Munich vibrates

“The black beast is ready for Real Madrid”

Bayern Munich are known in Spain as the "Bestia Negra", the black beast. Harry Kane (right) and Co. are ready for Real Madrid.(Bild: EPA)

Munich is eagerly awaiting the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. The whole city is vibrating. Markus Hörwick, Bayern Munich's media director for many years, remembers legendary duels and talks about "Bull" Augenthaler, winning goalscorer Jens Jeremies and David Alaba's world class.

Bayern Munich versus Real Madrid is one of the hottest duels in European soccer." Bayern Munich's long-standing media director Markus Hörwick knows what he's talking about ahead of the first leg of the semi-final of the Premier League (Tuesday at 9pm HERE in the sportkrone.at ticker).

Markus Hörwick, pictured here with his Austrian son-in-law Ali Al-Khaffaf, experienced legendary matches against Real Madrid as Bayern Munich's media director.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"Bull" Klaus Augenthaler
He will never forget an experience at the end of the 1980s: "Camacho knocked over Klaus Augenthaler on the halfway line with an outstretched foot. Auge showed him two horns on his head. Motto: We're not in a bullfight here. This sign is an insult in Spain. It was so loud at the Bernabeu that my ears were still hurting at 4 in the morning. It was like standing in front of the biggest speaker in a disco the whole time."

"Giovane was one of the greats in Munich"
On the way to winning the Champions League in 2001, Bayern knocked Real out in the semi-finals. Giovane Elber scored in both games. Jens Jeremies secured the 2:1 victory in the Olympic Stadium. Hörwick: "Giovane was one of the greats in Munich. He was always in a good mood and scored a lot of crucial goals. Jens was one of our most important players at the time, had a meniscus operation shortly before and then shot us into the final, unbelievable."

Stefan Effenberg (left) was the team's leader in the 2000/01 season, in which Bayern Munich won the Champions League and eliminated Real Madrid with Luis Figo (right) in the semi-finals.(Bild: AP)

Effenberg the leader
The big leader at the time was Stefan Effenberg. Hörwick says of him: "He was one of the greatest personalities FC Bayern ever had. I'll never forget how he once motivated Sammy Kuffour, Owen Hargreaves and Hasan Salihamidzic in Madrid. They were very impressed by the setting in the Bernabeau after the warm-up, but Effenberg completely took away their fear."

In 2012, David Alaba was the first player to score on penalties in the semi-final second leg at Real Madrid as a 19-year-old.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

After receiving an early yellow card for this handball, which was also penalized with a penalty, David Alaba put in a world-class performance.(Bild: Schaadfoto/Pressefoto ULMER/Andreas Schaad)

Alaba's rise to world class
The 2012 semi-final was unbelievable: "After his early yellow card, it was clear that he would miss the final in Munich if he was promoted. The performance he put in afterwards and the way he scored first in the penalty shoot-out as a 19-year-old is something you can only achieve as a world-class player. Back then, Cristiano Ronaldo missed. They're still looking for the ball that Sergio Ramos shot over the goal in Madrid today. I still think it was one of FC Bayern's biggest mistakes to let David go."

Alaba sits on the Real bench
On Tuesday, Alaba, who is still injured, will be on the Real bench as moral support. Hörwick's outlook: "Bayern have nine wins, one draw and three defeats at home against Madrid. The Black Beast, as Bayern are known in Spain, will also be ready on Tuesday and can hurt Real." Carlo Ancelotti is the coach who won 4-0 in Munich with Real in the 2014 semi-final.