Birthday boy of the month 2: Ralf Falkenmayer turns 60

The slightly built and curly haired player went on to appear for the Germany youth team via the Hessen youth side. Under coach Dietrich Weise, he became a U18 European champion alongside future Bundesliga players such as Michael Zorc, Roland Wohlfarth, Ralf Loose, Thomas Brunner and yours truly. Shortly after the European Championships, he went on to play his first two Bundesliga matches over the full 90 minutes for the team from Hessen as a U19 player and he was on the bench for Eintracht Frankfurt's 3-1 win against FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB Cup.

Falke was rather a small player and he mostly had his socks rolled down round his ankles. He was all over the pitch like that. He intercepted a lot of balls thanks to his anticipation or a long leg, he was often in the right place and stopped a lot through his good positional play. In addition, he had a fine left foot. His technique was impressive. He had an eye for the right moment and he could spot runs but also play a long ball. Falke would be a good addition to any Bundesliga team today and would be a crowd favourite with his non-stop approach on the pitch. He made four international appearances in the 80s but a protracted ankle injury prevented him playing more games for Germany. Other players came to the fore by the time he was fit again.

Ralf Falkenmayer signed for Leverkusen in 1997. He wanted to be higher up the table and not constantly fight relegation as was the case with Eintracht Frankfurt back then. He was also attracted by the UEFA Cup, which Bayer 04 had qualified for again. He played in ten of the twelve matches that led to the UEFA Cup triumph for the Werkself. Falke scored to make it 2-0 in the away game in Rotterdam and he was the first player to take a penalty in the shootout against Espanyol in the final – he missed to the horror of his teammates and the Bayer 04 fans. Falkenmayer returned to Frankfurt in 1989 after a total of 62 appearances for Bayer 04, including a tally of nine goals. The call of his hometown was too loud.

The qualified swimming pool assistant supervisor is not somebody to shout from the rooftops but is instead rather quiet and reserved.

Falke is 60 this month. I wish you many happy returns and perhaps you will find your way back to Leverkusen again someday. Stay healthy and have a good one.

Birthday boy of the month I: Walter Posner

Birthday boy of the month III: Paulo Rink