From president to the fan in the favela — the heroes of the 'Mia san Mia Phenomenon'

"I always thought it was possible to turn FC Bayern Munich from a small club into a global brand." This is what has driven his work as a manager, but he is also a friend and adviser to the players. In March 2014 he was sentenced to thee-and-a-half years in prison for tax evasion, ultimately serving around 11 months. Uli Hoeness bid farewell with the words, "It's not over yet." And he was right.

"Whether Palestinian or Jewish, when Bayern score a goal you hug everyone," says Kamal, a Palestinian living in Israel. He's been a Bayern fan since the 70's. "When I was 10 we had a black and white TV. We often watched live games: Rummenigge, Beckenbauer, Breitner, they were all famous back then. I quickly fell in love with the team."

Loyal, eloquent, successful, Philipp Lahm represents the typical "home-grown Bayern talent." The 33-year-old played for nearly 20 years at Bayern, now he is retired. Although he never seemed like a youth player. "I was slighter than everyone else, so that probably gave me the extra ambition I needed to succeed in the shark pool that is FC Bayern."

Kanata is the model student at FC Bayern Tsuneishi, the football academy in Fukushima. The 14-year-old Japanese is so talented that FC Bayern send a youth coach to observe him. We witnessed this scouting during a youth game, when young Kanata was put through his paces.

He arrived in Munich as a 17-year-old, from Ghana via Italy. Uli Hoeneß became something of a father figure for young Sammy, always there for him during difficult periods of his life. Especially after the tragic death of his daughter, when the "Mia San Mia phenomenon" was never more tangible for the Ghanaian.

Other Brazilians claim Camila is crazy. Because despite the countless clubs in the country, the 24-year-old supports FC Bayern. Partly because of the impression left by the players from the 2002 World Cup final: "Oliver Kahn is the man of my life, he's the most wonderful man on the planet. I love him more than anything."

For some he is just "The Titan," for others he personifies the "Bestia Negra," other people know him for his monstrous Godzilla imitation. But they all agree on one thing: no-one personifies FC Bayern like Oli Kahn. "I absorbed all the values of the club, because success is only possible through complete identification with what you do," says the ex-goalkeeper.

The 1967 European Cup final. In injury time he scored the deciding goal against Glasgow Rangers. And so began the international success story of FC Bayern Munich. "The goalie came towards me and almost brought me down, but the ball went in off the bar. Fantastic! I had the cup with me in bed that night. I just stared at it, the whole night..."

Giovane Élber lives a double life. In Brazil — close to the Bolivian border — he owns a ranch with 5,000 cattle. But whenever FC Bayern call him, he's there. He travels the world as an ambassador for the club. For the "Mia San Mia Phenomenon" he looks back at his playing time for Bayern — in his own special way.

Rafael was born in Puerto Rico and lives in New York, where he works for a software company. He has been a passionate FC Bayern fan for 20 years – and with a very special perspective: "I love the game, sometimes it's like art. But sometimes I get too close so I try and keep a bit of distance. I don't want to be addicted to something I can't control."

Andy writes for The Guardian and is an expert for "Talksport," one of the world's biggest sport radio broadcasters. His opinion carries weight and one of his specialist topics is the relationship between English and German clubs. "Munich are so big and successful, that for many people here in England, Bayern and German football are one and the same."

The 38-year-old sport journalist from EL MUNDO loves football – as a social phenomenon, as well as a sporting competition. "In Madrid I can decide if the city sleeps well or goes to bed in a bad mood." His high point of the season is not "El Clasico" but when Real Madrid play "La Bestia Negra" — "The Black Beast" from Munich.