“There was a hierarchy - only the top people would sit with Lothar Matthaus” - Mark Hughes reveals what it was like to join the Bayern Munich dressing room
Mark Hughes played with some huge leaders at Manchester United, but says Bayern Munich's Lothar Matthaus was a character to rival any other in his career
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The list of big characters to have played football alongside Mark Hughes is almost unparalleled. For club and country, Sparky shared a dressing room with the likes of Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Peter Schmeichel, Neville Southall, Ruud Gullit and Gazza.
Yet in an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo following the release of The United Way, a new film which explores the history and culture of Manchester United, the former striker reveals Bayern Munich captain Lothar Matthaus commanded as much dressing room respect as anyone.
“Lothar Matthaus was a huge player, a massive star,” Hughes tells FFT. “He was the main man there. He was strong and forthright and he didn't suffer fools. There was a kind of hierarchy in the squad and only the top people would sit at his table. I liked to go and sit there during team meetings and meals just to wind him up. I don't think I was invited, but he was nice about it.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Hughes joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona in the summer of 1987, following a disappointing season with the Catalan giants. While the Welshman’s aggression wasn’t suited to Spanish football - he was routinely penalised by La Liga referees - the physicality of the German football, and the close-knit mentality of the Bayern Munich squad, helped him return to top form.
“It was a good group,” he recalls. “My roommate was Hansi Flick, who’s gone on to do great things as Bayern coach. I was with him all the time, he was a great guy. There were some really strong characters. Everyone understood where they stood within the group, but one on one they were really easy to get along with. Matthaus was the boss, though, definitely.”
Hughes only stayed in Munich for one season - scoring seven goals in 23 appearances - before returning to Old Trafford to play for Alex Ferguson, another huge character. It was evidently something Hughes appreciated in a club, as his memories of his stint at Bayern Munich attest.
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Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
