LEONINE Studios is producing the exclusive 8-part series FC Bayern World Squad for FC Bayern, one of the world’s most successful and popular soccer clubs, which will be launched in Fall 2022. The series is centered around the second edition of the FC Bayern World Squad, a dedicated scouting program that enables young talents from around the world to get closer to their dream of becoming a professional soccer player. LEONINE Studios follows the up-and-coming talents’ journey from training to the selection process to playing against FC Bayern’s junior team. The series is realized by Leonine Studios’ production banner i&u TV in association with FC Bayern and Volkswagen. On June 6, the selected talents left for a trip to Brazil to play against CR Flamengo and Vasco da Gama’s U19s, among others, in Rio de Janeiro. The German record champion and multiple UEFA Champions League winner is offering a total of 20 young talents from 17 countries the chance to develop their skills over the coming months under the guidance of professional FC Bayern coaches.
Hasan Salihamidzic, FC Bayern’s Executive Board Member: ‘We are very happy about the many new talents from all over the world. The FC Bayern World Squad project is one of the biggest scouting projects in the history of our club and was a great success in its first year. It is an excellent stepping stone for talents’.
Christian Meinberger, Chief Digital Officer of LEONINE Studios, added: ‘After the successful collaboration on the Amazon Original docu-series FC Bayern – Behind The Legend, which was realized by LEONINE’s production company W&B Television, we are delighted to be working on a second series together with FC Bayern. For the young talents, it’s all about the chance of a place in one of the best, most famous and most successful soccer clubs in the world. This goal requires commitment and ambition, it brings joy as well as disappointment. The result will be FC Bayern World Squad, a moving series that shows what it means to embark on the path to professional soccer playing’.
Andreas Jung, FC Bayern’s Marketing Director: ‘With the FC Bayern World Squad, FC Bayern and Volkswagen, the core partner in this international tentpole project, aim to support young soccer talent worldwide, giving players from structurally weak regions new opportunities and encouraging cultural exchange overall. With this globally unique youth project, FC Bayern once again emphasizes the values of diversity, tolerance and solidarity’.
Jochen Sengpiehl, Chief Marketing Officer at Volkswagen: ‘The FC Bayern World Squad shows that soccer breaks down barriers and brings people together. As fostering talent, the diversity of this sport and working on the future are particularly close to our hearts, Volkswagen is happy to be fully involved in the continuation of the project’.
A total of 2,604 players from 106 nations applied in short videos for one of the coveted squad spots – almost four times as many as last year, when there were 654 from 64 different countries. The only requirement for participation was the year of birth: 2004 or 2005. The scouting and decision-making process was guided by a professional coaching team led by former Bayern captain and world champion Klaus Augenthaler. Last year, José Mulato from Colombia was offered a professional contract; the striker currently plays for FC Dallas / North Texas FC – a prime example of how dreams come true through the FC Bayern World Squad.