For the first time in over a decade, Bayern Munich won't be raising the curtain on the new Bundesliga season. This year it's Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Mönchengladbach to open 2024/25, so who will get the new campaign off on the right note?
The Bundesliga season has opened with a standalone Friday game featuring the defending champions since 2002. It's therefore little surprise that a Bayern player has scored the first goal of a season 15 times since then. Thomas Müller, for one, has opened the scoring on no fewer than three occasions (2010, 2014 and 2018) - a record.
It's very unlikely that he or the record champions will be able to add to those numbers this year, after Leverkusen dethroned the Bavarians with an unbeaten domestic campaign and will now open the new season with a trip to near rivals Gladbach.
Watch: Bayer Leverkusen - Bundesliga Invincibles
In 20 of the 22 opening games since 2002, the first goal has landed in the first half. Only in 2004 (Werder Bremen vs. Schalke) and 2009 (Wolfsburg vs. VfB Stuttgart) did the opener come after the interval. The quickest goal of a Bundesliga season, meanwhile, fell in 2002, when Bart Goor struck for Hertha Berlin, after just 55 seconds against Borussia Dortmund.
Serge Gnabry needed just four minutes to put Bayern on their way to an 8-0 win over Schalke in 2020/21 - the biggest margin of victory on an opening day yet. The previous best was Bayern's 6-0 rout of Bremen on Matchday 1 of 2016/17. They also put six past Eintracht Frankfurt two years ago, albeit with Randal Kolo Muani scoring a second-half consolation. It was another four, including Harry Kane's maiden Bundesliga strike, when they visited Bremen last August.
Watch: Bremen 0-4 Bayern - highlights
Opening goalscorers season by season since 2002:
2023/24: 4th minute - Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich
2022/23: 5th minute - Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
2021/22: 10th minute - Alassane Pléa (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
2020/21: 4th minute - Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
2019/20: 24th minute - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
2018/19: 23rd minute - Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
2017/18: 9th minute - Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich)
2016/17: 9th minute - Xabi Alonso (Bayern Munich)
2015/16: 27th minute - Medhi Benatia (Bayern Munich)
2014/15: 37th minute - Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
2013/14: 12th minute - Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
2012/13: 11th minute - Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
2011/12: 17th minute - Kevin Großkreutz (Borussia Dortmund)
2010/11: 9th Minute - Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
2009/10: 71st minute - Zvjezdan Misimovic (Wolfsburg)
2008/09: 12th minute - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
2007/08: 25th minute - Levan Kobiashvili (Schalke)
2006/07: 24th minute - Roy Makaay (Bayern Munich)
2005/06: 28th minute - Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)
2004/05: 84th minute - Nelson Valdez (Werder Bremen)
2003/04: 16th minute - Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich)
2002/03: 1st minute - Bart Goor (Hertha Berlin)
There is a Gladbach name on that list after Pléa earned a 1-1 draw with Bayern in 2021/22, but nobody in a Leverkusen shirt has ever claimed the honour. After setting so many records straight last season, will that now change at Borussia-Park on 23 August 2024?