Interview with Hans Pflügler on reaching 50 years of service: 'Bayern was the right decision'

He arrived as a youth player - and is still there today: On 1 July, Hans Pflügler celebrates 50 years of service at FC Bayern. He won championships as a player, then helped build up the merchandising operation and the Legends team. Thank you, Hans!

Hans Pflügler – the interview

Herr Pflügler: On 1 July exactly 50 years ago, you started at FC Bayern in the U16s and have been with the club to this day, without interruption. What were the conditions like when you started out - it's hard to imagine today...
(laughs) "No, you can't imagine that when you look around Säbener Straße today. Back then, I played in Freising, just outside Munich, and one day my brother Karl and I were allowed to have a trial at Bayern - on red soil (ash pitch)! My brother then joined the U18s and I joined the U16s. He later played for SpVgg Unterhaching and I stayed. 50 years, unbelievable."

Equally unbelievable: Training at FC Bayern on red soil...
"... and games too! We trained on red soil throughout our youth. I wasn't yet  a defender, I arrived as a left winger and only ended up in defence as an adult. As a defender, you split your knees open every time you made a tackle, but it was no different for strikers when they dived in. You had abrasions all over your body for months."

Were there others in your cohort who made it to the pros like you did?
"Yes, another defender: Rudi Böck even turned professional before me, he was from FC Stern München. When he wasn't given a new contract, it was my turn. My Bundesliga debut was on Matchday 6 of the 81/82 season at Frankfurt's Waldstadion. I came off the bench for Paul Breitner against Braunschweig. As a young player, you initially had six to eight appearances per season. But when Udo Lattek took over as coach from Pál Csernai, he put his trust in me. It was a pretty prominent team back then: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Breitner, Dieter Hoeneß, Wolfgang Dremmler, Klaus Augenthaler - you had to prove yourself as a young lad."

What was it like for you - as a Freising native, basically born around the corner - to play for the great FC Bayern?
"It was something very special, of course. I set myself small goals right from the start: to play at the Grünwalder Stadion, then at the Olympiastadion and so on. To start with, my parents drove my brother and me to the games. If they didn't have time, I took the S-Bahn to training and then did my homework at nine o'clock in the evening. We didn't have much time for anything other than football."

And you were a Bayern fan through and through?
"Of course. I also want to stress that we're talking about the ‘Grünwalder Stadion’ and not the ‘Sechzger Stadion’ [TSV 1860 Munich] stadium (smiles)..."

Did you have idols as a youth?
"As a youth player back then, you naturally watched the professionals train: Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier, Uli Hoeneß, ‘Katsche’ Schwarzenbeck - they were the best you could watch in Europe! Apart from me, there would be maybe 20 spectators at the training ground, including six pensioners - that was it."

You were in the senior team for 11 years, won the World Cup in 1990 and then played for the reserves until 1997, among other things. What were the high points?
"Certainly the big games, such as against Real Madrid or the legendary 3-1 after losing the first leg 2-0 against Inter Milan. Or the crucial title decider against Köln in the spring of 1989, when there was a big row between Uli Hoeneß and Christoph Daum because Uli defended our coach Jupp Heynckes to the death. To this day, I'm still annoyed about the two finals we lost in the European cup in 1982 and 1987. We could have achieved more."

You made 277 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern - the last one, oddly, in 1995, three years after you retired as a professional...
"I'd carried on playing with the reserves back then, but then there was a defensive shortfall against Kaiserslautern and Giovanni Trapattoni brought me back in. I don't think it ever happened again in that way at FC Bayern."

Parallel to your career, you also began studying civil engineering in 1981. Why did you do that?
"For me, a degree was always important because anything can happen in football. I still tell young players today: finish school, that's the be-all and end-all!  Of course, it was an intense time: training from 9-11, then taking the underground and tram to the lecture theatre, studying alongside games, taking exams - but it did me good."

You've been associated with FC Bayern for 50 years - without interruption. What does that mean to you?
"It astounds me too. But not once was there anything negative. After my playing career, I worked in merchandising for many years. Back then there was a catalogue that was in use for three years - today there isn't one at all, everything is online, everything has become much more short-lived. I would travel to the Olympiastadion for the games in the Fanmobile, and on average wewould make DM 80,000 in sales, or € 40,000. I would then take the money home with me and deliver it to Säbener Straße on the Monday."

What does FC Bayern mean to you these days?
"This club is my home. Occasionally, I spent more time at FC Bayern than at home. What my wife has accomplished is incredible - we have three children and she's had to manage almost everything on her own. It was only later that I really realised how exhausting it all must have been."

You recently participated in FC Bayern's sports badge event for members - and easily won gold at the age of 65. What's your secret?
”I've always been dedicated to sport. After football, I got a taste for cross-country skiing, and I also enjoy inline skating with poles. I enjoy skiing, and as a young lad I even had to choose between skiing and football. I could have attended a sports boarding school run by the Bavarian Ski Association to receive special support. But I made the right decision - in favour of FC Bayern."

The text appeared in the current issue of the members' magazine ‘51’

The numer 10 has a new owner at FC Bayern!: