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Jupp Heynckes was not the only Bayern Munich veteran to retire twice this season. Tom Starke did him one better by retiring with Bayern in back to back seasons. After calling it a career alongside Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso at the end of the 2016/17 season, Starke put his retirement plans on hold and rejoined the team in July 2017 after all three of Bayern’s goalkeepers suffered injuries—Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich, and youth prospect Christian Früchtl.
As the duration of Neuer's recovery exceeded all expectations, what was anticipated to be a brief spell back stretched into an entire season as Bayern's third keeper. Starke even started a pair of games against Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Köln in December. Now Starke is back to his work as goalkeeper coordinator at the FC Bayern Campus.
In an interview with Bild, Starke said he will not miss the 13-hour days that he spent serving both as backup keeper and coordinator:
Since I have a new and very important job at the youth Campus, I can honestly say I'm really happy that the long days are over and can now really get going with my job as goalkeeper coordinator at the Campus.
Starke is also looking forward to collaborating with Bayern's new U17 coach, Miroslav Klose. According to Starke, he and Klose “are on the same wavelength!”
Miro and I both are total team players! Let's wait and see how our collaboration actually develops. But I'm very confident and am looking forward to Miro. Getting such a big name with such immense experience—Miro Klose in the youth academy of FC Bayern? That just rolls of the tongue!
This summer Starke will at last also have the free time to enjoy his parting gift from the club: a Harley Davidson motorcycle tour. Bild asked whether Starke had to put it off when he was called back to the club so abruptly after retiring.
Exactly. I'll make up the tour with the Harley now! If I have—quote, unquote—only the job at the Campus, I can arrange my free time so that I can do the Harley tour. But with the two jobs as goalkeeper coach for the youth and the job with the pros, it was impossible. But now it's time to ride that Harley!