Reiner Calmund says the Bayer Leverkusen move for Rudi Völler in the summer of 1994 came down to more than a footballing fit. Völler arrived from Marseille at 34, after Calmund had already decided he wanted a leader, a big personality and someone the other players could look up to.

Belgium and the point when the deal moved fast

Calmund links the turning point to the round of 16 against Belgium, where Völler scored twice in a 3-2 win. Speaking to SPORT1, he said: "After the win against Belgium, where the old guy still headed in two goals," and added that Völler then agreed, "Practically already after the win against Belgium in Chicago, he said: 'I'm doing it',".

That is where the family side entered the story. Calmund said he wondered whether Sabrina Völler would go along with the move, and described her as someone who "wears the trousers a bit". His point was simple enough: the transfer was easier to complete once the football, the timing and the home decision all lined up.

What Calmund says made Völler a fit

The leadership angle was central for Calmund. In comments translated from German, he told SPORT1: "I wanted to sign such a leader, such a big personality for us, someone the other players would look up to."

He also praised Sabrina Völler’s willingness to leave behind bigger-name destinations, saying, "But that his wife now says: 'I could live in Paris, in Lisbon and now I'm moving to Leverkusen',". Calmund added that this said something about how well she integrated and how well she supported Rudi.

The move has aged well in club terms too. Bayer Leverkusen are fifth in the Bundesliga with 7 points from 4 matches, and they have scored 10 league goals already. Marseille, the club Völler left in 1994, are 17th in Ligue 1 with 3 points from 5 matches. Calmund may have been talking about a transfer from 32 years ago, but he still frames it as one of the deals that worked because the player, the family and the timing all said yes at once.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →