There are some moments of commentary you never forget. Like Herbert Zimmermann's at the 1954 World Cup: "Over, over, over, over. The game's over!" Or Marcel Reif's legendary words from 28 May 1997: "Ricken…, lob him now! YEEEEEEES! – Five seconds on the pitch. Five seconds! Lars Ricken!"

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What happened? Dortmund player Ricken, then just 20 years old, lobbed the flummoxed Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi from 30 metres out while running at full speed to secure a 3-1 final victory for outsiders Borussia Dortmund over reigning champions Juventus. Ricken's strike was voted the official "Goal of the Year" for 1997 – and was later selected as BVB's Goal of the Century.

Twenty years have now passed since that memorable night in Munich. But Ricken, now 40, is still asked time and time again how often he watches replays of his wonder strike. "Some people seem to be under the impression that I watch the goal every night to help me get to sleep," Ricken once said.

As incredible as it was, there are other elements of that 1997 triumph that carry greater significance for Ricken. Such as the day after the final when the heroes of Munich drove through Dortmund in an open-top bus. "Fans at the Borsigplatz were holding their kids up to me so that I could quickly touch them. At that moment, it became clear to me how important these successes are for the Borussia Dortmund fans," Lars Ricken explained in an interview with 11FREUNDE.

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And then there's the venue: Munich. Munich of all places. The greatest success in the club's history took place at the home of their domestic rivals. "I didn't win a single Bundesliga match in Munich in my entire career," he said. "And yet it was in this stadium where I celebrated the two biggest successes of my career: the 1996 Bundesliga title and the 1997 Champions League victory. "It is quite a special occasion to celebrate winning the Champions League in the Bayern Munich changing rooms."

However well it ended, the final match of the 1996/97 campaign began on a bad note for the 20-year-old, who had scored decisive goals against AJ Auxerre and Manchester United in the previous two rounds. Ottmar Hitzfeld called his player to tell him that he would start on the bench. "He rang me the night before and told me." Ricken was disappointed.

If the truth be told, he had expected it. The '97 team was brimming with internationals and global superstars. And, Julio César aside, they were all fit. "But after a very good conversation with Ottmar Hitzfeld, I knew that I was very close to the first team and that I would get my chance at some stage."

And besides, starting on the bench had its advantages. Ricken was sitting in the front row with a perfect view of the entire pitch. He was able to observe the "Old Lady", to study how they played and to dissect them from a distance. He could see that the clear favourites felt victory was theirs from the outset. But above all, he noticed that Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi sometimes drifted a long way off his line. "There was one point in the first period when he was standing about 30 metres in front of his goal-line," explained Ricken, before adding: "When I saw that from the bench, I said that I would just blindly smash the ball towards goal with my first touch."

That, though, was not necessary. Andreas Möller played such a precise through-ball into the Dortmund man's path that he had time to look up and take stock before hitting his long-range lob. That was when Marcel Reif declared: "Ricken… Lob him now! YEEEEEEES! – Five seconds on the pitch. Five seconds! Lars Ricken!"

There are some moments of commentary you just don't forget.
Nils Hotze