In honor of Bavarian Football Works community member Markopolo, who has an incredible hatred dislike for Bayern Munich’s opponent this weekend, Werder Bremen, we want to know who you just cannot stand.
Every football fan has one. Maybe two. Sometimes an entire list.
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Not fierce, history-defining rivalries rooted in decades of heartbreak — just that one club that makes you roll your eyes the moment you see their crest. As supporters of Bayern Munich, we are used to being everyone else’s villain. But even Bayern Munich fans also carry a few completely irrational grudges of their own.
In Germany, the obvious answer is Borussia Dortmund. The rivalry is real, emotional, and historically meaningful—so maybe that one isn’t irrational at all. The same goes, to a lesser degree, for RB Leipzig, where sporting tension mixes with broader debates about tradition and identity. But irrational dislike often lives elsewhere: perhaps Werder Bremen (*cough*Markopolo*cough) or VfL Wolfsburg.
Step outside Germany and things get even more personal — and maybe illogical. Some Bayern Munich fans can’t stand Real Madrid, even while respecting their Champions League dominance. Too many dramatic European nights, too many late goals, too much history colliding with Bayern Munich’s own ambitions. Others reserve that emotional sigh for Chelsea, where memories of finals, semifinals, and sheer stubborn resilience still linger.
Then there are the dislikes that make almost no logical sense at all. Maybe Arsenal — not because of rivalry, but because of a playing style, a kit color, or a social-media fanbase encounter from a decade ago. Perhaps Paris Saint-Germain, representing modern football excess in a way that feels slightly uncomfortable, even if Bayern Munich itself is a global powerhouse. Or Manchester City, whose brilliance is undeniable, yet still manages to provoke a strange, undefinable annoyance.
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And of course, there’s FC Barcelona, a club tied to both painful defeats and euphoric victories. Depending on the year, the feeling swings between admiration and inexplicable irritation. Football emotions are rarely consistent.
What makes irrational dislike fascinating is that it says more about fandom than football. Supporting Bayern Munich means living at the top, where every opponent becomes a measuring stick and every European clash leaves an emotional residue. Over time, small moments accumulate: a controversial referee call, an over-celebration, a pundit’s comment. None of it truly matters—yet somehow it all does.
So which club do you have an irrational dislike for? Not the historic rival. Not the logical enemy. The one that simply bothers you for reasons you can’t quite explain. Because in football, as in life, emotion doesn’t always follow reason — and honestly, the game would be far less fun if it did.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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