The forgotten legends of football - Matthias Sammer

When Borussia Dortmund clashed with Bayern on 5th May in the Bundesliga, it was a dull match except for one incident. Rafinha was sent off for an elbow on Blaszczykowski, while he went to his tunnel, Dortmund coach Klopp gave him a piece of his mind and started abusing him. Out came a bald figure with fire in his eyes and the most intense expression I have ever seen on a face. The Borussia Dortmund legend was nose to nose with the current Dortmund manager and what followed was a heated exchange normally reserved for Keane and Viera clashes.

The bald figure was none other than Matthias Sammer. In his heyday, he had flaming red hair and a stamina that would put a marathon runner to shame. Sammer came from a footballing family and his father, Klaus Sammer, was already a player and coach of repute. He joined Dynamo Dresden with his father as the manager, and despite his beginnings as a striker he eventually settled as a midfielder.

From the very beginning he started to show his attacking prowess and was a crucial member of the Dresden team that won the league and domestic cup double in 1990. The very next season he decided do make a lucrative move to VfB Stuttgart. Allegations were that he sold his loyalty for a higher payday, but nonetheless he was very successful at Stuttgart. Sammer was developing into a tough but scoring midfielder and was becoming more and more central to things at Stuttgart. The next season Sammer was the undoubted leader of the team, and he led VfB to the league title, making them the first German club to win the league in a reunified Germany.

Sammer’s star was on the rise and his rising reputation earned him a move to Inter Milan. He was more a squad player in Italy and despite performing well when used, Sammer decided it was time to return to the ‘Fatherland’, and when Borussia Dortmund came calling in the winter break he gladly jumped at the chance. He was back to the thick of things at Borussia and Ottmar Hitzfeld deployed him as central midfielder for the remainder of the season. He scored 10 times and was crucial to the club. But the best was yet to come.

The next season was the defining season in his career. Ottmar Hitzfeld preferred a 3-5-2 formation, and it involved playing three center halves flanked by wing backs. Hitzfeld was a genius when it came to tactics, and he made the decision that redefined the life of Matthias Sammer. He started using Sammer as a libero. In footballing terms a libero, is the free man who plays as a sweeper behind the center backs. He has the license to go forward and the responsibility to act as the last wall of defense.

Nicknamed the ‘Red Baron’, Sammer was as competitive as they come. He was constantly getting stuck into his opponents. He was foul mouthed, argumentative and possessed a short temper. He started settling into the libero role and the very next season the results started to show. Borussia won the 1994 Bundesliga and Sammer was the undoubted star of the team.