Born and raised in Munich, playing for FC Bayern was very special for Andreas Ottl. And on 6 May 2006, it got even better as he scored the goal to secure the record champions the Bundesliga title. Speaking to club magazine 51, the 35-year-old recalls that memorable day.
Ottl on the “game of his life”
Andreas Ottl made it 1-1 for Bayern in the 68th minute, his first Bundesliga goal, that would wrap up the title.
“When I got up on 6 May 2006, I didn’t know it was going to be ‘my’ day. Things only got going during breakfast when coach Felix Magath told me I was starting against Kaiserslautern. It was Matchday 31 and we knew a point would be enough to be champions, so that’s how we approached the game.”
Trailing at the Betze
In a hard-fought game, youngster Ottl came out on top, including here against Kaiserslautern’s Halil Altintop.
“Kaiserslautern is a huge name. At the time they were battling against relegation and the atmosphere at the Betzenberg was impressive. We went behind after around half an hour but stuck at it. And in the 68th minute there was a corner from the left.”
Ottl on the spot
Ottl was perfectly placed at a corner and turned the ball over the line for the equaliser.
“My job was to run at the far post. The ball was deflected, otherwise it would’ve gone out. It came through and I just had to slide in from five yards. My first Bundesliga goal, on a day like that, at 21 – it’s an indescribable feeling. The fact it was the goal that won us the title was the cherry on top.”
Munich boy among legends
Ottl (l.) appeared shy and couldn’t believe his luck. The Munich native played for SV Nord Lerchenau until he was 11 before joining Bayern in 1996. He made his first-team debut in 2005 before writing his name into the record books the following season with his goal against Kaiserslautern, celebrating among legends like <a href="oliver-kahn">Oliver Kahn</a> and Bixente Lizarazu, as well as youngsters <a href="bastian-schweinsteiger">Bastian Schweinsteiger</a> and <a href="philipp-lahm">Philipp Lahm</a>.
“As someone from Munich, growing up just yards from the Olympiastadion, the pride and joy couldn’t have been greater. I only realised after the final whistle as we were celebrating on the pitch with the Weißbier glasses. Everyone ran to me, it was mad. We had some great heroes in the squad then. They’d experienced a lot, like Oliver Kahn, Mehmet Scholl, Hasan Salihamidzic, Jens Jeremies – and I was in the middle of them all. Back then we only had texting, but my phone almost exploded from the messages of congratulations.”
Accolade from 'Tiger' Gerland
On 13 May, Ottl and goalkeeper Michael Rensing finally got to celebrate with the real Meisterschale at Marienplatz. The midfielder won three Bundesliga titles and three DFB Cups with Bayern.
"After the game, I called Hermann Gerland, who was coaching the reserves at the time. I was actually meant to be playing for him the next day. He told me, ‘Stay in Kaiserslautern, you don’t need to come back. Enjoy the celebrations, you’ve earned it!’ It’s a great accolade when the ‘Tiger’ tells you something like that. There were plenty more great moments with Bayern, but that game and that goal will always be number one in my heart.”
Roy Makaay spoke of the “game of my life” when he took down Ajax in 2004:
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