Sepp Maier

Sepp Maier

Maier in 2012.
Personal information
Full name	Josef Dieter Maier
Date of birth	28 February 1944
Place of birth	Metten, Germany
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1952–1959	TSV Haar
1959–1962	Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1980	Bayern Munich	536	(0)
National team
1961–1962	West Germany Youth	11	(0)
1963	West Germany Amateur	4	(0)
1966–1979	West Germany	95	(0)
Teams managed
1988–2004	Germany (goalkeeping coach)
1994–2008	Bayern Munich (goalkeeping coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Josef Dieter "Sepp" Maier (born 28 February 1944) is a German former professional football goalkeeper.^[1] Regarded as one of Germany's greatest ever goalkeepers, his nickname was "Die Katze von Anzing" ("the cat from Anzing") for his fast reflexes.^[2]

Career

Bayern Munich

Born in Metten, Bavaria, Maier spent his entire professional career at Bayern Munich. He began playing for Bayern's youth sides in 1958.^[3] During the 1970s, he was part of the legendary Bayern team which included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller and won three European Cups in a row, a German record. Between 1966 and 1979 he played in 442 consecutive Bundesliga matches, still a German national record.

International

Maier was selected in the West Germany squad for four consecutive World Cups. In 1966 in England, he was a non-playing deputy to Hans Tilkowski. At the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he was the undisputed starter and played all games (including the legendary 3–4 semifinal loss to Italy after extra time) except the third-place match.^[4]

In the 1974 FIFA World Cup on home soil, at the top of his footballing abilities, he reached the peak of his international career as the Germans went all the way to the final with a legendary team that included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts, Gerd Müller and Paul Breitner. The greatest triumph came when the hosts defeated a Johan Cruyff-inspired Netherlands team 2–1 in the final in Maier's own hometown Munich.

Four years later at the World Cup in Argentina, slightly past his peak but still formidable, Maier delivered a strong performance but could not prevent his side's failing to advance past the second round. Maier also won the 1972 European Championship with West Germany and reached the final in 1976, losing to Czechoslovakia on penalty kicks. On this occasion he was on the receiving end of the original Panenka penalty. In all, he earned 95 caps for his country.

Post-playing career

Maier went into coaching for both club and country and mentored Oliver Kahn. In October 2004 his contract with the national side was terminated by manager Jürgen Klinsmann after Maier spoke out in favour of Kahn over Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in a dispute over who should be the side's first-choice goalkeeper.^[5] He continued to work as head goalkeeping coach for Bayern and retired in 2008.^[6]

Personal life

Besides his goalkeeping exploits, Maier was famous for his overlong shorts and being the first goalkeeper to wear the now-standard, outsize, "Mickey Mouse" gloves,^[7] as well as his sense of humour. He is remembered for an incident where he became bored during a match at the Olympiastadion as the opposing side had yet to threaten his goal. A duck wandered onto the pitch and Maier attempted to catch it.^[8]

In June 2009, Maier was honoured by the Bavarian government with the Life Achievement Award.^[9]

Career statistics

Season	Club	League	League		Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Total
1962–63	Bayern Munich	Oberliga Süd	4	0	-	-	4	0
1963–64		Regionalliga Süd	23	0	-	-	23	0
1964–65			36	0	-	-	36	0
1965–66		Bundesliga	31	0	7	0	38	0
1966–67			34	0	6	0	40	0
1967–68			34	0	7	0	41	0
1968–69			34	0	5	0	39	0
1969–70			34	0	7	0	41	0
1970–71			34	0	5	0	39	0
1971–72			34	0	3	0	37	0
1972–73			34	0	4	0	38	0
1973–74			34	0	4	0	38	0
1974–75			34	0	3	0	37	0
1975–76			34	0	4	0	38	0
1976–77			34	0	3	0	37	0
1977–78			34	0	4	0	38	0
1978–79			34	0	1	0	35	0
1979–80			0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Germany		536	0	63	0	599	0
Career total			536	0	63	0	599	0

Honours

Club

Bayern Munich^[10]

• Bundesliga: 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74
• DFB-Pokal: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71
• European Cup: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1966–67
• Intercontinental Cup: 1976

International

West Germany^[10]

• FIFA World Cup: 1974
• UEFA European Championship: 1972; runner-up: 1976

Individual

• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974
• German Footballer of the Year: 1975, 1977, 1978^[10]
• FIFA 100^[10]
• Germany's goalkeeper of the Century^[10]
• World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time

See also

• List of one-club men

References

1. "Sepp Maier" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
2. "I PIU' GRANDI NUMERI UNO" [The Greatest Number Ones] (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
3. "Bayern Hall of Fame: Sepp Maier". fcbayern.de. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
4. Sepp Maier – FIFA competition record
5. Selldorf, Philipp (7 October 2004). "Letzte Warnung für Sepp Maier" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
6. "Bayern board honours Hitzfeld, Kahn and co.". fcbayern.de. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
7. "Wie Gebhard Reusch und Sepp Maier das Handwerkszeug der Nummer 1 erschufen" (in German). http://schwitzkasten.tagblatt.de. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
8. "Bring in the clowns". FIFA.com. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
9. "Höchstleistung auf dem Rasen" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
10. "Germany's champion and comical keeper". FIFA. Retrieved 16 July 2015.