EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
From 2003 to 2007, Roy Makaay went on the hunt for goals for FC Bayern. Today, the Dutch striker legend passes the time as a beer brewer. In an interview with Goal and SPOX, the 46-year-old talks about his extraordinary hobby and looks back on his time with the German record champions.
Also there: anger about his move from Deportivo La Coruna to Munich, extraordinary team building measures by Uli Hoeneß and training under "Quälix" Magath. In addition, Makaay comments on some current topics relating to Munich - in particular the injury of striker Robert Lewandowski and his compatriot Joshua Zirkzee, who hardly gets a chance at his loan club Parma Calcio.
Mr. Makaay, how much do you like drinking beer?
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Roy Makaay: I'd love to. I don't drink every day, but once or twice a week - I like that.
And at game times?
Makaay: Wasn't that different. At FC Bayern we often drank a wheat beer or two on the bus after the games. I know that for a professional footballer today, that's no longer really up-to-date. But back then it was just part of it.
Do you miss the Munich wheat beer?
Makaay: It works. We in Holland like so-called special beer. This is stronger than the conventional varieties in Germany.
How much stronger?
Makaay: It should be in the 7 percent direction. But it also tastes stronger.
Roy Makaay about his beer: "Only positive feedback"
You have created your own beer called MR Hapj in cooperation with your old Feyenoord trainer colleague Jean-Paul van Gastel. How did you come to be a brewer?
Makaay: Jean-Paul had brewed his own beers before. When we were both released at Feyenoord in 2019, our wives said: "Now you can brew a beer together." For me it is a nice hobby, especially in Corona times.
Do you also brew yourself?
Makaay: No, but we have it brewed near Rotterdam and I stop by the brewery from time to time.
How is the beer received?
Makaay: I've only had positive feedback. We also sell enough to cover costs, but it's not about the money. We brew beer because we like it.
Do you still like football?
Makaay: Of course. I watch a lot of games and occasionally work as a TV expert for the German or Spanish league. I would also like to work as an assistant coach again, but so far nothing has happened.
Would you consider returning to Germany?
Makaay: Absolutely. I keep my options open.
Roy Makaay on his Feyenoord exit: "Pretty disappointing"
A year and a half ago you were sacked at Feyenoord. Their farewell should not have been particularly glorious.
Makaay: Indeed. Jaap Stam resigned at the time and we, the members of his coaching staff, found out about our dismissal from the newspaper the next day. It's okay for a club to want to go down a new path. But not being able to say that to longtime employees and using the press to do so is quite disappointing.
How is your relationship with your other ex-clubs?
Makaay: Different. In terms of FC Bayern, I have a lot of contact with different people, and I occasionally work as an ambassador for the club. On the other hand, I have less contact with Deportivo La Coruna. I think that's a shame, because we were very successful there in my four years. It hurts to see the club in the 3rd division of Spain now. One disaster.
One of your best games for Depor came against Bayern in the 2002/03 Champions League group stage, when you gave Oliver Kahn three goals in the Olympiastadion. Did Uli Hoeneß approach you afterwards to make a move to Munich palatable?
Makaay: At first he only congratulated me, but got back to me a few weeks later and signaled his interest. I also had a few phone calls with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge afterwards.
Roy Makaay: Change to FC Bayern instead of FC Barcelona
FC Bayern should not have been the only interested party.
Makaay: Barcelona and Valencia have also contacted my agent. In the end, however, Bayern was the only club that could and wanted to meet Depor's financial demands. So it became Bavaria.
The 18.7 million euro deal was still very late in the summer of 2003. Why?
Makaay: Depor was very persistent in the negotiations. Whenever all parties seemed to agree, one or the other demand was added. I still remember how I flew to Munich for the medical check-up and Uli Hoeneß said to me afterwards: "Sorry Roy, you have to wait, we can't present you today." I then had to barricade myself in the hotel alone for four or five days because Depor was still haggling over a small contribution, it was about training compensation.
How did you experience Hoeneß these days?
Makaay: Of course he was angry, but he kept calm and checked on me once or twice in the hotel. I was also annoyed by the whole situation. A few matchdays in the Bundesliga were already over and I really wanted to get started. Depor hadn't used me in a single friendlies all summer for fear of injury. The preparation wasn't ideal.
Nevertheless, it didn't take long for you to fit into the team and put your scoring instincts to the test. Why was that?
Makaay: FC Bayern is like a big family that supports each other in every nook and cranny. At least that's how I felt when I was a player there. Imagine a club signing you on as a new goalscorer and your predecessor helping you to settle in. That doesn't happen at any top club except FC Bayern. Giovane Elber supported me with my move to Grünwald and gave me tips before he went to Lyon. In addition, Uli Hoeneß did everything to make us players feel comfortable.
How?
Makaay: He would often reserve a downtown restaurant for brunch on non-game weekend days. Then all the players came together with their families and that's how we got to know each other better. "You see each other often enough, so please bring your wives and children with you," Uli always said. A great manager who was always there for us around the clock and also for private matters, who organized a lot.
Who were your best buddies on the team?
Makaay: Bastian Schweinsteiger has become a very close friend of mine. He was already an incredibly good footballer back then, although he usually still played against his will in left or right midfield, and he was also a very nice guy. Despite all the rivalry between Germany and Holland: I really didn't begrudge him the 2014 World Cup title. The way he fought in the blood-soaked jersey was amazing.
Was there a player you didn't get along with at all?
Makaay: No, I can't think of anyone. Of course, there were a few nicks in the dressing room now and then, but big problems? No. It was a good mix of fun and serious. The South American faction around Ze Roberto, Roque Santa Cruz and Claudio Pizarro brought in a certain looseness. Since I knew Spanish from my time at Tenerife and Depor, we were on the same wavelength right away.
Roy Makaay on Oliver Kahn: "Didn't babble on"
With Pizarro, you usually formed the Munich dual leadership.
Makaay: That was fun. Claudio and I only spoke Spanish on the pitch. It was pretty confusing for our opponents. They never really knew what we were up to.
How did you get on with Oliver Kahn, the captain?
Makaay: Very good. Oli was a textbook leader. Someone who was looking for dialogue but didn't babble on. Before the games he was usually the quietest in the dressing room, focused on himself and listening to music on his MP3 player.
Wasn't there a booth DJ?
Makaay: No, it wasn't very fashionable back then. Everyone had their own music with them.
How often have you actually been to P1?
Makaay: Four times, and only after title celebrations. I never got into discotheques. I was more of a restaurant goer. In Grünwald we often met up with fellow players for dinner. The older the evening got, the fuller the table became. That was perfect team building.
Roy Makaay: Training under Magath "was tough"
Who was the party beast on the team?
Makaay: I can't give you a reliable answer to that question. But it's no secret that South Americans are good at partying. Having said that, I have to say that we didn't have anyone roaming around the houses every weekend. You can't afford that when you play for FC Bayern.
Probably not when the coach's name is Felix Magath. What memories do you have of him and his training methods?
Makaay: Magath is always a little exaggerated for me. Of course, in the preparation for the season, the three units a day with the morning forest run before breakfast were really tough. But during the season, because of the many games, only regenerative training was often possible. That was okay.
Did you have to take part in the "Quälix" mountain run at the traditional training camp at Tegernsee?
Makaay: No, I was spared that. In the first year under Magath I came out of the summer break later, in the second year the weather was too bad. To be honest, I would have loved to have taken part in one of these mountain runs. Maybe I would have enjoyed it.
Roy Makaay "satisfied" with his time at FC Bayern
Apart from Magath, you only worked with Ottmar Hitzfeld at FC Bayern. How was he as a coach?
Makaay: Ottmar was more relaxed. But he also knew exactly when to raise his voice and pull the reins.
With FCB you won the national double twice in four years, but were unsuccessful in the Champions League. Looking back, how would you classify your time on the Isar?
Makaay: We often lacked luck in the Champions League, and sometimes we faced very difficult opponents very early on. But even without this title, I'm satisfied with my time at Bayern. The double double alone was a great and, at the time, an extraordinary success, because the race in the Bundesliga was much more balanced than it is today. Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 have always made things really difficult for us. Too bad they are so far from the top now.
Anyone who talks about your time at Bayern is also automatically talking about your lightning goal against Real Madrid in the 2007 Champions League round of 16.
Makaay: That goal doesn't even make it into my personal top 10. But it was incredibly important and is still the fastest goal in Champions League history.
How did Roberto Carlos, who lost the ball to Hasan Salihamidzic in front of their goal, react after the game?
Makaay: Of course he was served. I still remember how he said afterwards that it was the place (laughs).
You got the nickname "Phantom" in Munich because you often appeared out of nowhere and even took advantage of half-chances. Can you train like that?
Makaay: No, you can practice headers and finishing, but you either have that killer instinct or you don't. Strikers are often told to run to the first post. And in eight out of ten cases the ball hits the first post. But there is so much going on in the penalty area, so many unforeseen things can happen. I can't tell you myself why I was often in the right place.
If you compare yourself to Robert Lewandowski, did you have an advantage over him?
Makaay: For me, Lewandowski has been the best center forward in the world for years. What he does in and outside of the penalty area as a playing nine is unbelievable.
Roy Makaay criticizes loan from Joshua Zirkzee
All the worse from Bayern's point of view that Lewandowski has now been unavailable for almost a month. Is Gerd Müller's goal record now in danger? And who would you field as a replacement: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting or Serge Gnabry?
Makaay: It certainly won't get any easier for Lewandowski to break the record. This failure is not good news for Bayern. As for his replacement: You have to make that dependent on the opponent. Gnabry is more agile than Choupo-Moting.
What do you think of Erling Haaland?
Makaay: In my opinion, he is the best youth center forward. Anyone who scores so consistently at this age can only have a great future ahead of them.
Should FC Bayern try to get him?
Makaay: That's a question for Brazzo or Oli. But Lewandowski still has a few very good years ahead of him, I'm sure of that.
Joshua Zirkzee was once considered a possible Lewandowski heir and "new Makaay". Now he can't even get beyond the role of reservist at his loan club Parma.
Makaay: I saw him a few times when I was young at Feyenoord and a lot of people raved about him. And I also think that he showed in Munich that he has a lot of talent. But as a young player you have to play a lot to develop. In this respect, his move to Parma was not optimal. I don't know how the agreement was, but it can't be the case that you let yourself be loaned out and then don't play. That doesn't do him any good, that doesn't do Bayern any good.
Roy Makaay: Juan Carlos Valeron was my best team-mate
Before his move, Hansi Flick publicly accused Zirkzee of not being ambitious enough in training.
Makaay: I can't judge that, but if the coach says that publicly, it's to send a signal to the player. In my experience, young players are expected to be all the more committed in training at FC Bayern. If you don't give 100 percent, you have no chance.
Which player from the current Bayern team would you have liked to have played with in your active career?
Makaay: Lewandowski and I would certainly have formed a good strike pair, but you also like playing with a guy like Thomas Müller. Who I really like as a personality is Joshua Kimmich. You want a player like that behind you as a striker. One who gives commands and clears your back. At that time we had Michael Ballack and later Schweini. They weren't that bad either.
Who was the best player you've ever played with?
Makaay: Juan Carlos Valeron. We understood each other blindly at Depor. His ball handling was like from another planet. One of the most underrated players of all time.
And who was your toughest opponent?
Makaay: Hard to say. Lucio, with whom I unfortunately didn't just play together, was a very unpleasant opponent. So did Valencia's Roberto Ayala. And I also took part in the young Sergio Ramos. At that time he was already very advanced for his age.
