The coach who turned Bayern into heroes
Former Bayern coach Tschik Cajkovski loved to eat - but he loved soccer in all its facets even more. With him, Munich were promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965. He made stars like Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer great. Today, one of the most dazzling personalities in Bundesliga history would have celebrated his 100th birthday!
"What do I need an apartment for when I have two points?" Bayern's Tschik Cajkovski was crazy. Soccer crazy. When the Yugoslavian once met his TSV 1860 coach colleague Max Merkel by chance in a department store in Munich, the two of them chatted animatedly about football for a long time. After more than an hour, they finally went home - and had both completely forgotten about their shopping. That was typical of the man who led FC Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga. Under him, players like Sepp Maier, Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer became stars - and ultimately the legends they still are in international soccer today.
Tschik Cajkovski was a real asset to the Bundesliga. In the early days of professional soccer in Germany, hardly anyone said things like him: "The goalkeepers are all a bit crazy. I once knew a guy who wrote a letter slowly because he knew his mother could only read slowly." Of course, it wasn't just the fans who loved him, but also the journalists for player descriptions like this one when he was coach of 1. FC Köln: "René Botteron - came from me as champagne, now plays like mineral water!" The world of the small, funny Yugoslavian was easy to describe. In his own words, it sounded like this: "Ball round, stadium round, me round".
How Cajkovski reacted to a 1:8
Tschik Cajkovski was a colorful personality throughout his life. His wife Rada once recounted an anecdote from February 1949, when the international was playing for FK Partizan Belgrade: "In the big rivalry match between Partizan and Red Star (1:0), the devil had once again gotten the better of him. He sat on the ball during the game and teased his opponent: 'Come here, get the ball if you can! Not even the referee took offense to Zlatko's 'invention', but the officials in the stands thought it was too much fun, especially as a foreign delegation was also present." The hot-tempered Cajkovski was suspended for a few weeks "within the club" at the time, but his temperament stayed with him later as a coach.
His explosions after losing matches were feared by his teams, so it came as a surprise to many when he remained calm as coach of FC Köln after a European Cup match at Scottish side FC Dundee in September 1962. The Rhinelanders had lost 1:8 and the players, still inconsolable themselves, tried to console their badly battered coach. But Tschik Cajkovski was not to be appeased. Quiet and introverted, he said just one sentence shortly before the flight home. He became a legend: "Winchte, plane is stalling".
How Tschik Puskás once switched off
Shortly afterwards, he went to Munich. With him, Bayern were promoted to the Bundesliga and celebrated their first major victories. Tschik, as shrewd as he is, wanted to have his successes in Munich rewarded straight away. He vied for honorary citizenship. When the Lord Mayor curiously asked Cajkovski why this award was so important to him, he received a surprising answer: "I've heard that honorary citizens don't have to pay taxes."
Tschik was known for his extravagant storytelling talent. He once told his Bayern professionals about an international match against Hungary: "I'm playing against Puskás, he won't get a shot! Unfortunately Hungary won 2:0!" When Gerd Müller cautiously asked who had scored the goals, a very quiet, almost offended-sounding reply came from Cajkovski: "Puskás!"
Another time he told his team: "I played 22 years, never injured." A little later, his wife Rada joined the group. She sat down next to her husband and, without knowing what he had just said, asked: "Do you remember, Chik, how you had your foot in plaster for four months?" The players slapped their thighs with laughter.
Sepp Maier and the sausage fingers
One of Cajkovski's outstanding qualities was his ambition. Franz Beckenbauer always liked to talk about his days with Cajkovski with a big grin on his face: "At the final training match, he never stopped until the team he was in won: 'See you at night, play to win!" Cologne's Wolfgang Overath can also tell a story about the daily training sessions: "Tschik loved to put together world selections before or after training. The names changed depending on the form of the different candidates on the day. Only the position of right skater was always fixed - Tschik Cajkovski, of course."
However, the Yugoslavian coach was particularly happy with the food. It was not for nothing that goalkeeper Sepp Maier christened him "Mr. Suckling Pig" because of his overriding passion for the culinary delights of life. Sepp Maier explained: "Nobody was bothered by the fact that he always smacked his lips a little when he ate. And when he finished his plate in record time, promptly stood up and stroked our plates like a hungry dog, we already knew what was coming next. 'Hmm, smells good. What are you eating? French fries.' And he had already fished a good portion off the plate of a slow eater with his thick sausage fingers. 'Does the meat taste good?' was the next question, which he then answered himself with his own hands."
Zlatko "Tschik" Cajkovski was born in Zagreb on November 24, 1923. Today, the man about whom Wolfgang Overath once said - "You can only talk about soccer with him even in church" - would have celebrated his 100th birthday. There would probably have been plenty to eat and many long conversations about his greatest passion, soccer.
In his pursuit of success, Tschik Cajkovski, the coach who elevated Bayern Munich to Bundesliga champions, famously advocated for honorary citizenship in Munich, stating that it exempted holders from paying taxes. During his tenure with the club, he also fostered the talents of soccer icons like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller, who became legends in the global soccer scene.
In the heart of their shared love for football, Tschik and striker Gerd Müller engaged in an amusing moment when the former coach claimed to have outplayed legendary Hungarian forward Ferenc Puskás during an international match, only to be surprised by Müller's inquiry about the game's scorers, prompting a humble admission from Cajkovski.
Source: www.ntv.de
