Bayern Munich's Jupp Heynckes completes 1,000 Bundesliga matches

FC Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes became only the second person in the history of German football to complete a 1,000 Bundesliga matches as player and coach, yesterday in the match against SV Werder Bremen.

“It’s an imposing total,” commented Jupp Heynckes, whose career top-flight total is considerably greater due to coaching spells in Spain and Portugal. In the Bundesliga, he is only behind the legendary Otto Rehhagel, the first individual to pass the 1,000 barrier with 1,033 matches, 201 as a player and 832 as a coach.

Heynckes had started his Bundesliga career on August 14, 1965 as a 20-year-old for Borussia Mönchengladbach in a match against Borussia Neunkirchen, which had ended one-all. He played 389 matches for Mönchengladbach and Hannover 96 before hanging-up his boots. Then came his second career, having now completed 631 matches as coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Schalke 04, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and at Bayern FC Munich

Yesterday 67-year-old Jupp Heynckes completed that magic number of 1,000 Bundesliga matches, over 47 years after he first played in the German Bundesliga.

“It shows you how the years have flown by,” said Heynckes, who further added, “as a player, I could never have dreamed of it. It’s a long history and I could tell you all kinds of tales. There’s enough material to write not just one book but several – although I’m not going to do that.”