Who is the blonde woman on FC Bayern's bench? Many fans of Munich have certainly asked themselves this question. We clarify.
- Kathleen Krüger is the team manager of FC Bayern Munich .
- The blonde woman sits next to Hasan Salihamidzic and Hansi Flick on the bench of the record champions.
- Krüger was very close to Pep Guardiola and Niko Kovac .
Munich - The picture went through social media. How Niko Kovac , then coach of FC Bayern , after the Munich 5: 1 against his former club Eintracht Frankfurt, kissed a blonde woman in front of the record champions' bench and kissed her cheek vigorously.
It was the seventh championship in a row for the Bundesliga giant in May 2019 - and once again the blonde was right in the middle.
Questions about her keep popping up on social media - for example, a user wrote on Twitter: "I've always wondered who this privileged blonde woman is."
FC Bayern Munich: Kathleen Krüger is the team manager
Her name is Kathleen Krüger . Her role: The young woman is the team manager. And as the name " Team Manager" already describes, she is always very close to the FC Bayern squad .
On the substitute bench, she usually sits next to sports director Hasan Salihamidzic and the respective coach, currently next to Hansi Flick .
But who is this blonde woman exactly? Krüger grew up in Eching, a small town around 15 kilometers north of the Allianz Arena . As a child, she attended Bayern's home games, together with her father and brother - they had standing room tickets for the south curve in the Olympic Stadium.
Kathleen Krüger attended FC Bayern Munich's home games as a girl
The connection has grown. Krüger herself played football as a girl, in the summer of 2003 she switched to her heart club as an 18-year-old - and became a Bundesliga player.
She ran 33 times in the women's Bundesliga for Bayern , scoring a goal. But the money she earned at the time was not enough to live in the expensive Bavarian capital.
Kathleen Krüger (Bayern team manager): "I prefer to do my work in the background. I don't want to be noticed" pic.twitter.com/PhU8cAnHLS
- Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 18, 2015“I stopped when I was 24 because at that time there was only a nice pocket money for the enormous effort. We all worked or studied in addition to playing games, ”she once told fcbayern.com in an interview.
She stayed as an employee on Säbener Straße - first as an assistant to ex-manager Christian Nerlinger.
Kathleen Krüger worked for Christian Nerlinger and Matthias Sammer
“One day, Mr. Hoeneß simply asked me if I could imagine the job at Christian. I then went through a three-month application process and got the job, ”said Krüger about her entry into a new position.
In 2012, when Matthias Sammer succeeded Nerlinger in his function as sports director, Krüger was promoted to team manager.
“I always wanted to work in the sports area. But I was very realistic from the start and knew that the industry was very attractive and that there were many applicants for just a few jobs. The fact that I can work in my sport at my club is a six-lottery in the lottery, ”she said in a portrait.
Kathleen Krüger takes care of the organization at FC Bayern
The job is intense. One of Krüger's tasks is the entire organizational process for the professional team's games: in which hotel the Bavarians stay, how they get there, what alternatives are there, what the Munich team has to consider when visiting stadiums, how to get from A to B. , and sometimes just that a projector stands for tactical instructions for away games in the guest cabin.
The fact that she is indispensable for the FC Bayern coaches is demonstrated by the very good relationship she maintains with them. There is a friendly relationship with ex-coach Pep Guardiola and his former assistant Domenec Torrent .
They are said to have a very good relationship: Kathleen Krüger, Pep Guardiola and his former assistant Domenec Torrent. Here with today's Ajax coach Erik ten Hag (right).
© MIS / Bernd Feil / MiS
But Kovac turned to her again and again during games, sometimes eagerly discussing his team's approach.
"Especially at the beginning, I kept putting myself in the boys' shoes: What was important to me as a player? I try to take the view of the player, the coach, the physiotherapist, ” Krüger once said about her role.
Kathleen Krüger is always on the bench at FC Bayern Munich games
She also has another task: During a game she is connected to the physiotherapist by a headset and a microphone.
If a Bayern professional injures himself on the pitch, she receives the first diagnosis from the field, which she then passes on to the Bayern coach .
Krüger: "They are all nice guys. No one at the club has ever treated me with anything but respect" pic.twitter.com/IBvX7xRJS0
- Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 18, 2015In addition, she is the one who hands over the scoreboard with the player numbers to the fourth official of the German Football League (DFL) or the European football association Uefa at the edge of the field.
Kathleen Krüger is part of the WhatsApp group of the Bayern team
Not only that: Krüger has another privilege that many Bayern fans are sure to be jealous of. As the only person outside the team, she is part of the WhatsApp group.
What does she get to read there? Krüger: "I smile and remain silent, because of course lots of funny photos and sayings are sent around."
