Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Entertainer and flower grower
How Kleff made Germany the world champion
Posted by Ben Redelings
Today the legendary world champion from 1974, Wolfgang Kleff, celebrates his 75th birthday. At that time he just couldn’t get past regular goalkeeper Sepp Maier in the national team. With Borussia Mönchengladbach, however, he won title after title – and delighted the audience with his shows and sayings!
“It was thanks to Germany that we became world champions. My part was that I didn’t play.” It is one of those typical sentences from the outstanding keeper Wolfgang Kleff. He said it many, many times in his life after the 1974 World Cup – because Wolfgang Kleff was and is a real guy with great and popular entertainer qualities. And: Even if he only sat on the bench during the tournament because Sepp Maier was simply too strong, Wolfgang Kleff nevertheless became world champion in 1974 in Munich with the German national soccer team.
Incidentally, the rivalry between Maier and Kleff was not only carried out in an extremely fair way, but also had its funny moments. The Bayern goalkeeper is said to have said to fans behind his goal during a running game: “I had to put my dog to sleep. Whenever I asked him who is number one in Germany, he meant ‘Kläff, Kläff’. ”
At Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolfgang Kleff was a member of an outstanding team in the 1970s. During his time there, he won the German championship five times, the DFB Cup once and the UEFA Cup twice. At that time, interpersonal relationships did not fall by the wayside. Kleff still has fond memories of the day when Gladbach’s coach Hennes Weisweiler asked his newly engaged fitness trainer Karl-Heinz Drygalski in the dressing room to analyze the game in Bremen.
“I’d rather grow anthuriums in Africa”
Drygalski replied, slightly intimidated: “The leg work was not enough.” And? “One of the two goals was durable.” And? “The Kleff runs all over the foot – like a woman!” Later on the drive home, to the amusement of the whole team, Weisweiler shouted across the bus: “Kleff! Do you know what Drygalski is saying? You run like a woman!” In the end, this little joke of the legendary coach didn’t hurt either Drygalski (who later even became president of the club) or Wolfgang Kleff. The years on the Bökelberg were his best and happiest.
After his time at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Kleff moved to neighboring Fortuna Düsseldorf. But because he was suddenly dissatisfied with his role there in the middle of the season, one day he spoke the following sentence into the cameras of reporters: “I would rather grow anthuriums in Africa than stay in Düsseldorf for another year.” This sentence should still take revenge. Because when things suddenly went better again and he wanted to play for Fortuna longer, the Düsseldorf Presidium took a stand. And so we said goodbye to Düsseldorf.
Wolfgang Kleff’s bad luck turned out to be a stroke of luck for VfL Bochum. At the age of 38 and after a long break, he helped VfL out of a jam in 1985. Because all goalkeepers in Bochum were canceled for various reasons, Kleff should step in at short notice. But VfL weren’t so sure whether Kleff’s physical condition would make an immediate deployment possible. However, the former master keeper managed to wipe away all concerns with one sentence: “I kept myself fit the whole time by running through the woods through Düsseldorf’s old town.” When he arrived in Bochum, Kleff (“I’m just the temporary waiter here”) trained a little more slowly at first, despite his intensive runs through the old town. His humorous explanation sounded plausible: “With sore muscles, I can bend so badly.”
“Elderly gentleman likes to sit on the park bench”
But the old hand quickly enjoyed his job at VfL. After a 5: 3 in his opening game against Düsseldorf, the keeper enthused: “After a long time it was finally great football again. I catch myself, as an old man who will be 39 in November, raving like a teenager!” When, shortly before the end of the preliminary round, the actual number one, “the cat” Ralf Zumdick, was fit again, Wolfgang Kleff leaned back on the bench with a smile, blinked contentedly in the wintry sun and said calmly and calmly: “No problem. An older one Mr. also likes to sit on a park bench. “
After his active career, the 72 reserve goalkeeper of the European championship team tried out some professional branches. Among other things, Kleff actually grew exotic flowers. He went bankrupt with a boutique that he had run when he was a player. Kleff had already asked one of his teammates to get exclusive goods in the 1970s. Rainer Bonhof had become the dress man for the famous Parisian fashion designer Cacharel and immediately thought of his fellow Gladbacher: “I was also able to do something for Wolfgang Kleff. In future he will be selling Cacharel items in his› men-shop ‹in Mönchengladbach. ” By the way, Kleff had a very special clothing stick: no Borussia substitute player could get the number 15. Out of superstition, the Gladbach keeper always wore the jersey under his sweater.
“It was always the small gestures”
Ben Redelings is a passionate “chronicler of football madness” and a supporter of the glorious VfL Bochum. The bestselling author and comedian lives in the Ruhr area and maintains his legendary treasure trove of anecdotes. For ntv.de he writes down the most exciting and funniest stories on Mondays and Saturdays. More information about Ben Redelings, his current dates and his book with the best columns (“Between Puff and Barcelona”) can be found on his website www.scudetto.de.
And then Wolfgang Kleff celebrated a crazy, albeit very limited, comeback. Because the goalkeeper didn’t want to turn down the money at the time and had fun with the idea, he was persuaded to return to the football field at the age of 61. At the Mittelrhein-Landesliga-climber FC Rheinbach, the goalkeeper with a broken leg and his deputy were prevented from doing so at short notice due to a bereavement. Rheinbach’s managing director therefore did not speak of a PR gag, but of “rescue in dire need”. But unfortunately Kleff was only able to prove his class for 35 minutes. Then he had to leave the field after an unfortunate collision. His team was leading 1-0 at this point. The Rheinbach field player then conceded four more goals. For Kleff it was the last trip to the field.
Football fans have fond memories of Wolfgang Kleff to this day, because he was not only an outstanding goalkeeper, but also a special person – who took himself and his job seriously, but never too seriously. He once put it in a nutshell: “It was always the small gestures that made my contact with people. Concentrating for 90 minutes makes your eyes water.” Congratulations on your 75th birthday, all the best and good luck to you, dear Wolfgang Kleff!