Bayern Munich Win Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup But Lose Out On Woltemade

Forbes

a day ago

Harry Kane celebrates winning the Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup with Bayern Munich. (Photo by Bernd Weißbrod/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Stuttgart – German champions Bayern Munich have won the 2025 Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup thanks to a 2-1 win over DFB Pokal winners VfB Stuttgart. Harry Kane (18') and Luis Díaz (77') were the scorers in front of 60,000 fans at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart. Jamie Leweling (90') scored the single goal for Stuttgart.
Overall, it was a combative fixture. After all, for Bayern, this was about winning a trophy named after the club's biggest legend: Franz Beckenbauer. For Stuttgart, this was an opportunity to deny their rivals a trophy named after its club legend.
That made for a fascinating fixture. Although Bayern took the lead relatively early, Stuttgart remained in the matc,h and Nick Woltemade had two opportunities to equalize. Even after Bayern made it 2-0, the late Leweling goal returned a sense of tension.
'This title has a significance importance because it's the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup—that will always be something special for Bayern,' Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said after the game.
Stuttgart without a doubt too took the fixture extremely seriously. 'It's never easy in Stuttgart, but we came here and delivered,' Kompany said. 'Of course, we would have preferred a longer preparation, but there's no point in complaining, and we've addressed that. We had the chance to start with a title; that was our goal, and we achieved it.'
The stats underline Kompany's observations. Bayern just about edged Stuttgart with 53% possession. The xG was also close, with Stuttgart finishing the night with an xG of 1.89 compared to Bayern's 2.38.
'They were better,' Stuttgart director of sport Fabian Wolhgemuth said in the mixed zone after the game. 'But we had our chances. Perhaps if the Nick Woltemade chance had been converted in the first half, the game would have taken a different direction.
VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade (l.) was the biggest talking point during the weekend. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Stuttgart striker was the main talking point around the game. Bayern Munich has been trying to sign the striker for weeks now. Stuttgart has turned down a significant offer earlier this week . Despite that, talks seemed to continue ahead of the final.
That deal is now truly dead. Woltemade trained behind closed doors on Friday. That should have been an indication that Stuttgart shut down any talks going forward.
After the match, Wohlgemuth underlined that stance. 'We have talked to the agent and the player and made it clear that he is going to stay,' Wohlgemuth said. 'We will be going with him into the new season.' Throughout the weekend, Stuttgart made it clear that this isn't just a negotiation tactic; the deal is now truly off.
That's perhaps the biggest positive for Stuttgart. Bayern might have won the first-ever Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup, but Stuttgart will keep one of Germany's emerging superstars for at least one more season.
Where does that leave Bayern? 'We are working on deals,' Christoph Freund said in the mixed zone after the game. 'We won't comment on names, though.' One target looks to be Christopher Nkunku. But whether Bayern will get that deal across the line remains to be seen.
For a few hours, all that might not matter. The first objective of the season has been reached. Bayern has secured its first title, a title named after the club's biggest legend. Job done.