FC Bayern – Miasanrot Advent Calendar, Door 3: Bixente Lizarazu 

Actually, I associate the shirt number 3 with my first great love in football: Paolo Maldini, the great defender of AC Milan and captain of the Italian national team. That’s why I started paying attention to this number at other clubs as well – who wears the 3 on their back, and is that person even worthy of this important number?

FIRST THE 11, THEN THE 3 AND FINALLY THE 69

For a long time, I didn’t think of a number 3 at Bayern. That changed in 1998, however, when Bixente Lizarazu got that number. The French left-back had actually joined Bayern from Athletic Bilbao in 1997, but still wore the number 11 in his first season. From 1998 – as a newly-crowned world champion – he finally got the 3.

Left-back – many Bayern fans (justifiably) think of Philipp Lahm first when they think of this position. But before Lahm, there was Lizarazu. For nine years – with a short detour to Olympique Marseille that lasted only six months – this was the territory of “Liza”, as he was commonly called. At just 1.69 metres, the Basque speeded up and down the left flank and impressed with his reliability and explosive, powerful play.

NERVES OF STEEL FROM THE SPOT

One of his – and my – fondest memories of his time at Bayern was winning the Champions League in 2001 and then the World Club Cup. Liza played a decisive role in Bayern’s triumph in the final of the Champions League: he was one of the shooters who kept his cool in the penalty shoot-out and converted safely.

When I think of Liza, however, the first thing that comes to mind is another goal he scored for Bayern. Again it was a penalty, but this time five years later, on the last match day in the Bundesliga, also the last game of the Frenchman, who ended his active football career immediately thereafter: Bayern were already one goal up against SC Freiburg when Michael Ballack was fouled in the penalty area. The referee immediately called a penalty kick. In the Allianz Arena, the shouts of “Liza, Liza” grew louder and louder. Finally, Liza grabbed the ball and put the ball into the right corner with casual ease. A worthy conclusion to a career of a deserving player. At that point, however, he was already wearing the number 69.

A PERMANENT FIXTURE NOT JUST AT BAYERN

Lizarazu was not only extremely successful wearing the Bayern shirt. He was also a regular player for the French national team (96 appearances) and won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and the European Championship two years later. One of the best and most successful left-backs of all time, Liza nevertheless always appeared quiet and rather reserved in public (except for the slap he gave Lothar Matthäus – but that’s another story), and, as a result, was often undervalued, underestimated or even totally overlooked. Yet for many years he was one of the most important stabilisers for Bayern and the Équipe Tricolore.

Today he lives in his mother’s birthplace, a small town in the French part of the Basque Country, enjoys surfing and occasionally appears on television as a commentator or football pundit. He is also a brand ambassador for FC Bayern. In general, he likes to reminisce about his time in Munich. In an interview, the now 53-year-old revealed that he still likes to drink wheat beer and still has a pair of lederhosen hanging in his wardrobe in addition to more than 500 jerseys from the games he played for Bayern.