FC Schalke 04 celebrated being champions of the Bundesliga, but it wasn’t. Borussia Mönchengladbach scored twelve times, it wasn’t often enough – a journey through the history of a league.
Season 1971/72: When Lattek became Bayern’s “master maker”.
On the 34th day of the 1971/72 season, two teams met in Munich, both of which could still become champions: FC Bayern received FC Schalke 04, it was the first football game in the Olympic Stadium. In the end, Bayern won 5-1, the club’s first championship under coach Udo Lattek, then 37. June 28, 1972 was the day Lattek became Bayern’s “master maker”. He remained so for some time: in the two following years only Bayern became champions.
Season 1977/78: When Gladbach scored twelve goals – and that wasn’t enough for the championship
Last match day of the 1977/78 season, long-distance duel for the championship between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach – both tied on points, but Gladbach were ten goals behind. In Mönchengladbach they were hoping for FC St. Pauli, who were playing against their rivals 1. FC Köln at the same time. And to many own goals.
The calculation was simple, but somewhat ambitious: if Cologne had won 1-0, Gladbach would have had to score 11 goals against Dortmund. Gladbach scored twelve goals, it is still the highest victory in the history of the Bundesliga. But Borussia didn’t win the championship, it was 1. FC Köln. He won 5-0 against St. Pauli.
Season 1985/86: Bremen dreams of the championship – and then Kutzop misses
1985/86 season, 33rd day of play: Werder Bremen missed one goal to win and one win to win the championship. But it did not get to that. Because Michael Kutzop, who actually always converted penalties, missed once. In the 89th minute he hit the post against Werder’s championship rivals Bayern Munich. It was his only miss as a professional at 40 penalties.
The inevitable happened: Werder lost at VfB Stuttgart on the last day of the game, while Bayern won in Mönchengladbach. The title went to Munich, not to Bremen.
season 1991/92: When Buchwald headed Stuttgart to the title
Rarely, maybe never, was there more excitement: Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund were tied on points before the final day of the 1991/92 season, but only one could become champion. Things didn’t look so good for Stuttgart for a long time: In Leverkusen, VfB were behind early on, but equalized. Then Matthias Sammer was sent off before a goal was scored when he was outnumbered. Guido Buchwald beheaded, the rest was jubilation.
And Stuttgart were champions because Frankfurt lost and BVB won but didn’t have such a good goal difference.
season 1999/2000: When Leverkusen lost the championship on the last day of the game
On the 34th day of the 1999/00 season, Bayer Leverkusen would have sufficed to win their first championship at SpVgg Unterhaching with just one point. But Leverkusen lost 2-0, playmaker Michael Ballack scored, but into his own goal. Only 13 kilometers away as the crow flies, Leverkusen’s pursuers Bayern Munich played and won 3-1 against Bremen.
In the end both teams had 73 points, but Bayern had the better goal difference and the title didn’t go to Leverkusen, it went to Munich.
season 2000/01: When Schalke didn’t become champions, only “masters of hearts”
On matchday 34 of the 2000/01 season, Schalke 04 (59 points) were second in the table, FC Bayern had three points more. In the game against SpVgg Unterhaching, Schalke was 2:3 behind in the 73rd minute, but still won 5:3. At some point a message made the rounds in the stadium: Bayern, fans in the stadium and presenters on the radio told each other, had lost. The game is over and Schalke champions.
Four minutes and 38 seconds believed that millions of people in Germany. The rest is football history: radio voices that roll over and the news that games are still being played in Hamburg. That there will be a free kick for Bayern in the fifth minute of added time. That Oliver Kahn wants to shoot, but isn’t allowed to. That instead Patrick Andersson shoots – and hits.
At Schalke it was no longer the time for celebrations, it was the time for tears. Schalke were never really champions, they were just “masters of hearts”.