Bayern legendary goalkeeper Sepp Maier turns 80

Bayern Munich legendary goalkeeper Sepp Maier will be spending his 80th birthday on Wednesday far away from the current turbulence at his former club.

The 1974 World Cup champion with Germany has long ago given up celebrating birthdays: "We don't celebrate Christmas or Easter either, we don't need presents," he said.

Instead, he treated himself to a trip to Mauritius island with his wife, Monica. The Mauritius trip includes the Sepp Maier Golf Trophy, an annual golf trip organized with him as the crowd-puller.

As a football player, he travelled around the world "but what have we seen? Airports, stadiums, hotels," he told dpa before heading to Mauritius.

Born and raised in Bavaria, the "Cat from Anzing," as Maier was known for his reflexes, agility and speed, also refused offers from Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Boca Juniors and Cosmos New York and spent his entire career at Bayern.

"A Bavarian has his home, he can't be replanted. Today, players go where there's the most money. They would be stupid if they didn't take it," he said.

"Back then we also had a good pay. A regular worker made maybe 1,000 Mark. We made 8,000 or 9,000 Mark."

Maier was part of the iconic Bayern generation that included Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller. "We lived the Mia san mia," he said of Bayern's traditional slogan, which means "we are who we are."

According to him, players today can't even pronounce it "and they don't even know what's behind it." The once special Bayern DNA is now just a marketing slogan, he said.

"I certainly still follow FC Bayern after 50 years at the club as a player and goalkeeper coach. But I'm not grumpy for one day because Bayern lost."

That's why his world won't fall apart if, for once, another club, should become German champions this season. His Bayern currently sit eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

"All right, then Bayern won't win a title," Maier said.

The year he celebrates his 80th birthday started with bad news. First, his friend and former team-mate Beckenbauer passed away. Most recently, Germany's 1990 World Cup hero Andreas Brehme, whom he coached at the national team, died at the age of 63.

"I knew Franz for 65 years. Franz was 14, I was 15, we met in our youth. We celebrated every success with Bayern, from the bottom up. Of course you grow together. Franz and I always got along well," he said.

Maier was part of the team that celebrated Bayern's promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965. The club has never been relegated since. With the Bavarians, he won the Bundesliga four times and three Champions League titles (then European Cup).