Oh yes, I can't have soup without pepper. I like herbs and flavours. I'm sure that has something to do with my African roots. At home, we had traditional Belgian cuisine, but also dishes from the Congo, my father's homeland, like Pili pili. But today I also enjoy Bavarian food - sausage salad, for example.
Sometimes it only takes one player to change a life. For Paul Wheeler, it was Jürgen Klinsmann. When the striker moved from Tottenham Hotspur to FC Bayern in 1995, the young London fan followed him - and stayed. Today, three decades later and ahead of the Champions League showdown against Arsenal (Wednesday, 21:00 CET), Wheeler is the head of the Red Dragons London fan club and says: "Bayern is more than just a club for me, it's my second home."
Not as often these days because Bayern Munich 's sessions are a little intense and he keeps suffering injuries during them but the legendary centre half can still mix it in the rondos. That gusto almost cost him last summer. Bayern's squad were boarding their plane for the Club World Cup as the manager was still having scans to ascertain whether or not he could actually fly after feeling something in training. Fortunately he was passed just about fit enough.
Bayern Munich have been unbeaten this season until now. They suffered a minor setback when their winning run was halted away at Union Berlin before the international break. Harry Kane scored late in a 2-2 draw to rescue a point for Bayern. It was the first instance this season when Die Roten dropped points in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian club got back to winning ways this weekend by clinching a 6-2 win against Freiburg at Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich returns after the international break with a banging performance, putting six goals past Freiburg and showing the world their attacking prowess. Yet the performance still has a sense of incompleteness with Manuel Neuer conceding two goals in less than 15 minutes of action. Both of which came from corners. Trouble with dead balls Bayern has been the most fearsome attack all across Europe. Die Roten's open-play defense has also improved tremendously with the magnificent link-up of Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano.
FC Bayern supports the EU-funded GEMINI project, which is led by our partner, the Volkswagen Group. It is dedicated to developing sustainable mobility solutions and accelerating the path to climate neutrality. As part of this project, a pilot test for a Park & Ride solution will be conducted at the FC Bayern Campus for selected home games at the Allianz Arena.
When he first arrived, it was a moment for us to start to know him, to see what stage that he's at right now. When you take decisions, you don't take them because he's a player A, B, C, or D, it's because of the stage they compare to the others. I think you can take the conclusions of what I'm saying to you right now. If he's not playing in this moment of the competition, it means that he's not in a stage that he's ready to go.
There were a lot of positives for Bayern to take from the game against Freiburg. From a squad depth point of view, the biggest was the return of Hiroki Ito. After being out of action for close to eight months, the Japanese defender made his return in the second half. Ito marked this return to action with an assist for Michael Olise's second goal at the end of the game.
The Frenchman has solidified his spot in the starting eleven, yet his current deal is set to expire in June 2026. The club hierarchy views an extension as a high priority to ensure stability at the back. Negotiations in modern football are incredibly complex and require strict attention to detail regarding financial structures. Analysts often study these moves much like one would review the terms of a BetMGM bonus code to understand the specific value and conditions involved. In this case, the Bavarian giants must carefully balance their desire to keep a star player against the strict economic limitations currently in place.
FC Bayern are still unbeaten; that was important for the team. As you've seen, they're prepared to fight until the very end, but Bayern are more than aware of the reality that you can't win every game in the season. Union Berlin, also, for what it's worth, are a fighting team. Ultimately, the more important game was the match against PSG, which was an opportunity to show, after the Club World Cup in the summer
I'm going to be completely honest with you right now, it really shook me up. We're talking about a global giant, Bayern Munich, where there is a coach with that kind of history. Vincent Kompany called me and we had a conversation. He was super polite to me, said he always really liked my football, and this was at 11pm (on deadline day), a little after 11pm. Whether I wanted to or not, it really affected me because of the greatness of the club, the greatness of the coach and the way he approached me, the way he talked to me.
PSG are once again in one of those transitional phases that are as inevitable as they are decisive in women's football. The loss of key players this summer was particularly painful. Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Korbin Shrader joined long-time rivals Lyon, while Laurina Fazer moved on to San Diego. Grace Geyoro was another player who left for England, but Paris responded with remarkable determination.
Led by a core of five Bayern players, Germany claimed a comprehensive 6-0 win over Group A rivals Slovakia in their final game of World Cup qualifying to secure their place in next summer's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA. "The World Cup is the greatest thing there is. We're not used to it being so tight in Germany, so I'm really happy," said Joshua Kimmich, who captained the team in Leipzig on Monday.
The Canada international spent around 30 minutes out on the pitch, taking part in some of the drills. Although not every teammate was there to welcome him back, given they were away for international duty, the 25-year-old was still clearly very happy about this big step forward in his recovery. "I can hardly wait to be out on the pitch with my teammates again, help them win games and fight for our goals," Davies had said last month.
The French defender joined Liverpool in the summer of 2021 from RB Leipzig, and gradually established himself as a key player for the club. Konate played a significant role last season and contributed to the Reds winning the Premier League for the 20th time in their history. However, his contract situation remains a worry. Liverpool do not want to lose a player of his calibre for free, and several talks have taken place already, with no result.
Bayern are unlikely to do business in the winter transfer window, but they could make a serious attempt for Read next summer. Givairo Read - transfer latest Feyenoord signed Read for their academy in 2023 before promoting him to the senior squad. Last season, he made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. In the 2025-26 campaign, he has already made 14 appearances in all competitions, which demonstrates the high regard in which the Rotterdam club hold him.
'It's the same with (Erling) Haaland or any player. You have to be winning those major trophies. With the way the season is going with Bayern Munich, it looks like we're in great shape. It looks like we're one of the favourites for the Champions League. It's the same with England. I think we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites.'
