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Munich welcomes Bayern’s new señor Pep Guardiola

Munich welcomes Bayern's new señor Pep Guardiola

UEFA Champions League winners FC Bayern Munich have officially unveiled their new coach Pep Guardiola at a press conference at the Allianz Arena today.

The Spaniard entered the stage at 12.05 CET (15.35 IST / 11.05 GMT) along with club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, president Uli Hoeneß, Director of Sport Matthias Sammer and Director of Media Markus Hörwick.

Guardiola welcomed the approximately 240 journalists from eleven countries, the 40 TV crews and the 30 photographers in German: “Guten Tag, Grüß Gott, meine Damen und Herren!” (Hello and good day ladies and gentlemen!)

“Bitte verzeihen sie mir mein Deutsch. New York ist nicht der optimale Ort, um Deutsch zu lernen. Ich hoffe, bald meine Deutschkenntnisse zu verbessern.” (Please excuse my German,” he continued, “I’ve spent a year learning it in New York – not the optimal place to learn German. I hope to improve my knowledge of German here in the time to come.)

“I accept the challenge. Sometimes a coach takes over a newly promoted side, sometimes you get a team which has a 18 point deficit. That was the case at mein first coaching assignment. But things are totaly different today. I’m taking over a team, which played extraordinary in the last season. You need to win each and every single match, if you are the coach at FC Bayern,” the star coach told.

“I need more time to get to know the Bundesliga perfectly. But I watches the Bundesliga every weekend when I was in New York. I need to adapt at earliest to the players and the other teams.”

Club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed a few details on how the deal turned into reality: “It started two years ago at the Audi Cup here when we gained the impression Pep might have a soft spot for Bayern Munich. We’ve stayed in touch ever since then, more intensively over the last year.”

“Bayern Munich wanted Pep and Pep wanted Bayern Munich – it’s a feeling we had from the first day,” Rummenigge added.

Guardiola will conduct his first pre-season training session at Bayern Munich on Wednesday at 17.00 CET (20.30 IST / 16.00 GMT) at the Allianz Arena.

“I’m ready,” the new star coach signed off.