Monday, May 10, 2021
What is Lizarazu doing there?
The most sensational tackle of the year
What a spectacular tackle, but what an unfamiliar setting. During a photo shoot, the former Bixente Lizarazu sets off a perfect tackle against his moderator colleague Grégoire Margotton.
Bixente Lizarazu could have just slapped Grégoire Margotton. Just like the little Basque once did in August 1999 with Lothar Matthäus in training at FC Bayern. Well, at that time the left-back was provoked by the record international. It was about a passport. The question was whether it had been played badly (by Lizarazu) or whether it had been used badly (by Matthew). At the end of a long and loud argument, there was the now legendary Watschn.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld punished the offense with a fine. He asked Captain Stefan Effenberg for advice, who only said: “Why a fine? He should actually get money for what he did. For someone who gave Lothar something in front of the suitcase.” Many years later, Lizarazu once explained what actually annoyed him in training at the time. “I had enough of the way Lothar treated his colleagues. He was the big star at the time and was very arrogant. That annoyed me and at some point the barrel overflowed.” It has not harmed his immense appreciation by the record champions. The opposite was the case. Lizarazu became a club legend in Munich.
He had earned this status not only because of the conflict with the world champion. He earned this status with his spectacular style of play. Dynamic, aggressive, tricky – and also surprisingly fair. In 273 competitive games for FC Bayern, he flew off the pitch only once with yellow and red, although he often used the tackle to cleanly separate the ball and the opponent. Does not matter when. No matter where.
“Hoeneß did a great deal”
Even a set for a photo shoot 15 years after the end of his career is no reason for the 51-year-old to hold back in a duel. When Grégoire Margotton put his foot on the ball a little too stiffly, a little too arrogantly, Lizarazu straddled in the fine thread with impressive precision. When his work was done, he casually resigned. As before. He hit a lot of the round leather and nothing of the foot of the TV journalist. Also like before (only that he straddled against players). The moderator was initially terrified, but then reacted with a loud laugh to the surprising but funny attack. Nothing happened either. By the way, Lizarazu and Margotton have been a cult presenter duo on French television for many years. At the EM in the summer, the two comment on the games of the Equipe Tricolore. So, among other things, the one against the German national team on June 15th.
For Lizarazu it’s back to Munich. Yet again. Because after a lightning interlude at Olympique Marseille, he returned home to the record champions after less than six months, on January 5, 2005. He got his regular place back, but not his previous jersey number. Bayern had given the number to Lucio. No matter, as Lizarazu explained at the time: “Now I have 69 because I was born in 1969, am 1.69 meters tall and weighs 69 kilograms. Okay, I used to weigh 69 kilograms. To be honest: That’s a couple Years ago. “
Also because he didn’t always take himself that seriously, Lizarazu was so extremely popular with the fans. Another saying, which, however, also contained plenty of truth: “I was probably the best investment that Bavaria has ever made. Uli Hoeneß did a great deal,” said only once to the “tz “. Lizarazu moved from Athletic Bilbao to Munich in the summer of 1997 for the sum of 4.5 million euros at the time. By the way, on the official Bayern website, Lizarazu is right next to Matthäus in the club legends.
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