Gladbach's greatest rival and later friend: Berti Vogts remembers Kevin Keegan

Borussia Mönchengladbach mourns the passing of Kevin Keegan, who died on 25 July 2026 at the age of 75 after a long illness. The Englishman was not only one of the best players of his generation, but also Gladbach's greatest rival in the 1970s and later a valued conversation partner of Berti Vogts.

What happened on that May evening in 1977?

On 25 May 1977, Gladbach lost the German championship final to Liverpool 1:3. Yet by that same evening, rivals had become friends. Vogts, then Gladbach captain, sat down with Keegan in the Liverpool team hotel in Rome. „We had a glass of wine and talked about football,“ Vogts recalls. Both shaped their countries as players and later national team coaches - Vogts led Germany to the Euro 1996 title, while Keegan’s England crashed out at Euro 2000 despite a 1:0 win over Germany in the group stage.

Why Keegan was Gladbach’s toughest opponent

Keegan was more than just an opponent - he was a nightmare for the Foals. In the first UEFA Cup final in 1973, he scored twice and set up another as Liverpool beat Gladbach 3:0 on aggregate. Four years later, he assisted in the German championship final against Gladbach. „Yes, he hurt us,“ Vogts admits. Yet mutual respect grew into a lasting friendship.

The bond between Keegan and Gladbach went beyond those two European finals. After the Rome showdown, Keegan joined Hamburg - but in 1979 he still pulled on the Gladbach shirt. Two years after the Liverpool final, Vogts retired, and Keegan took the field in the Foals’ farewell match against the German national team.

Keegan and Gladbach: A friendship beyond football

Vogts and Keegan met again later, including when Vogts coached Scotland. „He was a great footballer. And he was a great man,“ Vogts says of Keegan. „He was one of the opponents I had the most trouble with.“ Keegan was fast, lively and hard to contain - the „Mighty Mouse“ defined an era when Liverpool stood among the world’s best.

Today, Gladbach sit 12th in the Bundesliga with zero points and zero goals scored this season. Yet the memory of Keegan endures - one of the few rivals who left a mark on the Foals both on and off the pitch.