Klopp, Müller and Hummels Crack Up Over 2013 UCL Final Ref Row – 'Lovely Bum' Referee and All

Imagine three German football legends – Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Müller, and Mats Hummels – sat around chatting about the 2013 Champions League final. It's not some dusty pub debate; this was during a live reveal of pundits for MagentaTV's World Cup coverage. And boy, did they deliver the laughs while digging up old wounds from that epic Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund showdown at Wembley.

The chat kicked off with a nod to refereeing icon Pierluigi Collina, who had picked Nicola Rizzoli for the big game. Klopp couldn't resist jabbing at it, turning to Hummels – who was captaining Dortmund that night – and quipping about how Rizzoli 'gifted' Bayern the win. With Bayern up 1-0 through Mario Mandžukić, Dante – already on a yellow – clattered into Marco Reus. Rizzoli waved play on, but then bizarrely gave a pen after VAR wasn't even a thing back then. İlkay Gündoğan slotted it home to level at 1-1.

The Dante Debate: Red Card or Get On With It?

Klopp reckoned Dante should've walked for that foul, denying Dortmund a numerical edge in the cauldron of the final. Enter Müller, Bayern's cheeky veteran, with a sly grin: 'No need for a red there.' He even roped in Hummels, claiming the big man once admitted it was fair enough.

But Hummels, who's pulled on shirts for both clubs, wasn't letting his old Vancouver Whitecaps teammate off that easy. Smiling wide, he flipped it: 'From a defender's perspective? That's a stone-cold red.' The studio erupted. It's classic Hummels – honest, no grudges, just football truth.

Müller's Ribéry Riposte and Klopp's Cheeky Collina Encounter

Müller fired back with his own what-if. Early doors, Franck Ribéry caught Robert Lewandowski with what looked like a deliberate elbow. 'I'd have yellowed Ribéry,' Müller chuckled, 'but tactically, you don't want to bin a player and spoil the show.' Pure Bayern logic, served with a wink.

Then Klopp dropped a gem from post-match at Wembley. Spotting Collina in the tunnel, he yelled: 'You've stuck a right proper bum in there as ref!' Müller pounced: 'Nah, it was Rizzoli, not 'bum'!' Klopp cracked up, amazed at Müller's recall. Hummels piled on: 'You remember refs who favour you, eh?'

Müller wrapped it neatly: 'Rizzoli was world-class, though.' Fair play. These lads know banter doesn't erase respect.

Remembering the Match: Line-ups and That Arjen Robben Winner

For the uninitiated, Bayern nicked it 2-1 with Arjen Robben's iconic 89th-minute curler after Gündoğan's pen. Bayern's XI: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Martínez, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Robben, Müller, Ribéry (late Gustavo); Mandžukić (late Gomez).

Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotić, Hummels, Schmelzer; S. Bender (late Şahin), Gündoğan; Błaszczykowski (late Schieber), Reus, Grosskreutz; Lewandowski. Peak Der Klassiker rivalry at its finest – 13 years on, still sparking chuckles.

This trio's World Cup stint with MagentaTV, alongside Tabea Kemme, Manuel Baum, Sebastian Kneißl, and Tobias Schweinsteiger, promises more gold. As originally covered by Goal.com, it's a reminder: football's best stories are the ones told with a pint in hand and grudges long forgotten. Can't wait for more.

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