During the most recent Bundesliga matchday, Bayern Munich all but clinched yet another Bundesliga title by beating RB Leipzig 1-0. Leon Goretzka's goal extended Bayern's lead over their Saxony-based opponents to seven points with just seven matchdays remaining.
At this point, to call the gap between Bayern and the rest of the field merely a "gap" does a disservice to how absurdly dominant Bayern have been ever since the post-pandemic resumption of top-level football in Europe. The second-best team on the planet behind Bayern at the moment is likely one among Inter Milan, Leipzig, or Manchester City. Right now, all three of these teams are not even remotely close to Bayern's level.
Bayern have created a level of separation between themselves and the field which has not been seen since Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team was at its peak. Even the Real Madrid team of 2013-18 which won four Champions League titles including three in a row was never quite this dominant. Not only have Bayern almost certainly secured a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title; it will almost be impossible to deny them back-to-back Champions League titles.
Bayern is a truly storied club with a rich history. With six Champions Leagues, 30 league titles, and 20 DFB-Pokals to their name, any player or team which is to carve out its own place in Bayern's history faces an uphill task. That's what makes it even more amazing that the current iteration of Die Roten might very well be the greatest in the club's history.
The obvious comparison would, of course, be the Bayern team of the mid-1970s which won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. This team was arguably even more stacked than Bayern today; it contained legendary players such as Uli Hoeneß, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and, of course, the greatest defender who ever lived in Franz Beckenbauer.
At first glance, the Bayern squad of today do not appear to have quite the same level of star power. The only true all-time greats on the roster at the moment are Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski. However, 2021 Bayern's biggest advantage over its counterpart from over four decades ago is its unmatched depth. This is a starting 11 which features the likes of Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Goretzka, Thomas Müller, and Serge Gnabry. Almost as if to rub it in for every other club, Bayern even enjoy the luxury of playing Leroy Sané and Lucas Hernandez off the bench.
Ever since the beginning of 2020, Bayern have attained a level of excellence both on and off the field which has very rarely been seen in the history of world football. Last season, they became the first team in the modern Champions League era to win every single match on their way to the title while averaging almost three goals per match en route to winning the Bundesliga title by 13 points.
This season, they have not missed a beat in continuing their success. Their 79 league goals almost equal the combined tally of Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg who sit second and third in the league respectively. Ever since losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach on December 7, 2019, Bayern have lost a total of just three matches in regulation in all competitions.
At the individual level, Lewandowski is all but a certainty to win the Ballon d'Or and his second consecutive The Best FIFA award. Among the most recent FIFPro World11, four Bayern players were selected: Kimmich, Lewandowski, Davies, and Thiago Alcântara who has since left Bavaria for Liverpool. What's more, centre-back Jérôme Boateng was likely denied a deserving spot in the world's best 11: Sergio Ramos was instead the selection; this pick was likely made based on name recognition rather than actual performance. Boateng clearly outperformed Ramos throughout the season.
In their upcoming Champions League quarterfinal, Bayern will play against PSG. Although it is a rematch of last season's final, it should be fairly one-sided in favour of Bayern. The fact that a team like PSG who can boast of many stars of their own are likely to have absolutely no chance against Bayern speaks volumes of just how incredible Bayern have been.
Even as a Borussia Dortmund fan, I must admit: we are witnessing a team for the ages.
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