The extraordinary life of Uli Hoeness: Bayern president has been through it all

When Uli Hoeness steps down as Bayern Munich president on November 15, it will be the end of a truly great era at the Allianz Arena.

Times are changing at Bayern and after stepping onto the pitch for the first time as an 18-year-old back in 1970, Hoeness is finally leaving after overseeing an unprecedented era of success 49 years later.

Hoeness, who will be replaced at the helm by former adidas boss Herbert Hainer, has dedicated his life to the Bundesliga giants and has been the main driving force behind a sustained period of domestic dominance.

During his lifetime at Bayern, they have won a remarkable 27 Bundesliga titles and five European Cups. He is a legend in Bavaria and will be sorely missed by everyone involved within the club.

'Uli Hoeness was a stroke of luck for Bayern, not just as a player but as general manager, chairman and president. What the club is today and the values for which it stands are to a large extent thanks to him,' German legend Franz Beckenbaeur has previously said.

There has never been a dull moment in the life of Hoeness but while he will be remembered for his outstanding service to Bayern, his journey has certainly hit plenty of bumps along the way.

Hoeness' playing days were unfortunately cut short at the tender age of 27 due to a knee injury but he immediately took up the role of general manager at Bayern in 1979.

The Ulm-born forward was part of Bayern's historic team that won both the Bundesliga and European Cup three times, while also winning the World Cup and European Championships with West Germany. He had in fact formed one of the most formidable partnerships in world football alongside compatriot Gerd Muller.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to come back from his injury while on loan at Nurnberg, Hoeness had become the Bundesliga's youngest general manager at the age of 27 on May 1, 1979.

He had shown leadership skills and maturity levels well before his age that would stand him in good stead going forward - prior to becoming general manager, he successfully negotiated a deal with truck maker Magirus-Deutz as Bayern's shirt sponsor. The funds from the deal even allowed the German giants to bring West Germany star Paul Breitner back to the club from Braunschweig in 1978.

However, his life nearly took a turn for the worst in 1982 when he escaped from the claws of death. On February 17, Hoeness was the sole survivor following a private jet crash, which killed three others, while he was on his way to a West Germany friendly. Sleeping on the back seat of the plane, he fortunately escaped with only minor injuries.

But after getting back on his feet, Hoeness looked to the future and after 30 years as general manager, he moved up in the Bayern hierarchy thanks to his excellent service. On November 27, 2009, he won the election at the club's general meeting to become its new president and what followed will leave a lasting legacy in Bavaria.

After doing the double in his first season in the role, they would go on to win seven straight Bundesliga titles beginning in 2012-13.

It was in the 2012-13 campaign when Hoeness' and Bayern's dreams truly turned into reality by famously winning the treble - the Champions League, Bundesliga and the German Cup.

But while he was living his dreams in a footballing capacity, things were unravelling around him and he suffered a huge fall from grace, which would leave a permanent mark on his life.

In March 2014, Hoeness was sentenced to three-and-a-half years at Landsberg Prison for evading €28.5m in taxes. The 1974 World Cup winner stepped down from his post at Bayern and started his jail term in June 2014.

He had initially been charged with evading €3.5m in taxes while investing millions of euros in stocks through a Swiss bank account. However, when the trial began, he shocked the court by admitting he had actually evaded five times that amount. This sum was then subsequently raised further to €28.5m – a figure acknowledged by Hoeness's defence team.

Hoeness was eventually released from prison midway through his sentence in February 2016 but kept a low profile immediately afterwards.

Opening up to German paper Bild about his ordeal, he said: 'I'm fundamentally doing well, but I just need to free my mind first. You cannot begin to imagine how the last few years have affected my mind - not only in prison, but also the time before that.'

Despite his life taking a turn for the worst, Hoeness still somehow had time to concentrate on Bayern. From early 2015 he was able to leave prison during the day and work at the club's youth department before returning in the evening.

It was a sudden fall from grace for the popular German, who had indeed enjoyed a rags to riches life. His father was a butcher and Hoeness turned the small family business into a mass producer of sausages.

He had become a role model down the years - always being a helping hand when people were in need. Hoeness saved entire football clubs. He gave rivals such as Borussia Dortmund and St Pauli financial support.

He had also reached out to former team-mates such as Gerd Muller, who struggled with alcohol, and players like Dietmar Hamman, who was stricken with both alcohol and gambling addictions. But his shock disgrace really struck a chord throughout the world of football.

However, throughout the turmoil, he remained an extremely popular figure with the Bundesliga giants and returned to his post as Bayern president in November 2016. He was the only candidate after Karl Hopfner - who had stood in for him during his time in prison - agreed earlier in the year not to run for re-election.

He hasn't looked back since then with the Munich-based outfit continuing to dominate German football, winning three more consecutive Bundesliga titles.

He has put his life and soul into making Bayern a European powerhouse and his presence in Munich will be hard to replace.

But his love for the club has often landed him in hot water down the years as he looked to defend his beloved team in any way possible. This was highlighted just recently when he threw the German media into a frenzy when he threatened a Bayern boycott of the national team if they dropped Manuel Neuer for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, which he would eventually backtrack on.

He has never been afraid to place himself in the spotlight to ensure the team and manager stayed out of trouble.

'Uli was depicted as an enemy from the start, and he didn't care, because his own reputation wasn't as important as that of FC Bayern,' said Gunter Netzer, a former West Germany team-mate. 'He fights for his club and risks being a villain - that is true greatness in my eyes.'

But it's not just all things Bayern that he has been outspoken about in the past - even delving into controversial matters of the national team. Hoeness launched an extraordinary verbal attack on Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil after he decided to retire from international football.

Ozil hung up his German boots after he came in for heavy criticism following the country's ill-fated World Cup defence in 2018, and for posing for a photograph with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the tournament.

The playmaker, who was born in Gelsenkirchen and is of mixed German and Turkish heritage, had accused the German Football Federation (DFB) of viewing him as 'German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose'.

But when questioned about Ozil's international retirement, Hoeness controversially laid in to the Premier League midfielder.

'I am glad that this scare is now over. He had been playing s*** for years,' Hoeness said. 'He last won a tackle before the 2014 World Cup. And now he and his s*** performance hide beyond this picture.

'Whenever (Bayern) played against Arsenal, we played over him because we knew that was their weak point.

'His 35 million follower boys - that don't exist in the real world - are convinced he has played sublimely when he completes a cross pass.

'The development in our country is a catastrophe. You have to go back to what it is: sport. And from a sporting point of view, Ozil has no place in the national team for years.'

Many from the outside might have the opinion that the 67-year-old is too hot-headed but those within Bayern know that he is simply just an incredibly passionate man that speaks his mind and wants what's best for those around him.

The legacy Hoeness, who will continue as a member on the Supervisory Board through until 2023, has left will never be forgotten at Bayern and he will go down as arguably the club's most influential figure.

Bayern will be desperate to send Hoeness on his way with even more glory, providing him with another Bundesliga title and perhaps the Champions League come the end of the season as a late departing gift.

But when November 15 comes around, it will for sure be an emotional time in Munich as they come to terms with his departure.