October brings a fixture list packed with history as Bayern face teams across the Bundesliga and DFB Cup against whom they had a number of memorable meetings in the 1980s. Members’ magazine ‘51’ takes a look back on the past as a preview for the future.
The 80s were a decade of transition. The old order still applied: fans with radios in the stands, honest man-to-man duels, centre-backs against strikers. At the same time, the game was changing: bright jerseys, wild hairstyles and the biggest German stars moving to Italy for big money. The last World Cup winners from 1974 were retiring and a new generation taking over. From 1992 onwards, three foreign players were allowed to play for a team in a Bundesliga match, instead of the previous two. Football was finally becoming pop culture, spectator numbers rose by almost 50 percent by the early 1990s, and new TV channels presented the sport as a show. And FC Bayern? They were battling with big opponents for the crown of German football.
Eintracht Frankfurt, 1989/90
Frankfurt was the most exciting city in the league that year. That was thanks to Klaus Augenthaler, who in the first round of the DFB Cup at the Waldstadion kicked the ball 49.5 metres over Uli Stein and into the goal – named the goal of the decade. And because Bayern won the Bundesliga so convincingly, it was also possible to appreciate the exciting project of Eintracht, who developed into a real top team for several years from 1989 onwards.
“Back to the top with Hessen,” said Bernd Hölzenbein, and he built a team around local boys Ralf Weber, Ralf Falkenmayer and Uwe Bein. Frankfurt finished the season eight points behind Bayern in third place but scored almost as many goals. In the following years, Tony Yeboah, Andy Möller and Maurizio Gaudino thrilled the league with one-two passes, daring runs and technical feats. One opposing player marvelled: “That's football from the year 2000.” They didn't win a title, but no lovers of football have forgotten them.
>> Reunion on 4 October in Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund, 1991/92
Uli Hoeneß had sensed it early on when he said, “We're not starting the season with the sole aim of becoming champions.” Bayern were in a state of upheaval – captain Augenthaler had stepped down, Jürgen Kohler and Stefan Reuter had moved to Serie A. The start was a disaster, losing 2-1 in Rostock, 2-0 against Bochum, 4-1 against Stuttgart Kickers. Then, on Matchday 13, came the low point with a 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Michael Rummenigge and Flemming Povlsen scored, and Markus Münch inadvertently scored the third goal himself as FCB keeper Gerald Hillringhaus fired the ball at him 20 metres in front of the goal and it bounced off his calf into his own goal. Bayern have never played that badly against BVB since.
Bayern reacted with a change of coach twice and the signing of midfielder Jan Wouters, but it brought nothing, even another 3-0 loss to Dortmund.
Ultimately, it was VfB Stuttgart who prevailed in dramatic fashion on the last matchday over Dortmund and Frankfurt, while Bayern finished only 10th – five points above the relegation zone. It was the worst Bundesliga season in the club's history. However, 1991/92 marked a turning point, the beginning of a rebuilding process and a new era. In 1992, the Champions League started with a new format, and Premiere broadcast the top Bundesliga match as a subscription TV channel in Germany. In 1995, the Bosman ruling made football even more dynamic and international. And in 2001, exactly 10 years after the botched season, Bayern were back at the top of European football.
>> Reunion on 18 October in Munich
Borussia Mönchengladbach, 1987/88
Just when Gladbach icon Jupp Heynckes moved to Munich was when Borussia suddenly became Bayern’s kryptonite. On Matchday 6, FCB travelled to Mönchengladbach and didn't stand a chance. Two goals from Uwe Rahn for a 2-0 win by the hosts. It was the beginning of a green-and-white curse as Bayern went without a title for the first time in five years and the so-called ‘eternal runners-up’ Werder Bremen became champions. “We have broken Bayern's dominance,” rejoiced Bremen captain Mirko Votava. As if that weren't enough, Bayern failed to win in Gladbach for the next seven years. They found themselves unable to break down the midfield led by Michael Frontzeck, the young Stefan Effenberg and the goalkeeper Uwe Kamps. Even today, this negative streak means that Bayern’s record against Gladbach is their worst of any opponent in the Bundesliga.
>> Reunion on 25 October in Mönchengladbach
Köln, 1988/89
At the start of the season, it seemed unthinkable that the cities of Cologne and Munich would engage in a legendary battle for the Bundesliga title. On Matchday 8, Köln were only in eighth place in the table with eight points, while Bayern were in first. But even though Köln liked to portray themselves as underdogs, they had a team full of top stars: Germany’s Bodo Ilgner was in goal, with a strong midfield axis of Jürgen Kohler, Pierre Littbarski and Thomas Häßler. Bayern, on the other hand, had lost Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus and strengthened their squad with talents such as Olaf Thon and Stefan Reuter. Captain Augenthaler bet Uli Hoeneß DM2,000 that this team would “never, ever” be champions. But Heynckes created a perfectly functioning collective. Köln also put in a strong run, spurred on by Christoph Daum: “If there's no wind, the regatta is cancelled. Then you have to make the wind yourself.”
After Bayern lost 2-0 to Stuttgarter Kickers on 13 May 1989, Köln were only one point behind. It came down to a double showdown. First, Hoeneß and Daum faced off on the TV show Aktuelle Sportstudio. Then, on Matchday 31, Bayern were the visiting team in Cologne. Daum, known as a motivator, had excelled in that job, but with the wrong target group. “We were so fired up,” said Roland Wohlfarth, “I didn't know which way was up or down.” He scored three goals in a 3-1 win. Bayern were crowned champions in style, and the fans sang: “Seppl Heynckes, you're the best.”
>> Reunion on 29 October in Cologne
Bayer Leverkusen, 1986/87
In his last match in the Olympic Stadium, Udo Lattek was presented with a cake bearing the words ‘Record champions Bayern Munich’ with a large number 10. He dipped his finger in and enjoyed it. In the 1986/87 season, Bayern won the Bundesliga for the third time in a row and surpassed Nürnberg as record champions in Germany. It could have been the perfect season if a young striker hadn't played the game of his life on a rainy November day. And then there was that European Cup final in Vienna.
Matchday 12 at Olympic Stadium with 47,000 spectators, “many of them soaked to the skin”. The ZDF reporter on the microphone cheered: “One of the best Bundesliga matches in recent years.” League leaders Bayern against their closest rivals Leverkusen. Falko Götz quickly scores the opener for the visitors with a header.
Bayern produced a power play in the second half – Brehme, Mathy, Matthäus, Flick, Wohlfarth. Fifteen corners, but no goals. Leverkusen also played well. Wolfgang Rolff dominated the midfield, Bum-kun Cha repeatedly launched quick counterattacks and, in the 87th minute, headed a long kick from Vollborn into the path of Götz, who lobbed the ball over Pfaff to make it 3-0. “If someone had told me that beforehand...” said Götz to the microphone through his moustache. Three years earlier, the striker had fled to West Germany during an international tour with the East Germany national team. Politics wasn't really his thing. “I was a great football talent and wanted to play in the Bundesliga,” he once said. Leverkusen took the lead in the table. In the end, they couldn't keep up with Lattek's Bayern, who didn't lose a single game after their first training camp in Bahrain. It was the perfect season. Almost.
>> Reunion on 1 November in Munich
This text appeared in members’ magazine 51
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