Funeral service for Peter Kupferschmidt - President Herbert Hainer: Something that endures is created through deeds

There wasn't enough space in the chapel of rest; nevertheless, many of the approximately 200 mourners braved the icy conditions outside. Representatives from no fewer than 17 clubs to which Peter Kupferschmidt had belonged during his lifetime were in attendance, including FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer, long-time companions such as Dieter ‘Mucki’ Brenninger, Heiner Jüngling (FCB member number 1), the Montagskicker (Monday night footballers) and a delegation from the Kurt Landauer Foundation. The 1965 promotion hero, who passed away before Christmas at the age of 83, was given a dignified send-off at the cemetery in Munich-Riem. In his speech, Hainer said Kupferschmidt had left behind "an enduring legacy" – he stood for the idea that “legends are not only created in the spotlight, because it is especially the people who stand in the shadow of the great who hold a community together. He taught us that humility means knowing that every success rests on many shoulders. Something that endures is not created by headlines – but through deeds." Thus, the name of Peter Kupferschmidt "will continue to inspire generations in the future."

The service was presided over with great compassion by Pastor Wagner, and a requiem and a communal meal rounded off the proceedings. FC Bayern also expressed its condolences to the family, including Peter's wife Anna and their two children Thomas and Petra, with a wreath in the club colours. At the beginning of his speech, Hainer took the mourners on a journey through time to post-war Munich: Kupferschmidt had made his home here after his family fled from what is now Serbia when he was three years old. Hainer recalled that every Christmas, two pigs would be slaughtered, and Peter would always ask for "a little more fat to be left on the pig's bladder" so the children could play football better. "Peter Kupferschmidt is a child of a time when something new was created out of nothing," said the FCB president: "He became a character who still teaches us today to make the best of everything. They played football barefoot, somewhere between the chicken coops. If you broke your right toenail, you just carried on playing with your left foot. You wanted to stay in the game, as he once described it on his 80th birthday. Peter Kupferschmidt: Going through life with both feet!"

Hainer went on to explain that Peter was there "when the foundations were laid for FC Bayern as millions of fans around the world know it today." Where a world-famous training complex now stands on Säbener Straße, "there used to be a wooden hut, and hot water was not a given: from humble beginnings, with a lot of hard work, something great was created." Alongside icons such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier, Kupferschmidt made history after joining the club in 1960, becoming part of the promotion-winning team in 1965 and, until 1971, helping to win the first major silverware of the post-war era.

What remains of this generation is far more than trophies, Hainer continued. "Characters like Peter Kupferschmidt anchored fundamental values in the club: passion, reliability, a sense of community. FC Bayern still sees itself as one big family today – and that can be traced back to people like Peter Kupferschmidt." He remained a loyal companion to his long-time roommate Gerd Müller even after their playing careers ended, explained the president, and until the very end he was also one of the Montagskicker who was a guest at their Christmas party just a few days before his death, which made everyone very proud. Another symbol of his deep connection to the club was "that he was of course there in the summer when we repeated the walk around Lake Tegernsee to mark the 1965 promotion," said Hainer: "Dear Peter Kupferschmidt, FC Bayern salutes your life's work! In solemn mourning – and with great gratitude – we say: Rest in peace! Your name will live on in our club, in our history – and in our hearts."

Before the mourners headed out to the gravesite, Franz Beckenbauer's famous song "Gute Freunde kann niemand trennen" (No-one can separate good friends) was played. Bundled up against the cold, they then accompanied Peter Kupferschmidt to pay him one final tribute. In the photo at his graveside, he looked mischievously out from under a peaked cap. The picture was taken at the ‘Grünwalder Stadion’ – where Peter Kupferschmidt and his teammates once laid the foundation for today's FC Bayern.