February 2025 BAYERN GAME and take photos in the Olympiastadion for my 400th consecutive game that I realised it. But I also remember that later, after my serious car accident in 1979, I immediately said to the paramedic in the car that I absolutely had to be fit again at the weekend so I could extend my run. That‘ s the equivalent of 13 years straight. Manu, how does that sound? MN: In this day and age, it‘ s unimaginable how Sepp managed that. I arrived in Munich in 2011, so it‘ s basically exactly the same amount of time now. Did you never pull a muscle or catch a cold, or not just need a breather? SM: Never, I only got injured once, when Uwe Seeler hit me in the ribs with his knee going up for a cross in Hamburg in 1965. And because we didn’ t have substitutes back then, Gerd Müller went in goal for me. I was lying behind him receiving treatment and I was directing him: ″ Go there, go there!“ Hamburg sensed they had a chance, Charly Dörfel was whipping in one cross after another. But Gerd, as a centre-forward, knew where the crosses were meant to go and fisted them away. Our doctor then quickly gave me a couple of injections, I gritted my teeth – and came back on. Another fine example of your great ambition, although you were always perceived as a joker who even once chased after a duck on the pitch. How does that fit together? SM: By nature, I‘ m a positive person and always up for a bit of spontaneous fun. But when it really came down to it, when it came to titles, I had no time for jokes. MN: I think you can compare it to Thomas Müller. He loves a bit of fun too and keeps things lively in the changing room. But when he walks out onto the pitch, he flips a switch and is incredibly ambitious. Characters like Sepp or Thomas are very important for the soul of a team and for the whole club. SM: You mustn‘ t overdo it though: It always has to be appropriate to the situation – and you have to deliver your performance on the pitch. If that ratio is right, everyone gets what they want. Manu, Sepp says Gerd Müller was the only player he was afraid of, but luckily they played in the same team. Would you have liked to have played alongside Müller? MN: Of course it would have been a great experience to see Gerd Müller or later Zinédine Zidane. I would have loved to have watched them on the pitch myself. But every era has its own greats, and I‘ ve often had the privilege of playing against Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, which I‘ m sure Sepp would have enjoyed too. SM: I once had the privilege of playing with the national team against Pelé at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, an unforgettable experience for me. Franz Beckenbauer and Willi Schulz were in central defence. I can still see it today: Pelé’ s running towards my goal with the ball, Schulz tackles him, Pelé nutmegs him and keeps going. Next, Franz comes rushing into the penalty area and Pelé nutmegs him too. But he knocks the ball too far forward, so I dart out and pick it up. Pelé comes over to me, laughs like a child and gives me a pat on the back. He actually didn’ t want to score, he just wanted to nutmeg them one after the other. And the whole stadium roared. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. If he’ d scored they would have won.
Whether video analysis or equipment: the two goalkeepers are used to different standards.
FC Bayern Magazine 35