Birthday boy of the month I: Matthias Brücken is 70

Here he becomes the top goalscorer in the Middle Rhine District League with 24 goals that takes the Werkself up to the Second Bundesliga North. That attracts the attention of FC Köln and Brücken moves from the Bayer Cross to the other side of the Rhine and up to the Bundesliga after 12 months. His best moment at FC Köln was his hat-trick in extra time at B1903 Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup in 1975/76 that sees the team from Cologne progress to the next round. After a not so successful season with just nine Bundesliga games and two goals, he joins FV 04 Würzburg in the Second Bundesliga South. He does become a regular first choice and scores a goal in 16 matches but an eight-week ban after a red card in February 1977 ends his time in Würzburg. Brücken returns to Bayer 04 in the summer.

Back in the Rhineland, he scores 12 games in 35 second division matches in his first year. In his second season, he played an important part in Bayer 04's promotion to the Bundesliga with 23 goals. He ends up second highest goalscorer in the Second Bundesliga North behind Wuppertal’s Günter Pröpper.

After promotion to the Bundesliga, Brücken is rarely in the starting line-up and 15 of his 19 Bundesliga matches were from the bench and he scores one goal. At the end of the season he decides on a move back to the Second Bundesliga North and joins Viktoria Köln. However, his nine goals are unable to prevent relegation in the 1980/81 season. Nevertheless, Brücken remains at the club and, at the same, he finishes his business studies course. After his time at Viktoria he ends his career at his original club Frechen 20.

Matthias Brücken, alongside Karl-Heinz and Helmut, is one of three players under the Bayer Cross with the Brücken surname, who are not related by birth or marriage. His goals help Bayer 04 move up a division and he could be attributed to the positive development of Bayer 04 football players in the 70s.

After he stopped playing, he works in personnel at a big energy company as well as coaching different clubs including Frechen 20 and VfR Bachem.

Dear Matthes, all the best on being 70 and stay as you are, above all healthy!