As a student, Alexander Hofmeister landed a dream job as tour guide at Bayern München. Now he can’t wait for the stadium to open again

It’s been a while since I saw the smiles on the faces of people visiting our wonderful stadium, yet I remember those moments as if they were yesterday.

When I arrived in Munich in 2019 to study for a soccer management degree, I was also searching for my first job in the business. I managed to get the best part-time role on Earth just a few months later: showing people from all over the world around the Allianz Arena and explaining the identity and values of FC Bayern München.

It is beautiful to see how happy you can make people by showing them parts of the stadium that are usually off limits, like Bayern’s dressing room and the tunnel. Every time I enter the stadium with one of my groups, I see pure joy in people’s eyes and that is what makes me proud.

Sometimes it feels like a dream to have the privilege of talking to so many people about my favourite club. On little breaks during the tour, many guests want to talk to me about Bayern or whatever their favourite team might be. And that is always interesting because you end up having conversations about football all day long, taking in so many different opinions. That is what I love.

There is one special moment I will never forget, when I was playing Bayern mascot Berni at a little kid’s birthday party in the stadium. All the children wanted to hug me and take pictures with me, but the craziest thing was that they wanted me to sign autographs for them too. For a moment I felt like one of the Bayern stars.

Obviously coronavirus hit Germany very hard and the stadium was closed to tours. But what I can guarantee is that when it is open to visitors again, I will do my job with all the passion and all the love I have for this club, this stadium and the fans. I don’t want to remember those happy faces anymore, I want to see them again!