Legendary German goalkeeper visits Westport

MEMORY LANE German World Cup winner Sepp Maier (right) pictured at Westport Golf Club with John Murphy, who brought along his 1974 World Cup sticker album. Pic: Neill O’Neill

Daniel Carey

SEPP Maier knew there was a welcoming party in the clubhouse when he arrived at Westport Golf Club last Thursday. But the World Cup winner didn’t know that it would include a man who had a pictorial record of his finest hour.
John Murphy from Westport United produced a sticker album from the 1974 World Cup. Perfectly preserved in plastic, it contained pictures of all those who had played in the competition, including the entire West Germany team … which included Maier in goal.
“We are the champions!” the 73-year-old laughed as he agreed to sign his name next to the old photograph.
The German team that Maier was part of – including other footballing legends like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller – won the World Cup on home soil, in Munich, where the goalkeeper nicknamed ‘The Cat From Anzing’ spent his entire professional career.
He exchanged pleasantries with Westport Golf Club captain Enda Lonergan and a group from Westport United, including chairman Myles Staunton, president SeΡn McKenna, vice-president Frank Dolan and club captain Gary Cunningham (a fellow goalkeeper).
Maier was among an 11-strong tour party who were playing golf courses around Ireland. They travelled from the Mount Falcon Estate to play Westport on Thursday, and Carne (Belmullet), Rosses Point and Enniscrone were among the other local courses on their itienerary. It was Maier’s fourth time in Ireland, though golf is a game he only took up in his mid-40s, after retiring from football.
And what a glorious career it was. Three European Cups in a row with Bayern Munich (the only club he ever played for professionally) and one European Championship (1972) in addition to that World Cup … where becoming champions in their ‘home stadium’ (the Olympic Stadium in Munich) made for a particularly special time, especially as there were ‘six Bayern players’ in the national team.
Maier was, famously, the first German player to touch the ball in that 1974 final, when he picked it out of the net after Johan Neeskens’ penalty. “No problem!” he smiles, reminding us that the Germans eventually beat the Dutch 2-1. He made an outstanding save from Neeskens in the second half of that game too.
Football today is, he believes, ‘not a sport’ and ‘too much business’. But despite the money on offer in the current era, he regards his own playing era as ‘super’. And well he might. Asked who the best players he played with and against, he has an answer that few can match: Gerd Müller and Pelé.
Maier – who played in 442 consecutive Bundesliga matches between 1966 and 1979, still a German national record – was famous for his leaping saves. But he is also remembered for his efforts to catch a stray duck that wandered onto the field during a club match in 1976. With play up the other end of the field in Bayern’s game against VfL Bochum, Maier dived theatrically in an unsuccessful attempt to catch the bird.
He clearly hasn’t lost his sense of humour, shaking his fist in mock frustration when reminded that he was the victim of the famous Antonín Panenka penalty when Czechosolovakia beat the West Germans in 1976. Having spent two decades as a goalkeeping coach after he retired, he has simple advice for young goalkeepers: “Training, training, training! [It’s] all about practice!”