Dante Returns to Bayern as U-23 Head Coach

Bayern appointed the 2012/13 treble winner to lead its reserve side to better prepare academy players for first-team football.

Overview

FC Bayern made the appointment official on Tuesday, June 2, naming Dante Bonfim Costa Santos as head coach of the club’s U-23/reserve team and listing Babak Keyhanfar and Christian Ströbel as his assistants.
Dante retired from playing at age 42 after the 2025/26 season with OGC Nice and arrives with a UEFA Pro Licence earned while still active as a player.
This role is Dante’s first professional coaching position and he will succeed Holger Seitz as the lead coach of Bayern’s oldest youth team.
Bayern framed the hire as a deliberate move to use Dante’s top-level playing experience and leadership to help young players make the step up to senior football.
Dante’s return blends symbolic weight from his 2012/13 treble-winning stint with practical aims for the campus, and Bayern has ruled out reported links of Franck Ribéry joining the new staff.