🎊 Bundesliga clubs go wild at (almost) real Christmas parties | OneFootball

In an age where virtually every secret is revealed—sometimes even before it actually exists—football, for once, is no exception.

Transfers, diagnoses, tactics. Everything falls victim to daily leaks. Everything, really? What goes on at club Christmas parties is still considered one of the last truly well-kept secrets, even today. 

Without any insight, all we have left in this case is our imagination. This is how some Christmas parties might have gone. 

FC Bayern Munich

The Bayern Christmas party in 2025 was originally supposed to take place at the Munich restaurant Käfer. However, the involuntary loan of the cockatoo statue ruined the reservation for the record champions. So, the FCB entourage ended up in festively decorated rooms at the Sportpark Unterhaching. 

It is said that Joshua Kimmich surprised everyone at the karaoke machine with a special version of “Last Christmas”—he sang the season’s goals for 2026 to the rhythm of an Excel spreadsheet. Hiroki Itō, Jamal Musiala, and Alphonso Davies were assigned a security team especially for the festivities. No risks were to be taken in case things got a bit crowded at the holiday buffet.

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Uli Hoeneß was, for a change, in a chatty mood that evening. He sat at pretty much every table and set the topics of conversation. The only pushback came from Max Eberl when it came to some announcements for the next year. For the occasion, he wished for “controlled coziness.”

One player quietly asked if there would be dessert. The club management replied in unison: “Only if it’s performance-based.” At the annual Julklub, Dayot Upamecano, unlike the rest of the team, did not receive a luxury item with rhinestones or made of carbon. His package contained contract documents with countless “Sign here” post-its. 

Borussia Dortmund

At BVB, the party took place where they truly feel at home: between optimism and reality check. There was mulled wine, a three-course meal, and a presentation titled: “Why next year everything will really come together.”

The mood was good, very good—even suspiciously good. But that changed during the main course. Niko Schlotterbeck thoroughly enjoyed the roast beef, but was put off by the way some colleagues brought their cutlery to their mouths. The starter could have had a bit more kick, in his opinion.

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To lighten the mood, Sebastian Kehl moved up a program item that was actually scheduled for later—the gift exchange. That was Karim Adeyemi’s cue. At top speed, he threw on the Santa Claus costume and began handing out presents. Emre Can and Jobe Bellingham helped out diligently. There were mystery boxes for the entire team.

VfB Stuttgart

In Swabia, Christmas was much more lavish this year than the locals would usually like. All because, as is well known, VfB Stuttgart “found an idiot who paid that much money.”

The Jagertee bar was a big hit with the team, but Sebastian Hoeneß was less impressed—he wanted mate. To ensure there were no uninvited guests at the festivities, CEO Alexander Wehrle had applied for a ban on entering the premises from the city of Stuttgart in advance. Former national coach Jogi Löw was extremely disappointed by this measure. 

After the feast, a late-night game of charades—Bundesliga edition—was played. Deniz Undav pretended to scythe everyone’s shins in the circle. He was completely baffled when time ran out and no one guessed Dominik Kohr. 

Eintracht Frankfurt

This year, Eintracht Frankfurt spared no expense and booked the upscale restaurant Zenzakan for their Christmas party. The Asian fine dining was exactly to the SGE stars’ taste. Mario Götze would have loved to dive into the infamous Wagyu toast right from the starter.

During the subsequent Secret Santa, it was noticeable that Frankfurt’s defensive players particularly shone with their participation and handed out by far the most gifts.

At the annual transfer bingo, however, no one could outdo the boss himself—Markus Krösche shouted “Bingo” louder and more often than you’d expect from the retirement home across the street. 

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For dessert, the club management had requested creative variations from the Michelin-starred kitchen. The Christmas stollen wrapped in nori seaweed and the wasabi ladyfinger with teriyaki ganache went down so badly with the players that ordinary stollen had to be served at short notice. Even then, Krösche just picked out the raisins. 

Werder Bremen

Things were much more orderly at Werder’s Christmas party. Horst Steffen had come up with age-appropriate party games for his team. After a lightning memory tournament, it was time for sorting. The Werder coach had left a real numbers puzzle at the buffet. To finish, they had to guess baby photos. Someone asked: “Why does Karim (Coulibaly) have the same picture twice?”

The rented event location Lankenauer Höft smelled of essential oils in every corner. Lemon and orange—to liven up the mood. Werder had also invited numerous former players to the party. Actually, everyone except Marvin Ducksch.

But he showed up anyway, left a burning bag from the HSV fan shop at the door, rang the bell, and then hid in the next bush. Victor Boniface tried to stamp out the fire, but ended up with crap on his shoe and only stayed at the party for about fifteen minutes.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Alexander Hassenstein - 2025 Getty Images