The Deutsche Sporthilfe Foundation recognised FCB general manager and former Germany international Uli Hoeneß's lifetime achievements on Friday with the award of a “Golden Sport Pyramid” and enrolment in the German sports “Hall of Fame”.
Hoeneß joins Uwe Seeler and Franz Beckenbauer as the third footballer to be awarded the Golden Pyramid. Together with the deceased Fritz Walter, Sepp Herberger and Helmut Schön, Germany's most popular sport is now represented in the Hall of Fame by six personalities.
28 trophies in 30 years
The 57-year-old Hoeneß is widely credited with masterminding Bayern's ascent to the pinnacle of German football. After winning the European championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974, the man capped 35 times by Germany took over as manager in Munich in 1979 at the age of 27.
In the Hoeneß era, FCB have won the Bundesliga 16 times, the DFB Cup nine times, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. Bayern have also grown into one of the world's biggest clubs financially. The board member is scheduled to succeed Beckenbauer as chairman of the club's supervisory board at the end of the year.
Obermann presents award
The Sporthilfe commended Hoeneß in glowing terms for his social and community involvement. Since its foundation in 2005, the “FC Bayern München Hilfe e.V.” charity fund has donated millions in aid to needy persons. An invited audience of 300 drawn from the worlds of sport, politics, business and the arts heard Telekom boss René Obermann deliver the speech of commendation on Friday evening at the Adlon Kempinski hotel in Berlin.
The Sporthilfe foundation donates up to €12 million annually in support of high-performance sport in Germany. Friday's event was the tenth annual Golden Pyramid awards ceremony.
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