchester City's commercial operations are still heavily reliant on the Abu Dhabi consortium. Unlike Bayern, they cannot mobilize global sponsors on short notice to promote the team worldwide.
In this area, Manchester City still has a long road ahead.
Even if they continue leaning on the consortium, it'll be difficult to change course.
After all, when someone can make easy money lying down, why bother working hard for it?
That's just human nature.
…
The schedule on the day before the final followed the usual routine.
After checking into the hotel, the players had lunch and a short rest. Then Gao Shen held a brief team meeting.
He didn't say much—mostly just reminded the players to relax and not overthink things. They even discussed what to eat for lunch on matchday.
In the afternoon, under UEFA's schedule, the team traveled to the Allianz Arena for a pre-match familiarization session.
This was standard procedure.
Since the final would be held at the Allianz Arena, and with so many media and staff present, Manchester City couldn't carry out any tactical sessions there.
It was just about getting a feel for the pitch.
Like practicing the range for crosses from the wings.
Every pitch differs in dimensions, so players must adjust their strength and angles accordingly.
Gao Shen also arranged penalty shootout training.
He even simulated Bayern's penalty takers to give Neuer realistic practice.
One interesting moment was when some fans in the stands held up a banner directed at Neuer.
"The finals are back home. How about you?"
Gao Shen saw it too, and noticed that Neuer's expression was… complicated.
Manchester City had paid him handsomely and showered him with honors. But City is still an English team.
Jerome Boateng, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. Probably because no one had asked him to come home.
He was doing very well at Manchester City.
Their advanced tactical approach demanded a lot from center-backs.
David Luiz and Kompany were the main pairing, but Boateng was closing the gap and improving rapidly.
In a recent national team interview, Boateng even publicly thanked Gao Shen for forcing him to break his bad habits and holding him to strict standards.
Changing bad habits is tough—but the rewards are worth it.
After a quick scan of the pitch and the atmosphere, Gao Shen decided he should talk to Neuer that evening.
Before the final, the last thing they needed was for their starting goalkeeper to be emotionally distracted.
He trusted Neuer could handle it. But a little advice wouldn't hurt.
…
After training, Gao Shen handed the players over to Carlo and Brian Kidd. Then, accompanied by UEFA officials, he headed to the Allianz Arena's media center for the pre-match press conference.
This too was routine for Champions League finals.
This would be Gao Shen's fourth time in a Champions League final, and he knew the drill inside out.
The biggest difference this year was that the final was being held at Bayern's home stadium.
Bayern's offices aren't in the Allianz Arena, but this was still their turf. Beckenbauer, Rummenigge, and other top figures were all present.
Especially for the press conference, they would appear alongside UEFA officials.
As Gao Shen entered the press area, he was greeted warmly by everyone.
At just 31 years old, with three Champions League titles already, he was arguably the most sought-after manager in world football.
No top club could rule out working with him in the future, so everyone was especially courteous.
Even Platini and Blatter treated him with respect.
Success commands respect.
From what Gao Shen remembered, Bayern had finished third in the Bundesliga this season.
And things had actually gotten worse.
They had fallen behind Jürgen Klopp's Dortmund early in the league and lost the German Cup too.
Only the Champions League final remained.
In contrast, Manchester City had pushed forward on all four fronts—Champions League, Premier League, League Cup, and FA Cup—and were now just one title away from completing the set.
Clearly, Bayern's multi-front strategy had failed.
Beckenbauer understood why.
The team simply lacked the overall strength.
And by "overall strength," that meant more than just talent.
It's like what happened in the past with Real Madrid.
Many asked: how did they win three straight Champions League titles?
Magic?
Nonsense.
The real reason? Squad depth.
When your bench includes the likes of James Rodríguez, Isco, Kovačić, Asensio, and Morata—when you can field a completely different world-class lineup at will—that is true strength.
The most brutal approach?
Let the opponent exhaust themselves. Then bring on fresh legs from the bench to finish them off.
Who says my bench isn't better than your starting eleven?
(To be continued.)