First time dressing Barça.

Helenio Herrera wanted him

Good games, bad character.

Important goal to Real Madrid

Covers for the idol.

With Quini and the Cup 81

During his physiotherapy 1982

Always a dangerous player

Bernd likes the training time.

Family Schuster in 1985.

Championship sticker 1986

Books on best Barça

Best seller sticker in fanshops

In october 1980 FC Barcelona got the player. Austrian KRANKL left the team very angry , "It cannot be saved even if Barça buys Pele" he said when leaving. New mate Simonsen teached Bernd his first words in Spanish.

The german federation send the transfer a week later. Bernd saw the way his new team lost vs. Real Betis 0:4 and he thought "Oh, God! where I'm coming!". Trainer KUBALA, who said he didn't need Bernd, was replaced for Helenio HERRERA. Some days later Bernd played his first match in Rico Perez Stadium vs. Hercules Alicante and the team won after a lot of lost matches. Just one goal scored Esteban. But it was the beginning of a new Time in the Catalan squad. And no PELE was necessary.

The club started to win match after match and fighted for the first places in the standings. The dark side of Bernd were the problems with the pictures of his wife GABI, which were published in Spain. He had troubbles with mate MIGUELI. Also on the ground he got a lot of goals but a lot of yellow cards, too. And the fans thought he was not so valiant in other stadiums than in Nou Camp. The spectators wanted the best Schuster each week. Barça fans, also called "culers", met the dream player they were looking for since CRUYFF in 1974. "I can do it better" was a sentence to dream for champion team.

But a rare affaire broke down the path to the title: Forward QUINI who was one of his best friends was kidnapped. It was a big hit for every body. During the month it was lasting, Barça lost the chances to the Liga. When Quini was free it was late to get it, but Season 1980-81 was not over, still remaining the chance to get the King of Spain Cup. Barça got the Cup vs. Sporting Gijon (3:1 won Barça in Madrid). The blond number eight of FC Barcelona was the best of the match, the same as mate Esteban. And Quini scored 2 goals.

Schuster was the new leader of FC Barcelona, the 20 years-old-boy who saved the squad from the crisis. Schustermania began in Barcelona.

The new season 1981-82 should be the right one. German trainer LATTEK replaced "magic" HERRERA. But the training methods and the wrong results of the squad were to a good start. Schuster was not happy. Different causes but the crisis started. Lattek, who was considerer the best german coach, found in Barcelona a pressing atmosphere he never beated. Every thing was running well in Liga while Schuster was playing. But when the terrible injury of Bernd in Bilbao arrived the chaos. Every one was nervous. GOIKOETXEA broke Bernd's left knee in december 1981. "He was during the match threating me to do it, and finally he got"said a depressed Bernd after the match. Crazy to be as soon as possible again on the ground, Bernd traveled to Germany with succesful Doctor SCHNEIDER, who did nothing well with Schuster. Bernd scaped from Germany to Spain for a new operation under Doctor Baños. But the miracle was not possible and the golden eight lost the chance to be in World Cup Spain 1982. During last month of the season FC Barcelona lost the Liga after a terrible sprint. The goals of QUINI, the work of ZUVIRIA and MIGUELI or the magic URRUTI were not enough to beat Real Sociedad San Sebastian. Barça won the European cup of cup winners and it was the most important moment of LATTEK.

The new season 1982-83 will be remembered because the acquisition of Diego MARADONA, world best player. The barça fans were very proud to have got probably the best players in the planet, apart RUMMENIGGE. Everything was right till the illness of Maradona. He was out of the stadiums for 2 months due to an hepatitis, but, before it, his parties were so famous than his magic left foot. Bernd was psicologically affected after his injury and the World Cup he couldn't play , and his level was not the best. His problems with mates BREITNER, RUMMENIGGE, STIELICKE and trainer DERWALL in the german nationalteam finished when his renounce to back any more. He played his last match with only 23 years. "I'm happy in this club and from today I will play only for FC Barcelona. My nationalteam means nothing for me". The squad played irregular and Bernd also lost the feeling (and the respect) with the trainer "Lattek is a drunkman". After a lost match LATTEK was dimissed and argentinian MENOTTI arrived. He got good games and won the King of Spain Cup. Athletic Bilbao roughly and efficient won the League with his trainer CLEMENTE.

The new season 1983-84 brought new hope to the fans. MENOTTI was soon loved because his spectacular football concept. Every fan wonder if he could make the best for a MARADONA definitely success. But nothing is easy in Barcelona and the same GOIKOETXEA who broke Schuster, also broke MARADONA left knee in another brave Athletic Bilbao - FC Barcelona match. Four months without The Number 10 and with an irregular Schuster who though "Bilbao is the Corea War". Athletic won again the league and the King of Spain final match FC Barcelona - Athletic Bilbao was an historic one. Not due to the game but the after game. Bilbao won a violent match and after it, it was a real and spectacular fight. Schuster left the gound but other ones like MIGUELI and MARADONA got the Karate master. MENOTTI decided to leave the club and MARADONA, too. He went to Napoli, were he definitely offered his best.

The new season 1984-85 was not hopeful. The fans though it was impossible to win anything. A bad fortune was always there. The fans though it would be impossible to get the Liga without MARADONA. But in summer 1984 a new Schuster said to a journalist after a match "Now without Diego I will score the penalties, now I will be the boss in the midfield and we'll win the league". Everybody though it were simple words. But an unknown scottish called ARCHIBALD and a new Schuster were enough to build a good team. Trainer VENABLES brought his new ideas on pressing and left captain Bernd total freedom to create and manage the team. FC Barcelona won again the Liga after a lot of years and a great Schuster, who got the european bronze baloon, was the best player of the Liga every week. Also other ones like CALDERE, CARRASCO, URRUTI, MIGUELI, JULIO ALBERTO,... were very important players for FC Barcelona, too.

So during the summer 1985 it was a dream to think about the next League and the Champions League. The fans though the new season 1985-86 would be a great one. But the problems of Bernd and "Archigoal" with VENABLES came soon. Also the golden captain was not happy about the president behaviour. "This is Africa", said Bernd after trying to see NUÑEZ to talk about bonus payments to the players. The season was irregular and soon people saw the League was lost, but the European cup (now champions league) was right. Even Juventus felt under a great Barça and it arrived the final match of the Champions League. It was in Seville vs. Steaua Bucuresti. Every poll was absolutely in favour the catalanish team. But on the ground it was bad luck and the match was draw when VENABLES decided, after 73 minutes, to replace Schuster. MORATALLA was the player in. Bernd was so angry after a difficult year... he knew VENABLES wanted to win the big cup without him, the perfect reason to get rid of Schuster. Bernd leave the stadium before the final time and went to met his family. In the hotel he watched FC Barcelona loosing the match after missing 4 penalties. Steaua won the European cup of winners. VENABLES failed, though Bernd. Actually, it was not a logical behaviour when Venables replaced Bernd. Surely the captain could resolve the match with his skills, like KOEMAN did some years later during the extra time with a terrific shoot. But Bernd has no chance to do it. The Barça missed 4 penalties and Bernd was not the guilty. But these ideas were not right: The true is president NUÑEZ and trainer VENABLES accused Bernd and half of the fans belived in these words. His golden leader was always the guilty of the best games ...and the worse ones?, too, of course. "Bernd will never wear the Barça t-shirt again", said NUÑEZ referring his escape to the Hotel. Till the summer time it was a very difficult moment. It came as a shock for every player and fan.

Danish Simonsen, his first friend

Nou Camp Super Stadium 1982

Here with mate
Maradona, a
dream tandem who showed a
magic game
but never a
important cup won.


Trainer Menotti explains.

Electronic scoreboard

Who can stop him??

Here joining Archibald in 1985

Bernd, Gaby and Nuñez

The captain and the symbol

Shooting star

The golden 8 wants the ball

He says goodbye after 8 years.