The second European Cup title is perhaps Bayern's most surprising triumph. In 1974/75, the club found themselves in a genuine crisis. Six members of the serial champions' squad had played in the World Cup final against the Netherlands (2-1), and they had lost all motivation.
They went down 0-6 to Kickers Offenbach at Frankfurt's Waldstadion in the opening fixture.
It was the champions' heaviest Bundesliga defeat to that date. Even before that, there had been debacles in friendlies against Betis Sevilla (0-5) and Racing Brussels (1-5). Why?
Bayern saw themselves as World Cup victims. Because the star ensemble devoured 600,000 DM a month in wages, and the club had no income during the three-month close season, manager Robert Schwan packed them off around the world immediately after a three-week holiday.
Coach Udo Lattek reflected later: Training at that point really only took place on the plane and on the gangway. But the club earned good money from its World Cup combo, from which only Paul Breitner (to Real Madrid) had departed.
His parting words proved prophetic: Bayern are sated and need new motivation from the kit man to the boot boy. How right he was.
As early as the third home match, the aura of invincibility at the Olympiastadion evaporated when Schalke 04 became the first Bundesliga club to win there in 73 matches and four and a half years (0-2). Against a championship squad that was largely unchanged — only former Duisburg striker Klaus Wunder and newcomer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge featured more regularly.
But the core around the axis of Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller lacked energy and motivation.
Uli Hoeness: Our decline was a perfectly natural process. We were burnt out, tired, spent. We could only pull ourselves together for the European Cup matches.
After a 1-3 defeat in Braunschweig on matchday 7, the Muenchner Merkur headlined: The respect for the champions has gone. The team focused exclusively on defending the European Cup, benefiting from a bye in the first round and then knocking out 1. FC Magdeburg (3-2/2-1) in the intra-German duel.
Udo Lattek did not get through the winter; he was sacked on 2 January 1975 in acute relegation danger (14th place). Football professor Dettmar Cramer took over and immediately won the European Cup, which the team defended after victories over Ararat Yerevan (2-0/0-1), AS Saint-Etienne (2-0/0-0) and Leeds United (2-0 in the final) — without glamour, but with composure.
The final was overshadowed by the brutal approach of the English, who kicked Andersson and Hoeness off the pitch, and by crowd trouble from their fans, who hurled seat shells.
FC Bayern -- Leeds United: 28 May 1975 in Paris, Result 2-0 (0-0), Attendance: 50,000 (Parc des Princes). Referee: Kitabdjan (France).
FC Bayern: Sepp Maier -- Rainer Zobel, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer (captain), Bernd Duernberger -- Bjoern Andersson (4' Josef Weiss), Franz Roth, Hans-Josef Kapellmann -- Uli Hoeness (42' Klaus Wunder), Gerd Mueller, Conny Torstensson. Coach: Dettmar Cramer.
Goals: 1-0 Franz Roth (72'), 2-0 Mueller (82').