Hughes came to mind as he shared his wild 24-hour experience with the UTD Podcast, where he somehow managed to represent both Wales and Bayern Munich on loan from Barcelona on 11 November 1987.
“We needed a victory in a European Championship match for Wales,” he recalled. “I had just joined Bayern. [General manager] Uli Hoeness invited me to his home for dinner and casually mentioned that I could play for Bayern later that night. I remember thinking, is he joking or is he serious?
“It turned out he was completely serious. Interestingly, he had done the same for Soren Lerby, who played for Denmark against Ireland. He arranged a flight for him back, so he said, ‘Leave it to me.’
“Sadly, we lost the Welsh match. However, I hopped into a car with Uli, and we caught a small plane—not a flashy jet or anything. We were set to face Czechoslovakia, which was just across the border from Germany, and as we flew over the stadium, the floodlights were already on for the match!
“After landing, I remember jumping into a green Porsche while Uli drove at breakneck speed! We arrived just in time for halftime. I don’t know how they managed it, but I must have been on the teamsheet. We were trailing in the game, so they made a substitution at the 60-minute mark, and lo and behold, I was called to play. As fate would have it, we turned it around and I became the hero of the match!
“In reality, though, I barely touched the ball. I was completely out of breath, wondering what I was doing, running around, missing passes, and stumbling! I came on alongside Michael Rummenigge, who scored two goals to secure our victory. Yet, despite his contributions, all the attention was on my dual appearances that day, which felt a bit unfair to him!”
