Even for a club with the stature of Bayern Munich, 2013 has had unparalleled success for the Bavarian giants.
Over the last 12 months, they've won five trophies, a haul which includes a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble - a feat never previously achieved by a German outfit.
So, as the curtain prepares to come down on another year, Sports Mole has reviewed it from a Bayern perspective.
JANUARY
There had been whispers that the 2012-13 campaign would be Jupp Heynckes's last in football management, but Bayern took the decision out of his hands by confirming in early 2013 that Pep Guardiola had agreed to become their new coach from the summer onwards on a three-year deal.
"We are delighted that we have managed to get Pep Guardiola whom several big clubs wanted and contacted. He is one of the most successful trainers in the world and we are sure that not only Bayern Munich but the whole of German football will benefit from what he brings," said the club's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rumours were rife that Heynckes was bitterly disappointed with the arrangement and its timing, but it didn't hamper his side. After the winter break, they returned to record 2-0 victories over Stuttgart and Greuther Furth, with Mario Mandzukic scoring three goals.
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FEBRUARY
By now, matches were coming thick and fast, yet Heynckes's charges were taking each contest in their stride. They won all four of their Bundesliga matches in February, scoring 15 goals and shipping just one in the process.
As for the Champions League, Arsenal were swept aside at the Emirates Stadium 3-1 as Die Roten established themselves as one of the competition's favourites.
There was also an element of revenge in the DFB-Pokal as Borussia Dortmund were knocked out at the quarter-final stage thanks to Arjen Robben, who scored the only goal of the tie. During the previous season's final, Dortmund had put Bayern to sword, winning 5-2 in Berlin.
MARCH
Four more outings in the Budesliga and with it came a quartet of victories as Bayern closed in on a 23rd league title. One of those wins was a 9-2 thumping of Hamburg at the Allianz Arena, with former Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro scoring four times.
Progression in Europe was also sealed, albeit in fortunate circumstances. Having blown Arsenal away during the previous month, the German powerhouse lost the return leg in Germany 2-0, which levelled the aggregate score at three goals piece. Bayern, though, advanced through to the last eight on away goals.
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APRIL
Victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on April 6 secured the title with six matches to spare and in record time. However, Bayern continued to keep their foot on the gas, beating Hannover 6-1 away from home, while also thrashing Nurnberg 4-0.
They continued to motor through the Champions League as well, seeing off Italian giants Juventus 4-0 over two legs to set up a semi-final meeting with Barcelona.
The two sides met in the Allianz Arena late in April, with a close match anticipated. Bayern hadn't read the script, though, as they scored four unanswered goals to stun Tito Vilanova's visitors with a performance of pace, power and counter-attacking football. It was a similar story in the semi-finals of the German Cup as Wolfsburg were defeated 6-1.
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There was also some big transfer news as Bayern revealed that they had reached an agreement to sign Borussia Dortmund's Mario Gotze, having triggered the attacking midfielder's £32m release clause. Just as they had done with Guardiola, Bayern were getting their business done early.
MAY
Bayern and Barca reconvened at Camp Nou a week later. While the hosts were given no chance of overturning a four-goal deficit, they were expected to at least make a fist of things. If anything, the away team were even more commanding than in the first leg, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Robben, Thomas Muller and Gerard Pique, who put through his own net. Over the two matches, Bayern had scored seven goals without reply.
The Bundesliga campaign was brought to a close with a 4-3 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. From their 34 league matches, Bayern won 29, drew four and lost just one. They also found the net on 98 occasions, while letting in 18 at the other end. In total, they broke or equalled 30 records.
Late May saw German football descend on London and Wembley, as Bayern took on Dortmund in the final of the Champions League. Mandzukic put FC Hollywood ahead in the 60th minute, but Ilkay Gundogan restored parity from the penalty spot seven minutes later. It appeared that extra time and perhaps penalties would be required to separate the two rivals, but with 60 seconds of normal time remaining, Robben stole in to secure the trophy for Bayern for a fifth time. For the winger in particular it was a sweet moment of redemption, particularly when you consider that he saw his penalty saved against his old club Chelsea during the previous year's final. The Blues went on to win during the subsequent shootout.
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JUNE
Heynckes's last act was to guide Bayern to DFB-Pokal success thanks to a 3-2 win over Stuttgart. Mario Gomez, who had played second fiddle to Mandzukic for large parts of the season, scored twice.
It meant that the veteran boss had won three trophies in one season, restoring Bayern as Germany's nummer eins. Over to you Senor Guardiola, no pressure!
JULY
After a one-year sabbatical following his trophy-winning exploits at Barca, Guardiola returned to management with Bayern on July 1.
He made an instant impression, with skipper Philipp Lahm telling Bundesliga.com: "Every trainer and their backroom staff do things differently. There's always something new when a new coach comes in.
"Team talks, training - it's all new. [My] first impressions are really positive. He communicates really well in German and fills in the gaps in English. We're looking ahead with great optimism."
There were positive signs during pre-season, although they did lose the DFL-Supercup 4-2 to Dortmund.
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On the transfer front, Guardiola's good relationship with Spanish international Thiago Alcantara from their time working together at Barca convinced the midfielder to join him in Munich for a reported £20m fee.
AUGUST
Guardiola and Bayern began the defence of their Bundesliga crown in positive fashion, collecting 10 points from a possible 12, with a 1-1 draw away at Freiburg the only blot on their copybook.
The month was concluded with a UEFA Super Cup clash in Prague against the previous term's Europa League victors Chelsea. It appeared that Bayern would slump to a 2-1 defeat, only for Javi Martinez to strike deep into extra time. Romelu Lukaku then missed a decisive penalty in the shootout to hand Bayern the trophy as Guardiola got one over his rival Jose Mourinho.
SEPTEMBER
Wins over Hannover, Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg without conceding a goal were secured in September as Bayern already started to tighten their grip on the summit.
The defences of Champions League and DFB-Pokal titles also started positively thanks to victories over CSKA Moscow and Hannover respectively.
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OCTOBER
A goal from Sidney Sam saw Bayer Leverkusen hold Bayern in the Bundesliga, but wins over Mainz and Hertha Berlin restored a sense of normality at the Allianz Arena. During those successes, Mandzukic scored three times, while Gotze also netted his first league goal for the club.
Manchester City were also comfortably dispatched in the Champions League group stage. Franck Ribery, Muller and Robben claimed the goals in a 3-1 victory, although Bayern had the opportunities to score many more.
NOVEMBER
Four wins out of four saw Bayern extend their lead at the top of the table, with the standout result being a 3-0 victory away at Dortmund. It wasn't until Gotze was introduced off the bench by Guardiola against his former club that his new employers gained the initiative.
Victories over Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow sealed progression through to the Champions League's knockout stages.
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DECEMBER
Aside from a 3-2 defeat to Man City in the final Champions League group game, Bayern won every fixture in December.
Ribery scored two of the seven that they plundered in away at Werder Bremen, while Hamburg were also comfortably beaten 3-1.
It meant that Guardiola took his side to Morocco for the FIFA World Club Cup in fine form, which they continued with a 3-0 victory over Chinese side Guangzhou in the semi-finals. The goals on that occasion came from Ribery, Mandzukic and Gotze.
The final paired them with Raja Casablanca, who would be defeated by goals from Dante and Thiago, securing Bayern's fifth trophy of the year.
Moments after winning, Guardiola warned the challengers that his side will not let up: "We are very excited about our achievements, but I am also looking to the future - 2013 is already behind us.
"I am very pleased for the club and proud of the players and the fans. Five titles in one year is a great achievement for Bayern. Now we have a two-week break, then we come back to take on our next challenges."
Ominous words indeed.
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Liam Apicella
