The friendship with Hoeness began with his '82 accident Bayern's business was not intended to weaken opponents

On Wednesday, bayern honorary chairman Uli Hoeness is celebrating his 70th birthday, and his old friend, Bayern meritorious coach Heynckes, spoke in an interview with SportBiz about their close friendship and the successes they have experienced together.

Heynckes has been "lured" by Hoeness to Bayern as manager four times in his career, and for the beginning of the deep friendship between the two, Heynckes said: "He was the only surviving in the plane accident that occurred when he flew to Hanover in 1982. When his condition was better, we talked on the phone for almost an hour. He said to me at the end: 'I have one thing to tell you, and that is that one day you will become a coach of Bayern'. And that became a reality five years later. That phone call was the beginning of our friendship. As we worked together, got to know each other better, and trusted each other more and more, we had a deeper connection. ”

Of Hoeness, who retired from Bayern, Heynckes said: "We sometimes talk on the phone now. I can feel that after retiring two years ago, he is now much more relaxed and is enjoying his life. Even if it's a little different now than it was before COVID-19, I don't think it's going to affect his health. Hoeness also makes time for sports (he owns an indoor pool) and walks his dog. I could see that he was in really good shape. But he is also very careful, like those of us who are older during the COVID-19 pandemic. ”

Heynckes laughs at the two's vacation experiences: "Hoeness invited me and my wife to spend a week together. That's not the worst hotel (laughs). I didn't want to go: 'You don't have to invite me!' And he said, 'Come! I said, 'No, I don't want to go,' but he insisted, 'Come, come, come!' It was a wonderful holiday in Antibes on the Côte d'Azur. We've also revisited one or two of these vacations. ”

As for the stereotype that Hoeness's business strategy will make Bayern weaken the strength of competitors, Heynckes said: "I don't think he has the intention of weakening his opponents. Some players – like Mateus in 1984 (then at Borussia Moncheng), could never be champions in their respective clubs. Thorne and Neuer were also largely impossible in Schalke. Hoeness always wanted Bayern to have the best players, such as Klose (who joined bremen in 2007). Weakening of the opponent is a side effect. ”

Heynckes led Bayern to treble in 2013, how did Hoeness react at that time? Heynckes recalled: "We looked at each other, shook hands, and embraced in silence. In such a situation, we are all extremely happy and do not need any words. ”

Coming out of the mountains to fight the fire in the autumn of 2017 and then ending his last coaching trip at Bayern in 2018, Heynckes said: "I was 73 years old at the time. You still have your life after your career. That's what I said to my friend Uli. After all, all of us can only live on Earth for a specific period of time. Uli has always been a workaholic, actively working from morning to night, making phone calls, negotiating, and putting in a lot of time and energy. And when you get older, you will perceive that people's energy is not unlimited. At this time you will start to think about life, and you should consciously enjoy the remaining years of life. ”

(Shimu)