Sepp Maier: A life for football and the joy of golf!

Sepp Maier: A life for football and the joy of golf!

On May 31, 2025, reporter Christian Reichel from “Krone” visited football legend Sepp Maier in his house near Munich. Maier, a former world-class goalkeeper, is considered one of the greatest icons in world football. The now 81-year-old, known for his humorous and positive nature, was pleased with the copies of the “Krone”, which were presented to him by a friend and contained an interview on the occasion of the Champions League final in Munich.

Sepp Maier, whose full name is Josef Dieter Maier, was born on February 28, 1944. During his impressive career he played for Bayern Munich and the German national team. The former goalkeeper is known for his reflexes, agility and consistency and was affectionately known as “The Cat of Anzing”. He played a total of 709 games for Bayern Munich before his record was surpassed by another Bayern star, Thomas Müller, in 2024.

Unforgettable successes

Maier was able to win numerous titles with his team, including four West German championships and three DFB Cups. Particularly notable is his role in the successive European Cups, where he allowed just a single goal in the finals of 1974, 1975 and 1976. He also won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967 and was named German Footballer of the Year three times (1975, 1977, 1978).

In total, Maier played in 95 international matches for Germany. His participation in four World Cups - 1966, 1970, 1974 and 1978 - and his victory in the 1972 European Championship testify to his outstanding career in international football. When he lifted the trophy in the 1974 World Cup final in Munich, he crowned his career as one of the most successful goalkeepers of all time.

Retrospective and coaching career

After retiring from active football, Maier took on various coaching roles, including managing goalkeepers at Bayern Munich until 2008, where he worked with Oliver Kahn, among others. He gave up his contract with the national team in 2004 after publicly speaking out in favor of Kahn. Despite the eventful events of his career, including a serious traffic accident in 1979 that left him out of action for most of the following year, Maier remained true to a simple lifestyle. His big hobby is golf.

The list of German national goalkeepers shows that Maier continues to be a defining figure in the history of German football. He is part of an illustrious group of goalkeepers who have represented the DFB team over the years. The most frequent goalkeeper in the current national team is Manuel Neuer, who has played 124 games so far. In comparison, Maier built a remarkable career that stretched into the late 1970s and set the standards for future generations.

In conversations, Maier appears open-minded and satisfied with his life's journey. The recognition of his achievements and the fond memories that football fans around the world have of him make him a true landmark in sport.

For more information about Sepp Maier, click crown, Wikipedia and the List of German national soccer goalkeepers.