![\"Breitner:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/XMTSRTA55RPSDR3AUPQOR7XRHM.jpg\")
Breitner in the Madrid derby\u201cYou were booed in Munich during the 1976 European Cup semifinals. How do you remember that?\u201d<\/p>\nThere are very few figures in German soccer as iconic as Paul Breitner (born in Kolbermoor, 1951). A World Cup and European champion with West Germany, one of only five players ever to score in two different World Cup finals, runner\u2011up for the 1981 Ballon d\u2019Or behind Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and ahead of Bernd Schuster, and the first player to make the jump from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid back in 1974.<\/p>\n
Originally a full-back before transitioning into midfield, Breitner was pure energy and class. He spent ten years in Bayern red and three in Madrid white. A rebellious icon deeply involved in social causes, he still follows the game passionately \u2014 and insists he can\u2019t lose in the upcoming showdown between his two former clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019s your Spanish these days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot great \u2014 I don\u2019t get to practice much. But I try to keep enough vocabulary to hold a conversation now and then, like today. Let\u2019s speak your language; I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll understand me just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you up to now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFortunately, I\u2019m healthy and still follow soccer from a distance. I spent ten years traveling the world as a Bayern ambassador, but that\u2019s behind me now. I live in my longtime home in Bavaria, just outside Munich, and I can honestly say I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you expect from this matchup between your former teams?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing I know for sure is that I\u2019m going to win no matter what happens,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI\u2019ll be happy either way because I have enormous affection for both clubs. Yes, I spent more time at Bayern, but my heart is split 50\u201350. No result will make me sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you see Bayern as the stronger side?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t watch every Real Madrid match \u2014 mostly TV highlights \u2014 but I can say this is the strongest Bayern team in years. They\u2019ve reinforced well, the squad is deeper, more technical, more dangerous, with more ways to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olise, Kane and Diaz form a spectacular attacking machine.”<\/p>\n
Paul Breitner, exjugador del Bayern y del Real Madrid.\u201cWhat\u2019s their biggest threat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt depends on the day, but I\u2019d say their attacking power. What Olise, Kane, and D\u00edaz do week after week is incredible. They\u2019re sensational. They form a spectacular attacking machine, and that\u2019s Bayern\u2019s biggest weapon. Madrid will have to defend extremely well to contain that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you prefer the Olise\u2011Kane duo or the Mbapp\u00e9\u2011Vinicius pairing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of form, I\u2019d call it a draw \u2014 though I don\u2019t love comparisons. They\u2019re probably the two best attacking duos in world soccer right now. But since Kompany usually plays with a front three and Madrid with two, I\u2019ll say Bayern\u2019s trident is the best attack in the game today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Real Madrid the most respected European club in Germany?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. By a wide margin over Barcelona and everyone else. It\u2019s incomparable. I always say Madrid is a star above the entire football universe.\u201d<\/p>\n
We know what Real Madrid is capable of, and nobody here is taking anything for granted. It\u2019s going to be a fantastic tie.”<\/p>\n
Paul Breitner, exjugador del Bayern y del Real Madrid.\u201cYou only spent three years in Madrid. Are you still a Madridista?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all my heart. It wasn\u2019t a long spell, but it marked me deeply, and that stays with you forever. In my case, the clich\u00e9 about having a divided heart is completely true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the mood like in Bavaria ahead of these two games?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe excitement is enormous. People have huge confidence in the team because of their current form. But everyone here also knows what Real Madrid is \u2014 nobody takes them lightly. It\u2019s going to be a spectacular tie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs playing the second leg in Germany an advantage for Bayern?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all. I always preferred playing the first leg at home. If you get a good result, all the pressure shifts to the opponent, who has to attack and leave space. That\u2019s how I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When someone like Kroos leaves, you have to find the best way to replace him.”<\/p>\n
Paul Breitner, exjugador del Bayern y del Real Madrid.\u201cDid you expect Manchester City to be eliminated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t go that far. Most people saw them as favorites, but this City isn\u2019t the same as three or four years ago. Their level has dropped, they\u2019ve lost some brilliance, and Madrid \u2014 with their competitive spirit \u2014 took advantage despite missing key players.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you think Xabi Alonso didn\u2019t succeed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea. Xabi proved he was a fantastic player and a great coach in Germany, but I don\u2019t know the details or follow the club closely enough to give a serious opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs anyone capable of replacing Toni Kroos?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one plays like Toni did with his unique qualities. When someone like that leaves, you have to find a different type of player who can be just as effective in his own way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breitner in the Madrid derby\u201cYou were booed in Munich during the 1976 European Cup semifinals. How do you remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was strange, but logical. I left for Madrid in 1974 and said I\u2019d never return to Bayern. The fans turned against me for that. There was no affection left when I came back, and I understood completely. Life eventually brought me back to the club, and I regained the fans\u2019 love. But I do regret one thing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo on\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe drew 1\u20131 at the Bernab\u00e9u and lost 2\u20130 in Munich. I was injured and could only give about 70 percent, but I insisted on playing to show why I was a Real Madrid player and to defend the club\u2019s pride. I couldn\u2019t contribute like I normally did, and afterward I realized it was foolish. I shouldn\u2019t have told the coach (Miljani\u0107) that I was ready. I still regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day before, you invited the entire team to your house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. We threw a big Spanish-style party at my place. I loved seeing my teammates enjoy themselves \u2014 and Don Santiago Bernab\u00e9u too. He was a very special man, the only truly wise person I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you feel devotion toward him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. He was like a father to me and my family. He and his wife, Do\u00f1a Mar\u00eda, treated us wonderfully. My wife and I still talk about our years in Madrid with great emotion. It was a fantastic time \u2014 maybe the three most beautiful years of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why did you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause life was too easy, and I didn\u2019t have much to do besides soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. I was incredibly happy, but I had too much free time. I couldn\u2019t pursue other activities or business ventures. I\u2019ve always been restless \u2014 I needed to be busier. Picking up the kids from school and going to the park wasn\u2019t enough for me. I got bored, and after my second year I started thinking it was better to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you left after the third\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgust\u00edn Dom\u00ednguez, the club\u2019s general secretary at the time, offered me a four\u2011year extension and told me how important I was. I thought about it for a few weeks and decided to go so I could do other things with my life. It may sound strange because Madrid treated us incredibly well. My teammates and the club staff were wonderful. It was a dream period \u2014 but I left out of boredom. I wasn\u2019t someone who could just play soccer and nothing else. My memories are beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears later, Kroos did something similar\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but mine is more impressive \u2014 Toni stayed a decade and I only stayed three years,\u201d he laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to leave Madrid when you\u2019re that happy, but I had to. My personality pushed me to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve always been very liberal and socially engaged. What worries you today?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond wars and conflicts, I\u2019m deeply troubled by how the internet has taken over the world. And now artificial intelligence is coming \u2014 and I find it terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you come to Madrid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t be able to, but I\u2019ll wait to see the team when they visit my city. It\u2019ll be a great show, and I\u2019ll be happy no matter what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
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