FCB legend Franz Roth
‘The Bull’ with the cannonball shot turns 65
27.04.2011
Who fired Bayern to their first European triumph? Who scored the opening goal for FCB in three out of four European finals? And whose cannonball shot once ripped through the net? The answer is Franz ‘Bulle’ Roth, the former Munich midfielder, who turned 65 on Wednesday 27 April.At the age of just 21 and in his very first season with FCB, Bulle Roth wrote himself into the club history books. The Memmingen-born player scored the stoppage-time goal which earned Bayern a 1-0 win over Rangers in the 1967 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, and went on to net the opener in two of the club’s three European Champions’ Cup triumphs from 1974 to 1976. “It was fantastic to score these vital goals,” said Roth, a member of a legendary ensemble also featuring Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier. “It was a fantastic spell with a truly great team.”
Battles in training
Roth, a regular at the Allianz Arena nowadays, remains close to the club and still talks of “we” and “us”. He suffers along with the current players when targets are not hit. “We have to make the best of it and see if we can somehow qualify for the Champions League,” he said.
The former player, who operates two sports shops, is a cheerful character with a smile constantly on his lips. In his playing days, Bulle Roth was hard as nails, quick, strong in the tackle and deadly from long range. FCB President Uli Hoeneß recalled the dangers of working out with Roth. “I wore shin pads, because I knew if Franz Bulle Roth was angry with me, he’d clatter me onto the running track. Training was a fight for survival - and I learned a huge amount because of it,” Hoeneß revealed.
Net-busting power
Two anecdotes testify to the power in Roth’s shot. He once blasted a hole in the net against Rapid Vienna. “It went in, but the ref didn’t give a goal,” he recalled, “so we went over and saw that the net had torn. The ref gave the goal after that.” The second incident took place at the Grünwalder Stadion, where Roth demolished the stadium clock. “I didn’t knock it off though,” he admitted, “I hit the scoreboard where the clock’s mounted. It rattled a bit.”
The farmer’s son made an instant impression in his first training session with Bayern back in 1966. “That one has the strength of a moo,” FCB’s Yugoslavian boss Tschik Cajkovski remarked. “We call it a bull, not a moo,” advised Sepp Maier, and Roth’s enduring nickname was born.
Twelve-season servant
The hard-running toiler made 322 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern, and despite his ball-winning duties, scored 72 goals. He remains 11th on the all-time scoring chart at FCB. He spent 12 seasons with Munich from 1966 to 1978, turning down lucrative offers from AC Milan and Grashoppers Zurich. “There’s no better club in Europe. Why would I want to leave?” he said, “players keep moving for money but end up unhappy. I know everything’s fine here at Bayern.”
The midfielder finally moved on at the age of 32, spending a season with Casino Salzburg in Austria, before seeing out his career as an amateur with SV Sandhausen in the Baden-Württemberg Oberliga. He then retired to his Allgäu home. Roth’s special day will be “totally normal as always, and spent with the family”. Naturally, the Bayern family sends every good wish to one of the club’s living legends. Happy birthday, Bulle!
Franz Bulle Roth’s honours with FCB
Intercontinental Cup 1976
European Champions’ Cup 1974, 1975, 1976
European Cup Winners’ Cup 1967
German championship 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974
DFB Cup 1967, 1969, 1971
Credit: FC Bayern Munich (www.fcbayern.t-com.de)
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