Bayern Munich: Their 8th straight Bundesliga title by the numbers

Bayern Munich remains clear favorites to win their 9th Bundesliga title in a row.

Die Roten is the richest club in Germany, and despite the harsh financial impact of the pandemic, they still have ample resources to continue to spend money on transfer targets. Even if they simply reloaded with their current squad, they would have the best and deepest team in the competition.

More from Bundesliga

• Modern football’s disruptors: The remarkable rise of Union Berlin
• Bayern Munich emerge victorious following dramatic title race
• Following December knee injury, Manuel Neuer back to light training
• Assessing Bayern Munich’s recent uncharacteristic struggles
• Bayern Munich explain Julian Nagelsmann sacking

The Bundesliga is also in the midst of an identity crisis.

The 50 plus one rule was designed to keep the German football landscape as equal as possible by keeping large investors (either by individuals, companies, or conglomerates) from taking over a club from its members and upending the league’s competitive integrity.

However, this structure has been damaged by entities taking advantage of loopholes. Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig, and Hertha Berlin are the most recent examples of clubs getting massive infusions of money without violating the rules.

The pandemic has also created a threat to the 50 plus one rule as most first and second division clubs are now fighting for survival without the ability for immediate assistance from outside the  German football establishment.

The irony is that it is this structure that has led to Bayern’s dominance, and it may require a change in the rules for that to change.

The top contenders to the crown (Leipzig, Dortmund, and Leverkusen) all have lost or will likely lose their best offensive weapons later this summer with no clear indication that any of them will reload with similar caliber players.

As a result, Bayern Munich is odds on favorites to lift the Meisterschale again next season.