One of them scored two goals on the pitch, the other gave his all in the stands. Now, 50 years after Bayern's 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the European Cup final in Brussels, FC Bayern members' magazine ‘51’ brought Uli Hoeneß and Roland Braun together for a look back. Both agree that, together, players and fans can achieve anything. That is also a legacy of FC Bayern.
Interview with Uli Hoeneß and Roland Braun
Mr Braun, 50 years ago you cheered on Uli Hoeneß in Brussels. What is it like to sit next to him now?
Roland Braun: “I'll have to let that sink in over the next few weeks. I've been following FC Bayern's matches since they were promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965, back then at the Grünwalder with Rudi Brunnenmeier and the like. I grew up with players like Uli Hoeneß. They have shaped my life.”
Mr Hoeneß, do the fans actually give you the push for that extra tenth of a second in a solo run like that time in Brussels?
Uli Hoeneß: “To be honest, you're in a tunnel in such a special situation. You have to be focused on what you're doing. But the atmosphere that prevails in a game as a whole is something you can feel, it doesn't leave you cold.”
You were on the pitch, Roland Braun in the stands - together you achieved this success, with players and fans working together...
Hoeneß: “That's the heart of the game, and the heart of FC Bayern. When I come to the Allianz Arena, like now against Arsenal, this backdrop in red - I often think to myself: simply wow! Everything we do, we do for the fans. That's always the basis of everything in this club - and it has to stay that way.”
Braun (points to the patch on his jacket): “It says here: 'Mia san mia'."
Hoeneß: “And every single player in this club must always be aware of that. I've always felt that we players on the pitch have a responsibility to the fans, who take on so much, invest so much time, dedication and savings.”
Braun: “I've always felt that. From the times with Fritz Kosar, Werner Olk and Mucki Brenninger, when I was eight years old, to today. I come from near Stuttgart, where some people say they can't relate to FC Bayern. I then counter that explaining I used to go to Säbener Straße, and Sepp Maier would put down his bag of balls for autographs after training. Back then, the Americans still trained on a pitch next to Säbener Straße. Times certainly change, but FC Bayern is always FC Bayern.”
Mr Braun, how did you become a Bayern fan?
Braun: “I think it was the red jerseys. Then came the success. How ‘Bulle’ Roth scored to win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967, the first double and then Brussels.”
How did your trip to Brussels come about?
Braun: “I watched the first game with my dad at home, on black and white TV. When Bayern were 1-0 down at the end of extra-time, we pushed back our armchairs and wanted to go to bed, then the equaliser was scored. I was jumping around the room. I was an apprentice at 16 at the time. Suddenly a friend called: ‘We have to go to Brussels!’. We set off in an old car, on the off-chance, without tickets. We hardly had any money. We got two standing tickets for 25 Deutschmark each. That was a lot of money back then, but it was a dream match. I would’ve paid 100 Mark.”
„We players on the pitch have a responsibility to the fans, who take on so much, invest so much time, dedication and savings.”
What did you think of Uli Hoeneß's solo runs?
Braun: “I think Atletico were older on average, and Bayern therefore had the advantage in the second game. The way you sprinted away, Mr Hoeneß… You don't forget that. Then the two Gerd Müller goals, volley, lob into the corner…”
Hoeneß: “Inimitable Gerd. Beautiful.”
Braun: “And your second goal. It wasn't until three days later that I saw highlights, and how commentator Oskar Klose shouted: 'Now they need knock him out, no, Hoeneß is killing them all'. You were too quick for everyone, and that was also decisive in the round of 16 against Dresden.”
Hoeneß: “I had to postpone my wedding between the first and second leg because our general manager Robert Schwan said that we had to be very careful after the 4-3 win.”
Braun: “Your wife won't have been happy about that…”
Hoeneß: “Not amused. We’d invited 200 people. The wedding took place after the 3-3 draw in the second leg.”
Braun: “Everything for FC Bayern. I think it's great that your wife went along with it. I've never been married - my great love is FC Bayern [smiles].”
How did you celebrate on the night in Brussels?
Braun: “We had a beer or two at the stadium. Then we went back by car, 500 kilometres, seven hours. I wasn't allowed to drive; I didn't have a driving licence yet. We only really celebrated back home with our friends.”
Hoeneß: “None of us slept. Rainer Zobel, for example, spent the night at the hotel pool. We then travelled straight on to Mönchengladbach for the last Bundesliga game. The only goal there was for our Gerd Müller to get the top scorer's crown ahead of Jupp Heynckes.”
Braun: “I once had a special experience with Gerd Müller when he was assistant coach of the reserves. After a game in Reutlingen, I was waiting for the then goalkeeper Sven Scheuer behind the wooden stand. It was cold and it was raining heavily. Mr Müller came and asked if I would rather wait on the team bus. He even made me a coffee.”
Hoeneß: “That's how Gerd was. To everyone.”
Braun: “Those are moments that you can't believe as a fan.”
Mr Hoeneß, were you aware that FC Bayern had reached the next level in Brussels back then?
Hoeneß: “Internationally speaking, we were coming from nowhere. I had the feeling that this title would open up new avenues for FC Bayern.”
Photos: Dominik Gigler, Magdalena Jooss