First black player for Liverpool, a lucky charm in Munich

That Bayern-Liverpool is also remembered for the unexpected appearance and protagonism of one player in particular. A young footballer who then made history because of his race, but that also, if that was not enough, ended up being key in the positive result for the Reds: Howard Gayle, a 22 year-old striker, was the first black player to play for Liverpool. 

A 0-0 scoreline in the first leg at Anfield caused the Germans to become arrogant and complacent. Rummenigge, Breitner, Hoeness, Augenthaler... A top team packed with good footballers, very gifted technically and physically, who were already thinking ahead to Paris, where the final of that year's European Cup was being held. 

"Liverpool don't have imagination", declared Breitner. Joe Fagan, assistant to Bob Paisley, the Liverpool manager at the time,  motivated the dressing room with these words whose translation has later on been put into question as Spanish journalist Luis Miguel Hinojal stated in 'El País'. Liverpool went to Munich fired up and believing in a historic result despite having many players out injured. 

What was seen in the Olympiastadion was a Bayern determined to kill off the tie right from the first whistle. The siege on Clemence's goal was continuous. And the star man, Kenny Dalglish, got injured. Paisley changed the tie with a stroke of genius: instead of bringing on Ian Rush, he brought on the young Gayle, who had formed part of the squad due to the numerous injuries. This occurred in the ninth minute. 

Gayle belonged to Liverpool's reserve team and was not even a starter there. Even the UEFA delegates were surprised when they saw his name on the teamsheet. Paisley changed his team's fortunes by bringing him on. Nobody from Bayern Munich knew him and his power and pace brought the initial German dominance to a halt and turned the game on its head.

Every long ball went to Gayle, who helped Liverpool with his depth to shake off the Bayern attacks. They even committed a penalty on him which was not given. He was replaced by Jimmy Case later on because he had got booked. What happened afterwards is well-known. Kennedy scored in the 82nd minute before Rummenigge levelled things up in the 87th. It finished 1-1, but Liverpool's away goal sent Liverpool into the final. 

Gayle became part of football history by breaking a racial barrier when xenophobic incidents were commonplace. Cuts, repression, flagrant liberalism by Margaret Thatcher... The social climate then did not favour a harmony which is common nowadays. In the current Liverpool set-up, all possible races are found.

The ex-footballer grew up in a deprived area with high levels of unemployment called Toxteth. He ended up playing for the England Under-21s, although his career was not successful or prolific at all (although he can say he was a European champion). His parents were migrants from Sierra Leone and his Liverpool career was limited to just five encounters, the second of which was the Munich clash. In October 1980, he made his debut against Man City. His career continued at Sunderland (23 games and one goal), Birmingham (three games) and Blackburn Rovers (two).

When he retired in the 1990s, Gayle published a book which reflected on that Munich match. He has complained on occasions on what happened to him and other teammates. He also complained that he saw Nazi salutes in his night of glory. '61 minutes in Munich', that is what his book is called. 61 minutes which changed his life. An activist, a fighter against racism and defender of human rights, Gayle made history in a Munich in which Bayern and Liverpool meet again this Wednnesday.