Udo Lattek: leading the way for Europe's coaches

What do Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus, Bernd Schuster and Diego Maradona have in common?

All enjoyed success under Udo Lattek, who celebrates his 80th birthday today. Born in the village of Bosemb in east Prussia – now Poland – on 16 January 1935, Lattek is one of Germany's most successful coaches, having won eight Bundesliga titles and guided FC Bayern München to their first European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1974. That set Lattek on the way to becoming the first coach to lift the holy trinity of European Cup, UEFA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup; only one other, Giovanni Trapattoni, has emulated that feat.

"I came from nothing; I have football to thank for everything," explained Lattek after a career that brought him 14 national and international trophies, with the absolute highlight being Bayern's replay defeat of Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1974 European Cup final. "I don't know what I would have achieved without it."

Not considered a great tactician, Lattek's powers of motivation were exceptional, even if his methods were somewhat unconventional. Goalkeeper Sepp Maier remembers one incident in particular. Following a defeat, the players broke their curfew and went to a nightclub, only for Lattek to track them down. "Udo saw seven or eight of us sitting there and said: 'Right, I'm going to count to 25,000 and if anyone's still here after that, there'll be trouble.'"

He reached another European Cup final with Bayern – beaten by FC Porto in 1987 at the close of his second spell in charge – having also taken VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach to the 1977 final, losing to Liverpool FC. He had the considerable consolation of two more league titles with Gladbach, plus the 1979 UEFA Cup, and steered FC Barcelona to European Cup Winners' Cup success three years later.

Lattek lifts the 1982 European Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona©Getty Images

His Camp Nou tenure ended soon afterwards. Lattek explained: "We wanted the bus to leave at 7.00 pm. Who wasn't there? Diego Maradona. He wanted to push the boundaries. If I'd waited for him, I'd have lost my authority over the team. When I told the driver to set off, I received a standing ovation from the other players."

It was a victory with consequences. "Two or three days later, Diego went to the club president and complained about me," Lattek said. "After that I was out the door. They got rid of me because of Diego."

That sacking did not harm his reputation. The current generation of coaches still take their hats off to Lattek, including Germany's Joachim Löw. "He was one of the most modern coaches and helped shape football like no one else since," explained the FIFA World Cup winner. "You can't help but be impressed by his achievements."

His last coaching exploit was saving Borussia Dortmund from relegation in 2000, after which he became a popular pundit. Suffering from Parkinson's disease, Lattek's last public appearance was at the 2013 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern and Dortmund, and he now resides in a Cologne nursing home with wife Hildegard. No one could argue with his summary of a career that spanned almost 30 years: "All in all, I think I did more right than wrong."