1. FC Köln 1977/78 — The Double of the Billy Goats

Season story

1. FC Köln's 1977/78 season remains the greatest in the club's history: the Bundesliga title and the DFB Cup — the double. The championship was decided on the final day in the most dramatic way imaginable, with goal difference settling the title race for the first time in Bundesliga history. It was Köln's second league title, after 1964, and to this day their last.

Coach Hennes Weisweiler had built one of the best teams in Europe. The spine was formed by national goalkeeper Toni Schumacher, captain Heinz Flohe and striker Dieter Müller. Wolfgang Overath, champion in 1964, had just retired; Flohe took over the playmaking role. New in the squad was Yasuhiko Okudera, the first Japanese player in Bundesliga history.

The season started badly: a 0:5 defeat at Fortuna Düsseldorf on the opening day. Three weeks later, the goals came flooding back. On 17 August 1977, Dieter Müller scored six times in a 7:2 win over Werder Bremen — a Bundesliga record for most goals by one player in a single match that still stands. A 5:2 win in Mönchengladbach, a 6:2 against 1860 Munich and a 6:1 over Hamburg followed. Köln's speciality: short corners headed back into the box, where Müller lurked. He finished the season with 24 goals, sharing the golden boot with Gerd Müller.

29 April 1978 became the most legendary afternoon in Bundesliga history. Köln led the table level on points with Mönchengladbach but with a ten-goal better goal difference. Gladbach played their final game in Düsseldorf's Rheinstadion against Dortmund — and led 6:0 at half-time. In Hamburg, where Köln faced already-relegated St. Pauli, things turned uncomfortable after an hour: 9:0 in Düsseldorf, only three goals separating Köln from losing the title. But the Billy Goats kept their nerve: Flohe, Okudera and Cullmann made it 5:0, while Gladbach's 12:0 — still the biggest win in Bundesliga history — was only good for the record. The title stayed in Cologne.

The 12:0 in Düsseldorf is still known as the scandal game: Dortmund barely defended, the DFB investigated and issued a warning; Dortmund sacked coach Otto Rehhagel. Cologne celebrated the title and the double — two weeks earlier, the club had beaten Fortuna Düsseldorf 2:0 in the DFB Cup final. The next day, around 100,000 people welcomed the team in the cathedral city. And a fan friendship was born that still exists today: between Köln and St. Pauli, because the Pauli supporters in the Volksparkstadion had cheered for the Billy Goats.

Köln were founding members of the Bundesliga and became the league's first champions in 1963/64. With Wolfgang Overath, Hans Schäfer and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, the club shaped the early years of German football. That the Billy Goats reached the top again in 1978 was also Weisweiler's work: he forged a unit from the Overath generation and a new wave of talents.

The season itself was a rollercoaster. After the 0:5 opener in Düsseldorf came a run of eight wins in ten games. In the second half of the season, Köln lost only two of their last 17 matches — the only defeat in the final nine games before the showdown was a 0:1 against Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 31. On top of that came the cup run, crowned by the 2:0 final win over Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Toni Schumacher, just 24 in 1978, developed into a national goalkeeper during this season and became European champion in 1980. Heinz Flohe led the team through the title season as captain, Yasuhiko Okudera made history as the first Japanese player in the league — and Roger Van Gool, the Belgian in attack, was the tireless provider for Dieter Müller.

Köln did not have to play the decisive game in the cramped Millerntor: manager Karl-Heinz Thielen talked St. Pauli into switching to the larger Volksparkstadion over the phone. Of the 25,000 spectators, 15,000 had travelled from Cologne — the away game became a home game. Even the Pauli fans ended up cheering for the Billy Goats as the news from Düsseldorf spread.

The celebrations were enormous: the day after the title, a parade moved through Cologne's city centre with hundreds of thousands lining the streets. The team around Schumacher, Flohe and Müller became a legend. To this day, the Billy Goats of 1978 are regarded as the most successful Cologne side of all time.

The comparison with 1964 shows how far the club had come: 14 years earlier, Köln had become champions with a generation around Overath and Schäfer — now a new generation with Schumacher, Flohe and Müller stood at the top of German football. Weisweiler, who had already made Gladbach champions twice, crowned his second great coaching era with Köln.

The 1977/78 season drew almost eight million spectators into the stadiums — a record at the time. 1. FC Köln were among the biggest crowd-pullers: the Billy Goats played the most beautiful football in the league, and home games at the Müngersdorfer Stadion became an experience.

The league saw one of its most prolific seasons in 1977/78: 1014 goals in 306 matches, an average of 3.3 per game. 1. FC Köln played a major part — above all Dieter Müller with 24 strikes.

The 1978 double was the second in Bundesliga history — Bayern Munich had done it first in 1969. For Köln it remains the only double and the last league title: no Cologne team has brought the trophy home since. In 34-0-0, Köln 1977/78 are a possession side rated 84 — and the reminder that in the Bundesliga, every goal counts until the final second.

Tactical DNA

Style: Possession · Strength: 84 · Europe tier

Counter in the game: Gegenpressing. They want the ball — press them early and high.

Key players & ratings

Best XI

Beating this team in 34-0-0

Köln 1977/78 play possession football in 34-0-0 — the answer is gegenpressing. With Attack 85, the offence around Dieter Müller is among the most dangerous in the league; press their build-up early and high so the passes into the front line never arrive. Their defense is solid at 82 but not particularly quick — after winning the ball, a fast counter down the wings pays off. And remember: in 1978, the title was decided by goal difference. In 34-0-0, every goal counts just as much.

FAQ

More teams

By L. Yuan · Last updated: 2026-09-16