Thought of a prank call from Munich
©IMAGO
Transfer negotiations can be tough, lengthy and full of stumbling blocks. Professionals sometimes want to force their move to their dream club and in order to do so they risk a lot of trouble with their current employer, lose credit with the fans or cause astonishment among their superiors. Transfermarkt looks at transfers in the past that were characterized by loud background noise. This time in focus: Oliver Kahn’s transfer from Karlsruher SC to FC Bayern Munich in the summer of 1994.
Oliver Kahn appeared between the posts a total of 632 times for FC Bayern by the end of his career in 2008 – only Sepp Maier made more appearances for the record champions (709). However, the 2002 runner-up world champion got his start at Karlsruher SC, where Kahn experienced exhilarating European Cup nights, especially the legendary 7-0 win against FC Valencia on November 2, 1993. Shortly before the KSC reluctantly let its support move to Munich. After a lot of fanfare.
“Karlsruher SC remains the farm team of FC Bayern Munich,” wrote the “Deutsche Presse-Agentur” at the beginning of January 1994. What this meant was that after the departures of Michael Sternkopf (1990), Oliver Kreuzer (1991) and Mehmet Scholl (1992), the 24-year-old Kahn was the next Karlsruhe top performer on his way to Bayern. “I will be signing a four-year contract shortly,” the courted man said. With a sum due of 4.6 million marks, Kahn was supposed to replace Eike Immel as the most expensive German keeper. By the way, the aspiring national goalkeeper received an annual salary of 1.2 million marks.
“When I came to Munich in 1994, there were rumors about how you could pay a goalkeeper over a million marks,” Kahn later said in the “OMR” podcast. 1990 world champion Raimond Aumann, with the club since 1984/85 and number one for years, initially didn’t want to give up his place without a fight, but then went to Besiktas in Istanbul.
We want to become German champions – not tomorrow, but the day after.
“Sporting reasons were the only decisive factor, as the offers were not far apart financially,” said Kahn, explaining his decision in favor of Munich, which was intended to enable him to fight for national and international titles – and not in his hometown of Karlsruhe. But of course he wants to realize “his goals with the KSC” before his change of scenery in the summer. According to head coach Winfried Schäfer, he had set the bar high. “We want to become German champions – not tomorrow, but the day after. Oli would have played an important role for us because he is the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga,” commented Schäfer, disappointed. The Karlsruhers are said to have gone to the limit with their offer for Kahn – in vain.
Three new ones for FC Bayern in the summer of 1994: coach Giovanni Trapattoni, goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and striker Jean-Pierre Papin (from left to right)
Which was also due to one man: Uli Hoeneß, who picked up the phone around the turn of the year. “When Uli Hoeneß called me in the winter of 1993, I first thought it was the local radio station trying to kid me. I didn’t believe it, but then I realized that it was really Uli Hoeneß,” revealed the 2001 Champions League winner on “OMR” at the end of 2022. “He asked me whether I could imagine coming to FC Bayern – and I said in my typical way: ‘Well, I’ll have to think about it first.’ But it was immediately clear to me that it was a great opportunity – and I should take advantage of it. (…) Even as a young guy, I stood in the KSC fan block with the Bayern flag, which can’t be so dangerous.”
FC Bayern against KSC: The “ridiculous cat-and-mouse game” about Kahn
Before his final commitment was made in January 1994, the poison arrows were flying back and forth. “For weeks we have only found out what Oliver is up to from the press,” complained the offended KSC President Roland Schmider. And he was angry that the goalkeeper and his father, who was also his advisor Rolf, would use a “ridiculous game of cat and mouse” to suggest that Karlsruhe still had a serious chance of keeping Kahn. After all, Bayern rumors have been circulating for a long time, including an alleged agreement. This should be over. “But now we won’t let ourselves be fooled any longer. We will demand a final decision from Oliver,” the KSC boss made clear.
Kahn reacted in a “Kicker” interview on January 6th, just in time for the start of winter preparations: “Delaying tactics? I just said I needed time to think about it,” the keeper initially said matter-of-factly, before immediately following up. The situation “only developed so stupidly because the club board ranted in a way that put my father and me in a bad light, which was an outrage.” And further: “The president started a mud fight, that was provincialism to the tenth degree.”
Shortly afterwards, the goalkeeper announced at a press conference that he would be signing for Säbener Straße for four years, although he would have liked to keep this message to himself for a few weeks longer. “But now the pressure was too much for me and the KSC.” In Kahn’s last season in Karlsruhe, they finished sixth in the Bundesliga; in the UEFA Cup, after two draws in the semi-finals against Casino Salzburg (now known as Red Bull Salzburg), the team finished sixth – Gladbach had already proven to be a stumbling block in the DFB Cup in October 1993.
The KSC without a punt in the future? It’s not the end of the world, said Schäfer, “even though Kahn got us six or seven points per season.” Club boss Schmider gave his coach the task of finding a new goalkeeper. “I have a four-meter-long fax at home with offers from goalkeepers,” assured Schäfer. Until Claus Reitmaier was chosen as his successor – the 30-year-old came from 1. FC Kaiserslautern for the equivalent of 800,000 euros – the coach also tried a pinch of humor and creativity in his search for an adequate replacement. “Hello, we’re all not here at the moment because we’re looking for a new goalkeeper,” was Schäfer’s message on the answering machine at home, according to Kicker. “If you happen to have one in your drawer, we would be very grateful if you would let us know after the beep.”