Soren Lerby: How Denmark & Bayern Munich midfielder played two games in one day for club and country

By the 57th minute, Michael Laudrup and John Sivebaek had put Denmark 3-1 up in a game they would win 4-1. A minute later, Lerby was off and the clock started ticking.

After a quick shower – against Hoeness’ wishes – they were off to the airport behind a police escort. The flight went to plan, too.

So far, so good – until the drive from Dusseldorf airport to Bochum’s stadium.

“The traffic was three, four kilometres because the stadium is in the city,” recalled the 67-year-old Lerby.

“So I had to jump out of the car and run four kilometres into the dressing room. That was a good warm-up.”

But Lerby would cool down on the bench because Bayern coach Udo Lattek had already named the starting line-up.

“I was very disappointed because I wanted to play from the beginning. But I came in at half-time and then there was extra time and the result was 2-2.”

Lerby scored in the replay, which Bayern won 2-0 and went on to lift the cup by beating Stuttgart in the final.

But as impressive as the accomplishment sounds, he never thought it was anything special.

“I remember that I was sitting in the bar after the match in Bochum,” added Lerby. “I took a beer and I was thinking ‘that was a good job’. But that was the only thing. I was not feeling like it was a big achievement.

“In our time, there was much chaos. We were many times in big trouble. You play for the national team and the club also has a match so you were not allowed to go [to the national team].”

Almost exactly two years later, Hoeness also persuaded Mark Hughes to play in another cup match for Bayern on the same day as he played for Wales in Czechoslovakia.

Whether the striker received a bonus for his efforts isn’t known, but it’s a point which Lerby may raise with Hoeness.

“I will ask him next time, that is for sure,” he said. “I will say, you missed something, Uli!”