Bayern goalkeeping legend

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Uli Hoeneß, Sepp Maier(Bild: SID (AFP))

At the opening of the special exhibition on Sepp Maier's 80th birthday, the goalkeeping and Bayern legend thanked his lifesaver Uli Hoeneß emotionally and on the verge of tears! The honorary president of FC Bayern was visibly moved and emphasized what makes FC Bayern so special and a family.

The background to Maier's statement: The now 80-year-old was seriously injured in a car accident on July 14, 1979. By his own admission, the Bayern star had been driving too fast in heavy rain, lost control of his car due to aquaplaning and crashed into another car and a tree.

Uli Hoeneß, Sepp Maier(Bild: SID (AFP))

Maier would probably not have survived without Hoeneß
Maier initially seemed to have had a stroke of luck; at the hospital in Ebersberg, doctors only diagnosed fractures to his arms and ribs. But Hoeneß, who had only been Bayern manager for a few months at the time, did not trust the diagnosis - and took his friend to Munich's Großhadern Hospital at the risk of both of them.

And he was right to do so, as it turned out that Maier had also suffered internal injuries, including a ruptured diaphragm, resulting in severe internal bleeding. An emergency operation lasting several hours ultimately saved the 35-year-old's life. Without the transfer of Maier to Munich arranged by Hoeneß, the Bayern star would probably not have survived ...