Bayern Munich celebrated winning the Bundesliga title in record time in a nightclub in Berlin on Tuesday night, as the German press lined up to congratulate Pep Guardiola’s side.
• Uersfeld: Bayern clinch historic Bundesliga title
Bayern wrapped up their 24th top-flight title with a 3-1 win at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday, with Toni Kroos, Mario Goetze and Franck Ribery all getting on the scoresheet.
The result ensured the Bavarian club wrapped up the Bundesliga with seven games to spare, beating the mark set in last year's record-breaking campaign by one match.
The big question in Berlin after the game, though, was how and if Bayern would celebrate making history.
Centre-back Jerome Boateng said that he and his teammates had planned a little festivity in the German capital.
“I don’t know how long Pep Guardiola and [sporting director] Matthias Sammer will allow us to celebrate today,” Boateng told reporters in the mixed zone.
The Bayern team coach, players and staff continued into the early hours at the Kitty Cheng club in Berlin-Mitte.
The German press, meanwhile, were full of praise for the record-breaking Bundesliga champions.
"Floating in a league of their own,” Sueddeutsche Zeitung commented. “Amid all the discomfort about the Bayern dominance, amid all the fears of the decline of the West, let’s remember one thing: such a monstrous team like Bayern have built in the past years will not be seen again too soon.”
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung chose to focus on Bayern tying up the title by March, stating: "If anyone had been looking for more Bayern records on that night in Berlin, then maybe a look at the temperatures might have been useful. In all likelihood, never before was a German championship won with temperatures around zero.”
The online version of Der Spiegel claimed that the current crop of Bayern players make it difficult even “for notorious Bayern opponents to hate the team.”
The same piece added: "And that’s a very big compliment. Bayern teams in the past have not achieved that. Under Guardiola this team is on the way to becoming the German FC Barcelona, only even more dominant than the original, because there is nothing like Real Madrid in Germany. You might find that boring. But, sadly, it is brilliant.”
“This title is for [Uli] Hoeness,” Bild’s headline read, referencing the former Bayern president found guilty of tax evasion, who had been singled out by Guardiola as “the most important person at the club” during his postmatch news conference.
Guten Morgen! Unsere Titelseite: So feiern die Bayern http://t.co/lXjstxITRk pic.twitter.com/KnloyZnmYs
— BILD (@BILD) March 26, 2014
“For the first time since 1969, Bayern wins a title without Hoeness. They have won 21 championships with him. But he was missing in 2014,” the tabloid added.
German football magazine 11 Freunde made light of Bayern’s inevitable achievement with the headline: “P.S. Bayern are champions.”
It was not just the press who congratulated the Bundesliga champions, with much of German football also having kind words to say.
“Unbelievable what you did there. We still see you, but we indeed need binoculars,” Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. “That is one fantastic achievement, congratulations for winning the championship.”
Germany coach Joachim Loew, meanwhile, was already looking ahead to Bayern’s next challenges.
“FC Bayern Munich have every chance to repeat the successes of last season. And that’s why their season is far from over, the Champions League is only about to start now. I have the feeling they feel comfortable in their role as favourites,” he said.
“I am also absolutely delighted for our internationals, this title will give them even more tailwind. Together, we have huge goals this year.”