It is the details and moments of that evening – when the images and the associated anecdotes and memories come to life – that make it so special. During the reading, images alternate on the screen above the stage, and at one point you see Karl-Heinz Rummenigge standing amongst his teammates from the Germany national team, standing tall, whilst the others are sitting on the ground. In the picture, the iconic striker is clutching his right thigh, which was in such pain that the country’s then captain was only able to come on late in that crucial 1982 World Cup semi-final against France. From the 30th minute onwards, Rummenigge had been rubbing ice into his sore muscle whilst on the substitutes’ bench to numb the pain. A few minutes after this photograph was taken – before extra-time began – he was brought on as a substitute. France’s President, François Mitterrand, is said to have exclaimed “Mon dieu – Rummenigge” at the time – a fact recorded in the historical record – and all of this came to life again on Wednesday evening at Munich’s Residenztheater. “I’ll never forget that thriller,” said Rummenigge on stage. The 1982 semi-final in Seville is still regarded today as one of the matches of the century in world football.
Under the title “The Night of Seville – a football drama in five acts”, actor Peter Lohmeyer read out the match, slipping into the roles of the various protagonists – from Rummenigge and Paul Breitner to France’s playmaker Michel Platini – in time with the swift passing moves. The Germans, under coach Jupp Derwall, took a 1-0 lead. After 90 minutes, the score was 1-1. In extra time, they were trailing 3-1, but substitute Rummenigge and Klaus Fischer – with a trademark bicycle kick – ensured the match would be decided on penalties. Toni Schumacher, who would later play in goal for Bayern towards the end of his career, saved two of the French penalties in the shootout, whilst Rummenigge was among the successful German takers. “I smiled before taking the penalty, even though I didn’t really feel like it. And after the final whistle, it was like carnival in the dressing room,” recalls the man who would later become FC Bayern’s long-serving CEO and is now a member of the club’s supervisory board, during a stage discussion following the reading alongside his former teammates Schumacher and Pierre Littbarski.
To this day, the match remains overshadowed by Schumacher’s heavy collision with Patrick Battiston. The former goalkeeper reflected on the incident with honesty and candour. “Perhaps that was the first time in my life I’d been a coward,” he said, referring to the fact that he hadn’t apologised straight away, before turning his attention to other aspects of the match, which lasted two hours and 41 minutes. “Pierre was the best player on the pitch that day,” added Rummenigge of the man who scored the opening goal, set up two more and also converted a penalty. “I knew I wouldn’t lose with guys like Kalle and Toni. Even though Kalle was carrying an injury, I knew he’d score a goal,” explained Littbarski convincingly. Rummenigge described his substitution in extra-time as “perhaps the best 23 minutes of my career”. In the end, there was a long round of applause for the legendary trio. Even 44 years after the final whistle, a match for the ages still deserves a grand stage.
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