So it boils down to this: the UEFA Champions League final will feature the top two teams of Germany major league Bundesliga. FC Bayern Munich, sitting at the top of the league with 85 points on aggregate and pretty much the best team in the universe this season, will take on second place Borussia Dortmund, who sit 20 points behind Bayern.
Neither team has defeated the other so far this season. The two will face off again on May 25th at London’s Wembley Stadium for the final, and Remezcla is hooking you guys up with the most ballin’ place to watch (no pun intended!), short of traveling to London. That’s right: we’re teaming up with Heineken to throw a huge UEFA Champions league final viewing party at a secret location in NYC that will include food, drinks, huge screens to watch on, and amazing live music. If that’s not reason enough for you to check out the match, come to root for the Brasileños y Españoles playing on these German teams! RSVP HERE.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Felipe Santana
Augusto Felipe Santana is the lone Latino on Borussia’s squad. The CB hails from Rio Claro, Brazil and has seen more time on the field this season thanks to injuries that sidelined regulars Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić. He’s also the most wanted man in Málaga thanks to his controversial game-winning goal that led Dortmund to the semi-finals. That’s the game with not one but two offside plays in injury time for that last goal. Oh, those Scottish refs! Did they think 19th century footie rules still applied?
[insert-video youtube=737gfbnEfQs]
FC BAYERN MUNICH
Márcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza, Luis Gustavo Dias, and Dante Bonfim Costa Santos
Rafinha, Gustavo, and Dante make up Bayern’s defensive backline, which is one of many reasons for the team’s success. Who better to back your goalie up than a line of badass Brazilians?
Dante Bonfim Costa Santos
Dante is probably the most popular of the three thanks to his afro. Let’s be real, that’s not a bad thing to be famous for (hint, hint). He was a huge hit during his days with former team Borussia Monchengladbach (yes, that’s a real word; no, I can’t pronounce it either) where fans eventually donned afro wigs in support of the Brazilian defender. Bayern fans continue that tradition to this day.
———————————–
Javier “Javi” Martínez Aginaga
Javi turns 25 this year and his CV is already packed with moments every kid dreams of. Athletic Bilbao signed him away from CD Osasuna when he was still 17 and had yet to step onto the field with Osasuna’s main squad. He was still 21 when called up to Spain’s 2010 senior squad, which won the World Cup that year. He was named captain of the U-21 squad the following year and led them to their third UEFA Euro U-21 title win. Then, in 2012, he was a member of the Spanish squad that beat Italy 4 – 0 and was crowned UEFA Euro Champions.
Also, his transfer from Bilbao to Bayern in 2012 is a Bundesliga transfer record at nearly 35 million euros. Keep your eye on Money Bags McFoot here.
———————————–
Honorable mention: Mario Gómez García
Technically, Gómez is straight up German but how does he explain his very un-German name? Simple: his father is Spanish and his mother is German. Gómez holds dual German and Spanish citizenship and chose to play with the German national team. I wonder if he regrets that choice.