Interview: Giovane Elber 'Bayern have to show Real who's boss'
Bayern legend Giovane Elber remains the Bundesliga's leading foreign scorer with a total of 133 goals, 92 of them in a trophy-laden six-year spell at Germany's most successful club. The 34-year-old Brazilian tasted league, Cup and Champions League glory, and rates as one of the best-loved players ever to pull on the famous red shirt.
Last summer he became the first former Munich star to be named an Honorary Player of the club, and was voted into the Bayern Team of the Century by a wide margin. Some 48 hours before the Champions League last 16 showdown with Real Madrid, the prolific hitman dropped in at the Säbener Strasse to wish his former team-mates the best of luck, taking time out for a chat with fcbayern.de about Wednesday's clash of the European titans.
"You're always up for it ahead of the Champions League, but it's even bigger when Real or Barcelona provide the opposition," declared Elber, reconfirming his initial reaction to the Round of 16 draw: "You have to be there for Bayern v Real."
Interview: Giovane Elber
fcbayern.de: Giovane, Bayern meet Real Madrid on Wednesday evening - and here you are in Munich. That can hardly be a coincidence, can it?
Giovane Elber: "No, it's no coincidence. The minute I saw the draw in Brazil, I thought to myself, you have to be there for Bayern v Real. I wanted to see the match in Madrid, but my schedule didn't allow it. But I knew I had to be there in Munich. It's a match you can't miss as a player, and even as a spectator, I don't want to watch on TV. I want to be there at the stadium."
fcbayern.de: You've crossed swords with Real Madrid on quite a few occasions. What are your best memories?
Elber: "Obviously, the first thing I remember is our 4-2 victory in Madrid in 2000, or the return in Munich which we won 4-1. Or the 2001 semi-finals, when we won 1-0 at their place and 2-1 at home. I scored in both matches. Those are my fondest memories of Real Madrid. They were always great matches. You're always up for it ahead of the Champions League, but it's even bigger when Real or Barcelona provide the opposition. You work even harder on your preparations."
fcbayern.de: So you'd agree that Real are the biggest club of them all? How special is it to play against the men in white?
Elber: "It's certainly different compared to the Arsenals or Manchester Uniteds. It starts in the dressing room, it suddenly smells different. I don't know if they put out some special new scent in the dressing room, but it definitely smells totally different. You begin focusing on the match a full two days beforehand, you think about what you could achieve and how you could help the team. It's definitely a bit special."
fcbayern.de: What kind of game are you expecting on Wednesday?
Elber: "I'm convinced Bayern will win. It won't be easy, but Bayern are at home and need to show Madrid who's boss. It wasn't easy in Madrid, but fortunately we scored a second at the end. Real Madrid aren't as good as they were three or four years ago. I firmly believe Bayern will win at home and go through. They have to take this opportunity."
fcbayern.de: Creative attacking players Beckham and Reyes are sidelined. Is that a plus for Bayern?
Elber: "Definitely. Obviously you have to respect Beckham, he can take you apart with his free-kicks and corners. It's good news for Bayern that he's not playing. The game's started well already!"
fcbayern.de: If Bayern make the next round, you'll have to return to Munich as a lucky mascot.
Elber: "Yes, I'll have to come back for the next match. I want Bayern to go through, so I can come back to Munich for the quarter-final."
fcbayern.de: After a number of injuries, you finally had to hang up your boots last autumn.
Elber: "I had to stop playing last November. I simply couldn't go on. The pitches in Brazil were very poor, and I was in constant pain. That made it a little easier for me to stop a year earlier than planned. But I enjoyed playing out my final year in Brazil, we even won the state championship with Cruzeiro. It was a great experience. I'd never actually played in the Brazilian championship before. And now I understand why the tempo is different compared to Europe. It's not easy in temperatures of 38 or 40 degrees."
fcbayern.de: How do you keep busy these days?
Elber: "I live in my home town of Londrina, where I have a company, and I have my ranch in the country. And there's my charity foundation, which provides aid to street kids in Londrina. We started it in 1994, and it's just wonderful when you see how many kids have been supported by donations from all over Germany, and especially from Munich. There are loads of Bayern fans in Londrina. Bayern are the gold standard out there."
fcbayern.de: Many thanks for talking to us Giovane, and hope to see you again for the quarter-finals.