Bundesliga - Hoeneß warns against Musiala-Wirtz hype - 'No moneygrabber'
Three months after his last major appearance, Uli Hoeneß made a strong comeback with words. The honorary president of FC Bayern Munchen attended the event on Sunday in a good mood under an umbrella and chatted about how he would be looking forward to a commitment from Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen one day.
The 72-year-old cautioned, however, that the hype around double winner Wirtz and Bayern prodigy Jamal Musiala is not the right way. "I am a friend of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz. Everyone of us knows that I would like to see him very much at Bayern Munchen," Hoeneß said at the club jubilee of the Bavarian amateur club SV Seligenporten.
Hoeneß warns: The hype is wrong
"I find the hype around them wrong. They cannot develop in these pressure conditions as necessary. Comparing Jamal with Maradona is madness. We do the young players no favor by putting them under such pressure. They can certainly make it, but we should not put them under such pressure," the Bayern patron stated to the media.
After winning the championship and DFB Pokal with Bayer Leverkusen, there was much speculation about the future of the offensive midfielder Wirtz, although he still has a contract until 2027 in Leverkusen. In this summer, a transfer for Wirtz is not an issue. However, it could look different next year. The dream duo Musiala/Wirtz would be a certainty according to Hoeneß's taste.
Big appearance after a break
Three months ago, Hoeneß caused a stir with criticism of the youth development by former coach Thomas Tuchel during a podcast interview of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" before the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. After that, he kept a low profile. Now, Hoeneß took a stance on many topics around football. For example, about the "General attack of Bayern Munchen" since the first titleless season since the 2011/12 season.
Announcement from Hoeneß: No moneybags
The Munich defenders Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart, Mittelfeldspieler João Palhinha (Fulham), and winger Michael Olise (Crystal Palace) have been signed by the Munich team so far. The trio costs Bayern around 125 million Euro in transfer fees.
New stars will only come if someone prominent leaves, according to the statement of the supervisory board member Hoeneß. Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and sports manager Markus Weinzierl also know this. "FC Bayern has no moneybags," Hoeneß said.
Hoeneß relaxed about the Kimmich question
Defender Matthijs de Ligt is often linked with Manchester United. Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Noussair Mazraoui, or Kingsley Coman are also mentioned as potential sales. The future of Joshua Kimmich is also being discussed. "I cannot say anything about Joshua Kimmich yet, he is still on vacation. When he comes back, we can talk calmly. He is a very reasonable man, with whom one can reason very reasonably," Hoeneß said.
Goretzka will get a second chance at Bayern, Hoeneß said the 72-year-old. "He has the chance to prove himself. The last two years were not in order."
The Bayern patron chatted in sunny Seligenporten about Spain's super talent Lamine Yamal (17) as well. Hoeness criticized the Canadian of FC Bayern, "The way he does it – left and right. I wish Alphonso Davies could do that too," hinted Hoeness about the criticism towards the Canadian. Davies, who has been linked with Real Madrid for a long time, has not been able to agree on a contract extension with FC Bayern beyond 2025.
Hoeness to visit new trainer
In the coming days, Hoeness is likely to have the opportunity to speak with the new trainer Vincent Kompany about his start. The Belgian lets the Bayern stars train from Monday to Wednesday at the Tegernsee training camp. Traditionally, Hoeness, who does not live far away, also looks in Rottach-Egern on Thursdays.
"I am very satisfied here: Vincent Kompany is a man who comes from football. I was once at dinner with him, Max Eberl, Christoph Freund and Herbert Hainer, and his core message was: The work must be in the center! And that's something that really appealed to me," said Hoeness. "It applies to all of us: It cannot be that one always wants to work less and earn more money. I can assure you: I no longer need to work, but I still work and I'll say it again: I enjoy it."
- Uli Hoeness, the honorary president of FC Bayern Munchen, expressed his anticipation for a potential commitment from Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen in the future.
- Hoeness cautioned against the hype surrounding Wirtz and Bayern prodigy Jamal Musiala, stating that they cannot thrive under such pressure conditions.
- After winning the championship and DFB Pokal with Bayer Leverkusen, there have been speculations about Wirtz's future, despite having a contract until 2027 with the club.
- In the summer, a transfer for Wirtz is not an issue, but the situation might change next year, according to Hoeneß's remarks.
- Joshua Kimmich's future with Bayern Munich is also a topic of discussion, with Hoeneß mentioning that he would like to talk with Kimmich once he returns from his vacation.
- Hoeness expressed his satisfaction with Leon Goretzka, giving him a second chance at Bayern after a less than ideal past two years.
- Max Eberl, Christoph Freund, and Herbert Hainer had dinner with Vincent Kompany, who will be starting as the new trainer for Bayern, and Hoeness was impressed with Kompany's focus on work.
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala have been compared to global soccer legends, which Hoeness finds to be an unfair comparison and pressure.
- Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have been linked with several Bayern Munich players, including Alphonso Davies, but Hoeness remains focused on the team's development and performances.
