Roland Wohlfarth left his mark on FC Bayern as a striker for years. In Bochum, however, the Bocholt native subsequently caused an unwanted novelty.
Roland Wohlfarth has experienced a lot in his career. The Bocholt native began his professional career at MSV Duisburg, where he made a name for himself in the 1983/84 season at the age of just 21. In his third senior season, the striker shone with 30 goals in 35 league appearances and secured the top scorer’s crown in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Although the Zebras narrowly missed out on promotion – MSV finished third and lost out to Eintracht Frankfurt in the relegation play-off (0:5, 1:1) – Wohlfarth’s career took off in a big way. FC Bayern Munich came knocking and paid DM 1 million for the attacker – an investment that paid off.
In nine years with the record champions, Wohlfarth made 332 appearances, scored 156 goals and set up a further 40. In 1988/89 (17 goals) and 1990/91 (21), he secured the Bundesliga top scorer’s crown. He lifted the championship trophy five times in Munich and also won a DFB Cup title and two Super Cups before Wohlfarth embarked on an adventure in France in 1993, signing for AS Saint-Etienne for a hefty 2.5 million marks
When I went out for a beer in the evening, I knew that I wasn’t allowed to eat anything the next day to avoid getting into trouble at the weigh-in on Monday.
Roland Wohlfarth
After just over a year, Wohlfarth returned to his roots at the end of the 1994/95 first half of the season and signed for VfL Bochum. There, however, the striker quickly earned himself a suspension.
Wohlfarth was known as a bon vivant and often struggled with his weight during his time at FC Bayern. “My big problem was that I never had a body like other professionals. I didn’t eat anything and still put on weight. That’s why I always had to take special care of myself. If I went out for a beer in the evening, I knew that I couldn’t eat anything the next day so that I wouldn’t get into trouble again on Monday at the weigh-in,” Wohlfarth explained in an interview with the Tagesspiegel back in 2010.
At the end of 1994, the then 31-year-old went to the pharmacy on his own initiative and bought the appetite suppressant “Recatol” to counteract his weight problems. The problem: the drug contained norephedrine, a substance that is on the doping list.
Positive doping test in the hall During an indoor tournament in January 1995, Wohlfarth had to undergo a doping test in which the banned substance was detected. This particularly infuriated Klaus Toppmöller. “It was absolutely stupid of him. The club will certainly impose a fine. In sporting terms, this means a bitter loss. Roland Wohlfarth should have asked the doctor about the medication. VfL Bochum is absolutely clean,” raged the then VfL coach in the Berliner Zeitung after the result was announced.
The association gave him a two-month ban and a fine of 60,000 marks – it was the first doping case in German professional soccer. Wohlfarth was able to return to action in the second half of the season, but Bochum were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga at the end of the 94/95 season.
In the following season, Wohlfarth helped Bochum return to the Bundesliga with seven goals. After five more appearances in the top flight, he moved to second division club VfB Leipzig in 1997 and ended his career a little later at Wuppertaler SV and in his home town at 1. FC Bocholt.