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BAYERN FAMILY February 2025
The Wohlfahrts were often our guests at home later . I was always like a father to my players . I demand a lot , but if there ‘ s a problem I ‘ m the first to help . If a player calls me at two o ‘ clock in the morning with a problem , I don ‘ t ask “ how and why ?“, but rather : “ Where are you ?“ You were often criticised for your aggressive transfer behaviour at the beginning of your managerial career . Did that actually leave you unscathed ? I never wanted to be everybody ‘ s darling . I used my elbows and wanted to take FC Bayern to the top at all costs . I was committed to it 100 per cent . I also explored new avenues . Not everyone liked that . But I always behaved correctly , even when I pushed the boundaries permitted by the laws of football , of course . Do you know what kind of business I like best ? The kind where there are only winners . I don ‘ t like it when I leave the negotiating table feeling the other side has lost . Let ‘ s take a closer look at the transfers . What were the craziest negotiations you ever conducted ? There was the time we signed Roque Santa Cruz in Paraguay , for example . Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and I were sitting in the club president ‘ s living room with about 25 other people . He was drenched in sweat and kept walking out . We ’ d offered ten million Deutschmarks , but he wanted dollars . We were already outside waiting for a taxi when he brought us back in . We finally came to an agreement , and suddenly there were 30 or 40 journalists with cameras in the living room . It was bedlam , unbelievable . Then there was Adolfo Valencia . The negotiations began in Madrid and ended at my home . After 24 hours in Madrid , we absolutely had to get back to Munich , so our negotiating partners said : “ We ‘ ll come with you !“ Five or six men then sat around my house for three days until we reached an agreement . Santa Cruz even moved in with you for a short time . It was always the case that if a player couldn ‘ t find an apartment straight away , I would always try to put them up with me or with family friends . I wanted the players to feel at home . Roque was a young guy , all by himself in a foreign country . We weren ‘ t so well-organised back then ; we didn ‘ t have two or three people who spoke the language and could look after him 24 hours a day . Which transfers didn ‘ t work out ? The Ruud Gullit case was completely bonkers . First , I flew to Milan with Franz Beckenbauer . When we arrived at his flat at half past nine in the morning , no-one was awake – apart from the butler . He had a butler ! He showed us into the lounge and we had some coffee . We eventually settled the transfer details and he travelled to Munich for his medical . Everything was still fine at that point . That evening we had dinner together and he spent the night at my place . Everything was still fine then too . The next morning he said he ‘ d have to go to Milan to talk to his wife – and that evening he cancelled . To this day , I still don ‘ t know exactly why . Rabah Madjer ‘ s transfer also came to nothing . I flew all the way to Lisbon so I wouldn ‘ t be seen in Porto and drove 300 kilometres through all these villages . I almost ran over a chicken ; a goat ran into my car . We secretly negotiated at the home of a friend of his , and everything was settled . But then there was a huge to-do regarding Porto ‘ s transfer fee demand of at least 800,000 dollars . In the end , I was actually glad I didn ‘ t have to sign him . And another funny transfer story just occurred to me … Please go on . When we wanted Emil Kostadinov from La Coruña , the club boss Augusto Lendoiro said to Karl-Heinz and me after we landed : “ We ‘ ll meet for dinner tonight – at half past 11 !“ That meant we couldn ‘ t return home . We didn ‘ t even have toothbrushes or anything ! He didn ‘ t arrive until half past midnight and we sat up together until three . I ‘ ll never forget it : We ate percebes mussels … they squirt when you open them . The state of my shirt … and we couldn ‘ t even buy new shirts because the next day was a Sunday . So that ‘ s how we looked on the plane . What have been milestones in terms of personnel decisions ? Rummenigge to Inter Milan , signing Lothar Matthäus a second time , bringing in Pep Guardiola ? Sören Lerby was another important transfer . He had a release clause of two million Deutschmarks at Ajax . It was an incredible story . Coach Pal Csernai wanted to watch him again before signing him , so we flew to a cup match . But Sören hardly saw the ball over the 90 minutes . When we were waiting for him in a pub afterwards , Csernai suddenly said : “ I don ‘ t want the player any more after this match !“ We were in the middle of the discussion when Sören turned up . No decision had been made , but Willi O . Hoffmann jumped to his feet , saying : “ Mr Lerby , I ‘ m delighted to welcome you as our new FC Bayern player !“ I almost fell off my chair and Csernai screwed up his face . But it turned out to be a great transfer . There are so many : Oliver Kahn , Manuel Neuer … the list is almost endless . And I remember Roy Makaay ‘ s transfer well . It was a reunion with our friend Lendoiro , in Madrid at half past one in the morning . But we were better prepared that time and had everything we needed to stay overnight . Are there actually still visionaries today like you used to be , or is the scope for visions too narrow these days ? They would exist , if you gave them some time . But in our fast-paced world , all it takes is three mistakes and you ‘ re killed off . I think people are given the push far too quickly . As soon as someone messes up , everyone condemns them straight away , saying : “ He ‘ s got to go !“ But everyone should admit mistakes to themselves . Everyone
54 FC Bayern Magazine