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Klinsmann, 43, takes the place of Ottmar Hitzfeld, who will not stay on beyond the current season. Klinsmann's playing career included a term at the German Bundesliga top club Munich 1995-1997.

 Munich announced a news conference for 1500 GMT Friday in a local hotel which the former striker Klinsmann was due to attend. The appointment means that Klinsmann will have to give up living in the US and will return to Germany.

 Klinsmann has never coached at club level before. His only experience is the German national team 2004-2006.

 "I am looking forward to the time with Juergen Klinsmann. I don't consider this decision brave but rather very intelligent and well thought over. Juergen Klinsmann had success with his new methods at the national team. And I am concinced he will have success at Bayern as well," the Bild daily on its website quoted Munich president Franz Beckenbauer as aying.

 Captain Oliver Kahn, who will retire after the season and was in 2006 dropped by Klinsmann in favour of Jens Lehmann as starting Germany goalkeeper, did not want to share his feelings.

 "I doesn't affect me. I wish Juergen Klinsmann a lot of luck but don't want to comment further," Kahn told a Munich news conference. "No one knows how he will be as club coach."

   Germany coach Joachim Loew, who was the assistant under Klinsmann 2004-2006, spoke of "a surprise."

   "But I was convinced after our phone calls in the last weeks and months that he would return to coaching soon. He is an enrichment for German football," said Loew.

 German football supremo Theo Zwanziger named it "great that Juergen Klinsmann returns to Germany." Former Munich coach Udo Lattek said "I never expected Klinsmann on the job" but also warned that his appointment was "a risk" in certain areas.

 Hitzfeld, whose second term in Munich started last February, said earlier this month that he would not renew his deal beyond the season. He has been linked with the Swiss national team job.

 The announcement prompted huge speculation about his successor, with names including Jose Mourinho, Rafael Benitez, Marcello Lippi and Klinsmann floated in the German and international media.

 Munich's high-profile leadership of Beckenbauer, chairman Karl- Heinz Rummenigge and general manager Uli Hoeness wanted a prominent coach for the star-studded team featuring the likes of Franck Ribery, Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

 But an important precondition was that the new coach has a knowledge of the German language. Klinsmann also speaks, French, Italian and English.

 At the Germany team, he revolutionised training methods and team tactics to lead Germany back to the world elite and made the team popular among the fans again.

 The highlight was Germany's third-place finish at the home World Cup in 2006. The event created a fan frenzy around the players and Klinsmann, but the coach decided not to renew his deal and returned to California where he lived with his American wife and their children since the end of his playing career.

 Klinsmann was since then linked with various coaching jobs including the national teams of the US and England. The latest speculation was that he would replace Benitez in Liverpool next season.

 Klinsmann won the 1990 World Cup and captained Germany to the Euro 1996 title, scoring 46 goals in 108 Germany caps. His club career 1984-1998 saw the prolific striker play at VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria and Munich, with whom he won the Bundesliga and the 1996 UEFA Cup.

 His relationship with the prominent Munich leadership was far from perfect at the time, but it appears that Beckenbauer, Hoeness and Rummenigge agreed that he is the best solution now.

 Munich not only want to win titles since spending around 100 million dollars on new players last summer, the team is also to play attractive football - similar to the new Germany style Klinsmann imposed during his national team reign.

 However, Kahn insisted that the team must first concentrate on the current season where it has slumped after a strong start to lead Werder Bremen only by goal difference in the current winter break. Munich's aims are winning the league, German cup and the UEFA Cup.

 "As captain I must make sure that we concentrate on the season. The team is capable of winning all three titles," said Kahn.

By Christian Kunz, dpa