1974 World Cup Star : Franz Beckenbauer
He himself feels that he only fulfilled the role so well because it was tailor made for him. Playing behind the defence, Beckenbauer was in an ideal position to apply his tactical awareness. His excellent positional play and man against man skills convinced everybody that he was an excellent defender. His perfect tactical brain played a part as well, but his agility and unbelievable confidence on the ball in every situation produced world class performances, especially when going forward. Whenever he left his defensive duties, he had the ability to dictate the game from midfield. Solo dribbling forays belonged to his repertoire as did long accurate passes, often hit spectacularly with the outside of his foot. He found Gerd Müller, in particular, to be an ideal partner for one-twos. Beckenbauer additionally had a powerful shot and was an excellent exponent of the dead ball situation, like many of the great stars that came before and after him. He was simply perfect also because of his excellent interpretation of his leadership role, which he was granted as he was a cut above the rest.
His biggest achievements are based upon a mixture of all these qualities: in 1972 the German team, with Beckenbauer as its captain, became European champions and two years later Germany won the FIFA World Cup™ on home soil. Four years previously in Mexico the qualities had only been sufficient for a third place but Beckenbauer had matured further in the meantime. He and his German team mates won 2-1 against a Netherlands team containing Johan Cruyff, a playmaker of the highest class. The tournament went only rather modestly for the Germans in contrast to the brilliance displayed by the eleven two years previously in Belgium. Many older German football fans view the European Championship winning team as being the best German team of all time.
In 1997, Beckenbauer retired from the national team and left Bayern Munich to go and play in the newly formed US professional league. He lined up with Pele for Cosmos New York. Returning somewhat surprisingly to the Bundesliga in 1980, he played 28 times for Hamburg SV where he again won the German championship as a 36-year-old in 1982. Two years later he took over the national team from Jupp Derwall. Without ever having been on the obligatory coaching course or even holding a licence, he was made “Team Director” and then proceeded to build up a German team that were World Cup runners-up in 1986 and then won a third FIFA World Cup™ title for Germany in Rome in 1990. The mission had thus come to an end but Beckenbauer later twice answered Bayern’s cries for help in January 1994 and in April 1996 as they needed a coach. Munich won the championship in 1994 but in spite of “Kaiser Franz’s” assistance were only good enough to place second behind Dortmund in 1996. So they won the UEFA Cup to make up for things.
When the German bid to hold the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ struck a crisis, Beckenbauer was again the man called upon to come to the rescue. According to his staff, he, above all, has to be thanked for the FIFA World Cup 2006 ™being awarded to Germany. His position as President of the Organising Committee is seen by Beckenbauer as being the hardest job of his life up to now. But also the nicest, because as a player and coach, one has a number of chances to win the FIFA World Cup™, but organising a FIFA World Cup™, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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On the international stage his name is also put forward
whenever experts discuss the subject of the world’s greatest player.
Pele, Maradona, Cruyff and Beckenbauer – the superstars of the recent
decades. Beckenbauer feels though that his friend Pele is best player of
all time. And Zinedine Zidane will soon also be a member of the chosen
few that can almost single-handedly dictate the course of the game, even
though there are 21 other players on the pitch. |
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 Franz Beckenbauer with Bernd Bransch before the 1974 World Cup game between West and East Germany. The World Cup winners suffered their only defeat in Hamburg. KUNZ/Augenklick |
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Given his nickname because of the sovereign manner in which he
orchestrated his team mates, the “Kaiser” named Fritz Walter as being
his childhood idol. July 4, 1954 is a day Beckenbauer can still remember
vividly. After the Germans had unexpectedly won the FIFA World Cup™
final 3-2 against Hungary in Bern, Franz met up with a few friends on
the streets of the Munichdistrict of Giesing. “We replayed the whole
game.” A postman’s son, the Bavarian’s exceptional talent was obvious
right from when he was a young boy. That’s according to the people
around at the time. But confirmation for the following story can be
obtained from the man himself: he actually wanted to join TSV Munich
1860. But as he had been given a slap in the face by a “Lions” – TSV’s
nickname – player during a youth match he moved instead from his Giesing
club to Bayern Munich. It was a big piece of luck for Bayern, and for
Beckenbauer. As a young man, he was a member of the Bayern team promoted to the Bundesliga in 1965. Shortly afterwards, still only 20-years-old, he was awarded his first international cap where he immediately secured a regular place in the team. In the following twelve years he played 396 matches for his club in the Bundesliga. The defender scored 44 goals and just kept on winning over and over and over again. He led his team on four occasions to the both the German championship (1969/72/73/74) and the German cup (1966/67/69/71) as well as to European club titles. It all began when Munich won the Cup Winners Cup win in 1967 – just one year after he was a FIFA World Cup™ runner-up in Wembley. Everything then peaked when Bayern won the European Cup – currently known as the Champions League – three times in succession in 1974/75/76. Beckenbauer played in 103 internationals (14 goals) up to 1977. Today, the elegant player is said to have invented the sweeper position. |
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 The greatest defender of all time: Franz Beckenbauer. He scored 14 goals in 103 internationals. Here the “Kaiser” is seen scoring against England in the 3-2 win at the 1970 World Cup. KUNZ/Augenklick |
He himself feels that he only fulfilled the role so well because it was tailor made for him. Playing behind the defence, Beckenbauer was in an ideal position to apply his tactical awareness. His excellent positional play and man against man skills convinced everybody that he was an excellent defender. His perfect tactical brain played a part as well, but his agility and unbelievable confidence on the ball in every situation produced world class performances, especially when going forward. Whenever he left his defensive duties, he had the ability to dictate the game from midfield. Solo dribbling forays belonged to his repertoire as did long accurate passes, often hit spectacularly with the outside of his foot. He found Gerd Müller, in particular, to be an ideal partner for one-twos. Beckenbauer additionally had a powerful shot and was an excellent exponent of the dead ball situation, like many of the great stars that came before and after him. He was simply perfect also because of his excellent interpretation of his leadership role, which he was granted as he was a cut above the rest.
His biggest achievements are based upon a mixture of all these qualities: in 1972 the German team, with Beckenbauer as its captain, became European champions and two years later Germany won the FIFA World Cup™ on home soil. Four years previously in Mexico the qualities had only been sufficient for a third place but Beckenbauer had matured further in the meantime. He and his German team mates won 2-1 against a Netherlands team containing Johan Cruyff, a playmaker of the highest class. The tournament went only rather modestly for the Germans in contrast to the brilliance displayed by the eleven two years previously in Belgium. Many older German football fans view the European Championship winning team as being the best German team of all time.
In 1997, Beckenbauer retired from the national team and left Bayern Munich to go and play in the newly formed US professional league. He lined up with Pele for Cosmos New York. Returning somewhat surprisingly to the Bundesliga in 1980, he played 28 times for Hamburg SV where he again won the German championship as a 36-year-old in 1982. Two years later he took over the national team from Jupp Derwall. Without ever having been on the obligatory coaching course or even holding a licence, he was made “Team Director” and then proceeded to build up a German team that were World Cup runners-up in 1986 and then won a third FIFA World Cup™ title for Germany in Rome in 1990. The mission had thus come to an end but Beckenbauer later twice answered Bayern’s cries for help in January 1994 and in April 1996 as they needed a coach. Munich won the championship in 1994 but in spite of “Kaiser Franz’s” assistance were only good enough to place second behind Dortmund in 1996. So they won the UEFA Cup to make up for things.
When the German bid to hold the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ struck a crisis, Beckenbauer was again the man called upon to come to the rescue. According to his staff, he, above all, has to be thanked for the FIFA World Cup 2006 ™being awarded to Germany. His position as President of the Organising Committee is seen by Beckenbauer as being the hardest job of his life up to now. But also the nicest, because as a player and coach, one has a number of chances to win the FIFA World Cup™, but organising a FIFA World Cup™, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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