Hans Meyer would have believed himself capable of coaching the record-breaking German champions FC Bayern Munich. “I can’t imagine that I would have changed. I could have imagined it very well, but maybe it would have gone totally wrong,” Meyer told the German Press Agency before his 80th birthday this Thursday.

Meyer worked successfully as a coach at FC Carl Zeiss Jena, Chemnitzer FC, FC Twente Enschede, Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Nuremberg, among others.

His most painful defeat fell during his time in Jena. “The only sporting defeat that I had a hard time coping with in my many defeats was losing the final in the European Cup Winners’ Cup after a sensational season in 1980/81,” said Meyer about the 1-2 draw against the top team at the time, Dinamo Tbilisi. “I knew: Hans, that will never happen again in life.”

1. FC Nuremberg for the 70th of Hans Meyer Info about Hans Meyer Sayings from Meyer on youtube