“If it ends tomorrow, I will have had a life that couldn’t be more beautiful.”
World champion Wolfgang Overath (79). Two weeks before his 80th birthday he went back among the book authors. And as little as he talks about his upcoming birthday (“A relatively bad day”), Cologne’s football legend suddenly reveals a lot about the person behind the star.
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“Stay at home. “You’ve achieved everything.”
Overath more private than ever. In his book “You can’t win alone” (20 euros/Bonifatius Verlag) he talks to WDR2 presenter Sven Pistor (50) – of course about football, FC, his presidency, his friendship with Günter Netzer (78) and the big ones Tournaments. But above all about his life, his love, his faith and his happiness.
Particularly moving: Overath’s words about his wife Karin. “I was a nonentity, from a family with eight children and had nothing to show for it,” he remembers of the time when they met. “She had nothing to do with football. She went to the stadium with me and didn’t even know which team I was on.”
Years later he says: “She is the woman who suits me one hundred percent or more.” And reveals that his Karin came close to preventing Overath and Germany’s greatest triumph – victory at the 1974 World Cup. “Like Helmut Schön called and asked if I was coming with him. Karin sat next to me and said: “Stay at home, you’ve achieved everything.” Overath went to the World Cup. Germany became world champions.
World Champion! Gerd Müller (left) and Wolfgang Overath 1974
Foto: picture alliance / baumann
Family man Overath. He talks about his adopted daughter Silvana, whom they picked up as a baby in Brazil (“We saw the little worm in front of us, with tears in his eyes. Such an experience can hardly be described in words”), his feelings when he dies the father (“How I went into the room at night and had never seen a dead person before. I didn’t have the strength to stay there for long”).
And he gives insights into his belief in God: “I won’t be there much longer, but I believe in him up there and maybe there’s something up there. “That helps me here and today,” says Overath. And: “I thank the good Lord every night before I go to sleep because I have had and have a wonderful life.”
There won’t be a big birthday party on September 29th for the 80th. “I’m leaving,” Overath announces dryly…
Wolfgang Overath and WDR presenter Sven Pistor with their new book, which will be in stores from Wednesday
Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa
2023-09-12 22:01:08
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