Emotional farewell for Lahm, Alonso & Co

A glance inside the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon betrayed the special nature of this season's finale. The stadium was a cauldron of red and white as the teams took to the pitch. "From a child in our city to a legend at our club" stood out in big letters on the south terrace, as did giant posters of the Bayern skipper. 75,000 fans bade farewell to five Bavarians including Philipp Lahm.

The day turned emotional before a ball was kicked in Saturday's last match against SC Freiburg and the championship shield handover. Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso and Tom Starke finished their careers. Hermann Gerland and rehab head Dr Andreas Schlumberger said goodbye too.

Bouquets and presents

FCB president Uli Hoeneß and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge presented the fivesome with flowers, portraits made by children in the FCB KidsClub and personal presents. Philipp Lahm, who took to the pitch accompanied by his son Julian, was presented with a set of golf clubs, whereas Alonso will go on an oldtimer tour and Starke on a motorcycle tour. Match official Dr Jochen Drees also received a bouquet before his final fixture.

Brass bands, gun salutes and 26 FC Bayern legends (including Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Lothar Matthäus and Oliver Kahn) embodying the club's previous championship titles were part of the diverse supporting programme.

Breathtaking. 😲 #FCBSCF #DankePhilipp #GraciasXabi #DankeTom #DankeTiger

A post shared by FC Bayern Official (@fcbayern) on May 20, 2017 at 7:11am PDT