The ex-defender feels that the German giants are well set up to continue along their path of success, although the financial pull of the English top flight could cause problems..
Klaus Augenthaler has seen it all at Bayern Munich. Having played through the youth ranks, the first team and eventually spending time as the club's manager, the former defender witnessed the genius of Franz Beckenbauer, won seven Bundesliga titles and narrowly missed out on a European Cup.
His successes have earned him the No.4 spot in Goal's list of Bayern's 20 greatest ever players, one behind Oliver Kahn - with which the 58-year-old jokes that he is not entirely happy!
Speaking exclusively to Goal, the club icon runs through everything from the early days to what we should expect from Bayern in the future, as well as discussing the financial pull of the Premier League and the threat that it poses to clubs outside England.
READ MORE | The 20 greatest Bayern Munich players of all time
Goal: We have chosen the 20 best players of Bayern Munich's history – what do you think about our list?
Augenthaler: It's good. You can debate over everyone's placement, of course, but personally I think Paul Breitner or Karl-Heinz Rummenigge deserve a better position. It's tough, though. I think all the best players are there, I don't think anyone's missing.
G: You're ranked in fourth place. Do you agree with that?
A: I can live with that! (laughs) Although I am not on the podium – the list would be fine if you put me ahead of Kahn.
G: Why in front of Kahn?
A: He was good but he wasn't a complete goalkeeper. When he came from Karlsruhe, he couldn't stop a single shot. He worked like a madman, though, I did regular extra shifts with him.
G: So you can't compare him to Manuel Neuer?
A: Not at all. Kahn's strength was his mentality. He would bite strikers or put his studs above head height. You wouldn't see something like that from Neuer, he's a different breed. If Bayern lost a game, you could speak to Kahn.
G: Do you think there's a player in the current squad who could make his way into our list over the next 20 years?
A: Yes, Joshua Kimmich. He has a lot of quality and already plays for Germany Under-21s. Apart from that, Thomas Muller could climb some places. If he stays in Munich and doesn't succumb to temptation from England, he will become a legend.
G: Do you think Muller could still leave the club one day despite being contracted till 2021?
A: Due to the way he presents himself, I think he'll stay but what does it matter? He gets paid a lot at Bayern; he wouldn't get much more elsewhere.
G: From the current squad, Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery made the list. Could these players improve their position?
A: I think so. I have doubts about Ribery because he isn't that young any more and had some physical problems in recent times. But if Muller scores an important goal in the Champions League final, for example, he'll be up there with Bulle Roth, who scored the crucial goals twice for Bayern in the European Cup.
G: Bayern won the European Cup three times in a row between 1974 and 1976...
A: Exactly. The generation around Sepp Maier, Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer provided the basis. When I started, the glory was fading, but then some strong players emerged. Uli Hoeness became coach at the time and had an intense look at the squad. Today, Bayern are on another economic level – they can buy pretty much any player they want to.
G: In contrast to the European Cup, no Champions League winner has ever successfully defended their title. Do you think it's impossible these days?
A: It's getting harder and harder but, if one team can do it, it's Bayern Munich.
G: Do you think Bayern have a risk of collapsing like back in the 70s?
A: Guardiola has moved to England and perhaps some players might want to follow him because they know the coach and could earn more money than in Germany. The money in England is a danger.
- Goal