| Competition: | Bundesliga |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Dates: | 18 September 2020 – 22 May 2021 |
| Winners: | Bayern Munich 30th Bundesliga title 31st German title |
| Relegated: | Werder Bremen Schalke 04 |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Bayern Munich RB Leipzig Borussia Dortmund VfL Wolfsburg |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Eintracht Frankfurt Bayer Leverkusen |
| Continentalcup3: | Europa Conference League |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | Union Berlin |
| Matches: | 306 |
| Total Goals: | 928 |
| League Topscorer: | Robert Lewandowski (41 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Munich 8–0 Schalke |
| Biggest Away Win: | Dortmund 1–5 Stuttgart Köln 0–4 Leverkusen Schalke 0–4 Munich Bielefeld 1–5 Frankfurt Schalke 0–4 Dortmund |
| Highest Scoring: | Munich 8–0 Schalke Wolfsburg 5–3 Bremen |
| Attendancecalc: | 160321 |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
| Nextseason: | 2021–22 |
The 2020–21 Bundesliga was the 58th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. It began on 18 September 2020 and concluded on 22 May 2021.[1] The season was originally scheduled to begin on 21 August 2020 and conclude on 15 May 2021,[2] though this was delayed due to postponement of the previous season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fixtures were announced on 7 August 2020.[3]
Bayern Munich were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, winning their record-extending 9th consecutive title and 31st title overall (30th in the Bundesliga era) on 8 May with three games to spare.[4] By winning their thirtieth Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich are honoured with a fifth gold star on their team badges and shirts.[5]
Bayern's Robert Lewandowski set a new record for goals scored in a season with 41, surpassing the previous record of 40 goals set by Gerd Müller in 1971–72.[6]
On 3 September 2020, the DFL General Assembly voted to extend the use of five substitutions in matches to the 2020–21 season, which was implemented at the end of the previous season to lessen the impact of fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The use of five substitutes, based on the decision of competition organisers, had been extended by IFAB until 2021.[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season began with matches behind closed doors or at reduced capacity due to restrictions across German states. Leipzig allowed up to 8,500 spectators to begin the season, while regulations in Berlin allowed for up to 5,000 supporters.[9]
Bayern Munich began the season less than a month after defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, as the match had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In their first game, they beat Schalke 04 8–0, and were the dominant side early on in the season. After a 3–2 away victory over title contenders Borussia Dortmund in November, many pundits praised Bayern as the best team in Europe.[10] [11] [12] [13] This praise continued all season long, with former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola proclaiming them the best club in Europe in March.[14] Bayern mathematically confirmed their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title on 8 May 2021 with three matches to spare, following closest contender RB Leipzig's 2–3 loss to Dortmund.[15] The title was Bayern's 30th Bundesliga and 31st German championship overall, which would see them add a fifth star to their badge in the following season.[16]
Meanwhile, Schalke 04 endured a disaster season, failing to win a game in nine consecutive months dating back to the previous season, before defeating a fourth-tier club in the German Cup.[17] They failed to win thirty Bundesliga matches in a row, falling one short of the all-time record set by Tasmania Berlin in 1965–66, before a 4–0 win against 1899 Hoffenheim in January.[18] Schalke had announced before the season that they had debts of over 200 million, which led them to slash spending.[19] The poor results led to departures for executives and managers.[20] Former Schalke star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar returned to Schalke from Ajax in January in an attempt to stave off relegation, but he was unable to prevent Schalke from being relegated for the first time in over thirty years.[21] [22]
A hot start to the season for Robert Lewandowski led to early talk that he could break Gerd Müller's 49-year-old record of 40 goals scored in one Bundesliga season, with teammate Thomas Müller suggesting it could happen back in October.[23] Lewandowski capped off a successful year in December by winning his first FIFA Men's Player of the Year award.[24] As Lewandowski continued his strong performances, interest in him overtaking Müller's record grew from various media outlets.[25] However, a knee injury suffered whilst on international duty on 31 March threatened Lewandowski's record-chase and kept him out of action for a month.[26] Lewandowski returned to action in April, just five goals away from equalling the single-season goal record.[27] On 15 May 2021, Lewandowski scored his 40th goal of the season against SC Freiburg with one match to spare, therefore equalling Gerd Müller's record tally from 1971–72.[28] In the last match of the season the following week, Lewandowski scored his 41st league goal in the final minute of the match against FC Augsburg to break Müller's record.[6]
A total of 18 teams participated in the 2020–21 edition of the Bundesliga.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Sleeve | ||||||||
| data-sort-value="Augsburg" | FC Augsburg | data-sort-value="Weinzierl, Markus" | Markus Weinzierl | data-sort-value="Gouweleeuw, Jeffrey" | Jeffrey Gouweleeuw | Nike | WWK | Siegmund | |
| data-sort-value="Berlin, Hertha" | Hertha BSC | data-sort-value="Dardai, Pal" |  Pál Dárdai | data-sort-value="Boyata, Dedryck" |  Dedryck Boyata | Nike | Homeday[47] | Hyundai | |
| data-sort-value="Berlin, Union" | Union Berlin | data-sort-value="Fischer, Urs" | Urs Fischer | data-sort-value="Trimmel, Christopher" |  Christopher Trimmel | Adidas | Aroundtown | wefox | |
| data-sort-value="Bielefeld" | Arminia Bielefeld | data-sort-value="Kramer, Frank" | Frank Kramer | data-sort-value="Klos, Fabian" | Fabian Klos | Macron | Schüco | JAB Anstoetz Textilien | |
| data-sort-value="Bremen" | Werder Bremen | data-sort-value="Schaaf, Thomas" | Thomas Schaaf | data-sort-value="Moisander, Niklas" |  Niklas Moisander | Umbro | Wiesenhof | 188bet | |
| data-sort-value="Dortmund" | Borussia Dortmund | data-sort-value="Terzic, Edin" | Edin Terzić (interim) | data-sort-value="Reus, Marco" | Marco Reus | Puma | 1&1/Evonik (in cup and UEFA matches) | Opel | |
| data-sort-value="Frankfurt" | Eintracht Frankfurt | data-sort-value="Hutter, Adi" | Adi Hütter | data-sort-value="Hasebe, Makoto" |  Makoto Hasebe | Nike | Indeed.com | dpd | |
| data-sort-value="Freiburg" | SC Freiburg | data-sort-value="Streich, Christian" | Christian Streich | data-sort-value="Gunter, Christian" | Christian Günter | Hummel | Schwarzwaldmilch | ROSE Bikes | |
| data-sort-value="Hoffenheim" | 1899 Hoffenheim | data-sort-value="Hoeness, Sebastian" | Sebastian Hoeneß | data-sort-value="Huebner, Benjamin" | Benjamin Hübner | Joma | SAP | SNP | |
| data-sort-value="Koln" | 1. FC Köln | data-sort-value="Funkel, Friedhelm" | Friedhelm Funkel | data-sort-value="Hector, Jonas" | Jonas Hector | Uhlsport | REWE | DEVK | |
| data-sort-value="Leipzig" | RB Leipzig | data-sort-value="Nagelsmann, Julian" | Julian Nagelsmann | data-sort-value="Sabitzer, Marcel" | Marcel Sabitzer | Nike | Red Bull | CG Immobilien | |
| data-sort-value="Leverkusen" | Bayer Leverkusen | data-sort-value="Wolf, Hannes" | Hannes Wolf (interim) | data-sort-value="Aranguiz, Charles" | Charles Aránguiz | Jako | Barmenia Versicherungen | Kieser Training | |
| data-sort-value="Mainz" | Mainz 05 | data-sort-value="Svensson, Bo" | Bo Svensson | data-sort-value="Latza, Danny" | Danny Latza | Kappa | Kömmerling | fb88.com | |
| data-sort-value="Monchengladbach" | Borussia Mönchengladbach | data-sort-value="Rose, Marco" | Marco Rose | data-sort-value="Stindl, Lars" | Lars Stindl | Puma | flatex/DEGIRO (in UEFA matches) | Sonepar | |
| data-sort-value="Munich" | Bayern Munich | data-sort-value="Flick, Hansi" | Hansi Flick | data-sort-value="Neuer, Manuel" | Manuel Neuer | Adidas | Deutsche Telekom | Qatar Airways | |
| data-sort-value="Schalke" | Schalke 04 | data-sort-value="Grammozis, Dimitrios" | Dimitris Grammozis | data-sort-value="Kolasinac, Sead" |  Sead Kolašinac | Umbro | Gazprom | Harfid | |
| data-sort-value="Stuttgart" | VfB Stuttgart | data-sort-value="Matarazzo, Pellegrino" |  Pellegrino Matarazzo | data-sort-value="Castro, Gonzalo" | Gonzalo Castro | Jako | Mercedes-Benz Bank | Mercedes-EQ | |
| data-sort-value="Wolfsburg" | VfL Wolfsburg | data-sort-value="Glasner, Oliver" | Oliver Glasner | data-sort-value="Guilavogui, Josuha" |  Josuha Guilavogui | Nike | Volkswagen | Linglong Tire | |
| Team | Outgoing | Exit date | Position in table | Incoming | Incoming date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced on | Departed on | Announced on | Arrived on | ||||||
| 1899 Hoffenheim | Marcel Rapp Kai Herdling (interim) | End of caretaker spell | 9 June 2020 | 30 June 2020 | Pre-season | Sebastian Hoeneß | 27 July 2020 | [48] [49] [50] | |
| Schalke 04 | David Wagner | Sacked | 27 September 2020 | 18th | Manuel Baum | 30 September 2020 | [51] [52] | ||
| Mainz 05 | Achim Beierlorzer | 28 September 2020 | 17th | Jan-Moritz Lichte (interim) | 28 September 2020 | [53] | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | Lucien Favre | 13 December 2020 | 5th | Edin Terzić (interim) | 13 December 2020 | [54] | |||
| Schalke 04 | Manuel Baum | 18 December 2020 | 18th | Huub Stevens (interim) | 18 December 2020 | [55] | |||
| Huub Stevens (interim) | End of caretaker spell | 22 December 2020 | Christian Gross | 27 December 2020 | [56] | ||||
| Mainz 05 | Jan-Moritz Lichte (interim) | Sacked | 28 December 2020 | 17th | Jan Siewert (interim) | 28 December 2020 | [57] | ||
| Jan Siewert (interim) | End of caretaker spell | 4 January 2021 | Bo Svensson | 4 January 2021 | [58] | ||||
| Hertha BSC | Bruno Labbadia | Sacked | 24 January 2021 | 13th | Pál Dárdai | 25 January 2021 | [59] [60] | ||
| Schalke 04 | Christian Gross | 28 February 2021 | 18th | Dimitris Grammozis | 2 March 2021 | [61] [62] | |||
| Arminia Bielefeld | Uwe Neuhaus | 1 March 2021 | 16th | Frank Kramer | 2 March 2021 | [63] [64] | |||
| Bayer Leverkusen | Peter Bosz | 23 March 2021 | 6th | Hannes Wolf (interim) | 23 March 2021 | [65] | |||
| 1. FC Köln | Markus Gisdol | 11 April 2021 | 17th | Friedhelm Funkel | 12 April 2021 | [66] [67] | |||
| FC Augsburg | Heiko Herrlich | 26 April 2021 | 13th | Markus Weinzierl | 26 April 2021 | [68] | |||
| Werder Bremen | Florian Kohfeldt | 16 May 2021 | 16th | Thomas Schaaf (interim) | 16 May 2021 | [69] | |||
|}
1. FC Köln won 5–2 on aggregate, and therefore both clubs remained in their respective leagues.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[70] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 41 |
| 2 | André Silva | Eintracht Frankfurt | 28 |
| 3 |  Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 27 |
| 4 | Andrej Kramarić | 1899 Hoffenheim | 20 |
| Wout Weghorst | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| 6 | Saša Kalajdžić | VfB Stuttgart | 16 |
| 7 | Lars Stindl | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 14 |
| 8 |  Lucas Alario | Bayer Leverkusen | 11 |
| Max Kruse | Union Berlin | ||
| Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich | ||
 Silas | VfB Stuttgart |
See also: List of Bundesliga hat-tricks.
| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich | Schalke 04 | 8–0 (H) | ||
| Andrej Kramarić | 1899 Hoffenheim | 1. FC Köln | 3–2 (A) | ||
| Niclas Füllkrug | Werder Bremen | Schalke 04 | 3–1 (A) | ||
| Robert Lewandowski4 | Bayern Munich | Hertha BSC | 4–3 (H) | ||
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Eintracht Frankfurt | 5–0 (H) | ||
| Erling Haaland4 | Borussia Dortmund | Hertha BSC | 5–2 (A) | ||
| Jean-Philippe Mateta | Mainz 05 | SC Freiburg | 3–1 (A) | ||
| Lars Stindl | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3–3 (A) | ||
| Matthew Hoppe | Schalke 04 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 4–0 (H) | ||
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund | 4–2 (H) | ||
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | VfB Stuttgart | 4–0 (H) | ||
| Joel Pohjanpalo | Union Berlin | Werder Bremen | 3–1 (H) | ||
| Josip Brekalo | VfL Wolfsburg | Union Berlin | 3–0 (H) | ||
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 6–0 (H) |
| Month | Player of the Month | Rookie of the Month | Goal of the Month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
| September | Andrej Kramarić | 1899 Hoffenheim | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | [73] [74] [75] |
| October | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | Mateo Klimowicz | VfB Stuttgart | Yussuf Poulsen | RB Leipzig | |
| November | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | Silas | Valentino Lazaro | Borussia Mönchengladbach | ||
| December | Lars Stindl | Borussia Mönchengladbach |  Leon Bailey | Bayer Leverkusen | |||
| January | André Silva | Eintracht Frankfurt | Matthew Hoppe | Schalke 04 | Nadiem Amiri | ||
| February | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | Silas | VfB Stuttgart | Marcel Sabitzer | RB Leipzig | |
| March |  Filip Kostić | Eintracht Frankfurt | Ritsu Dōan | Arminia Bielefeld | Deyovaisio Zeefuik | Hertha BSC | |
| April | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich |  Ondrej Duda | 1. FC Köln | |
| May | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | |||||
| Award | Winner | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Erling Haaland | |||
| Rookie of the Season | Silas Katompa Mvumpa | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Goal of the Season | Valentino Lazaro | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| Team of the Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| Manuel Neuer | align=left rowspan=2 | Bayern Munich | |
 Alphonso Davies | |||
 Angeliño | RB Leipzig | ||
| Mats Hummels | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Ridle Baku | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| Leon Goretzka | align=left rowspan=3 | Bayern Munich | |
| Joshua Kimmich | |||
| Thomas Müller | |||
| André Silva | Eintracht Frankfurt | ||
| Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | ||
| Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | ||
