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It was the final of the 1974 World Cup. The Dutch were a fierce team back then, let me tell you. After taking apart a star-studded Brazil side, they were perhaps the favourites against the West Germans in the final. Because of how they played, you can't help but think there was a little bit of complacency after they took the lead when Johan Neeskens scored from the penalty spot in just the second minute of the final.
The West Germans found their way back into the game and scored from the penalty spot through Paul Breitner. The game was finely poised after that.
With the scores level, Netherlands had the chance to retake the lead before the second half. Johan Cruyff and Johnny Rep were in a 2v1 situation and the former found the latter with a nice pass. 1v1 with the goalkeeper. A calm finish is what most of the commentators and the pundits back then would have predicted.
Out came Die Katze von Anzing. The technique isn't something that you'll see from the modern-day orthodox goalkeepers. He slid on one leg, almost like a defender, seemingly eliminating the prospect of Rep slipping it through his legs. He came out fast, giving Rep less time to think what he had to do. And his reflexes? Well, they were that of a cat. Rep took the shot, Sepp Maier sprung out an arm to deny him and keep the scores at 1-1.
There was still plenty of time left in the game, more than a half. But Gerd Muller's exquisite finish, despite being off balance, sort of shell-shocked the Netherlands who were chasing the game from the 44th minute. They tried, but Maier was there to deny them every time. The full-time whistle blew with the scores at 2-1 and West Germany lifted the World Cup once again, their second time.
Maier's save after @4:15
People tend to forget the contribution of Sepp Maier. A West Germany team bristling with stars like Berti Vogts, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness and Gerd Muller still had their moments of lapse in concentration and that's where Maier came in. You get past the brick-wall that Beckenbauer and Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck were, Maier was always there to deny opposition forwards with his cat-like reflexes.
Maier wasn't supposed to be a goalkeeper in the first place. While playing youth football for TSV Haar during his teenage days, Maier was an agile winger. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he was so quick off the line. But his reflexes were something that came naturally to him. In fact, he was so good in keeping them out that despite conceding a ton of goals against Bayern in a youth cup game, Maier impressed Rudi Weiss who was working at the Bavarian FA back then. The rest, as they say, is history.
Maier retired in 1980, and that too because of a pretty unfortunate incident. A car accident in 1979 pretty much ended his career. Who knows how much longer he could have played? He was still in his mid-30s.
The '60s and '70s had some legendary goalkeepers playing the game. Lev Yashin's story gets told a lot, but Maier deserves his place in history. Having inspired a generation of world-class goalkeepers, the likes of Jens Lehmann, Oliver Kahn, Rene Adler, Manuel Neuer, Maier is undoubtedly a World Cup great.
A European Championship winner and a World Cup winner, it would be criminal not to include Maier in our list of 50 Greatest World Cup Players.
