Müller: “The Audi Cup will be really exciting”
- Thomas Müller talks about the tournament at the Allianz Arena in an interview
- Bayern to meet with Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe and Tottenham on July 30/31
- 80,000 tickets already sold
On July 30 and 31, the teams of FC Bayern München, Real Madrid C.F., Fenerbahçe Istanbul and Tottenham Hotspur FC will meet at the Allianz Arena for the sixth Audi Cup. Tickets starting at 25 euros continue to be available at www.audicup.com. Bayern striker and world champion Thomas Müller talks about the value of the tournament and his outing in a very special Audi.
The combined tally of Bayern, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe and Tottenham reflects more than 90 national championship titles, more than 50 cup titles and 18 Champions League wins. FC Bayern welcomes the guests from Spain, the United Kingdom and Turkey as the reigning double winner to its home arena. As in the past ten years, the Audi Cup will again provide the first big stage for the – partly spectacular – new signings of the teams.
Thanks to the tournament mode, the fans will get to see four top-caliber matches on two days: On Tuesday, July 30, the two semi-finals will be held. In the first match of the tournament, Real Madrid will be pitted against Tottenham Hotspur before FC Bayern meets with Fenerbahçe Istanbul at night. The losing teams will first play for third place on Wednesday, July 31, before the winners go head to head in the final. Kick-off times are 6 PM and 8.30 PM, respectively.
Interview with Thomas Müller
You are one of the very few players to have competed in every Audi Cup. What describes this tournament in your view?
For me, the Audi Cup is one of the highlights during our pre-season preparations. It’s the final acid test before we play the first Cup match of the new season about a week later. For the other teams, the season will start in earnest shortly afterwards too, so the fans can look forward to thrilling duels. I’m sure the Audi Cup will be really exciting.
A word about your opponents this year?
Real, Fenerbahçe, Tottenham – I think when it comes to these names, there’s not a lot that needs to be said. The Audi Cup has always had outstanding teams ever since 2009 and that’s also the reason for its great value. The attendance figures and the enthusiasm of the spectators that get to see four fantastic matches on two days show that too. A victory, especially in front of your own fans in a full house, really means a lot.
FC Bayern and Audi have enjoyed an intensive partnership since 2002. Which model do you drive privately?
I just ordered the new Audi e-tron. When you have two dogs like we do, this is an ideal car: sporty, plenty of space and exciting technology. A few months ago, we had the opportunity to test-drive the electric car with the whole squad at the Munich airport – that’s a totally new driving experience.
By the way: we heard that you recently visited Audi for a special test drive?
That’s right. I was at the Motorsport Department in Neuburg and had the opportunity to test the GT4 version of the Audi R8 and to ride as a passenger in a DTM taxi. That was definitely very impressive. Although I felt that I did a pretty decent job, all that was put back into perspective when the pro floored the pedal. A fantastic experience.