Welcome back to the Legends Archive. We go back through the years to look at players that have not only changed our way at looking at the beautiful game, but have been the very essence of our beloved pastime. Today’s article takes a look German Icon, Franz Beckenbauer.

Background

Born to Antonie and Franz Beckenbauer Sr., on September 11th 1945, in the Giesling district of a War torn Munich, Franz early years were spent witnessing a world that many of us will never really understand, in a nation that was recovering from world war, desperately trying to change it’s appearance in the eyes of the world and having it’s capital occupied and controlled by 4 nations.

Despite his father’s protests that it would be a waste of time, Franz joined the SC Munich ’06 youth team at the age of 9. Due to being quite tall for his age, he started out as a Centre Forward, idolizing the Kaiserslauten and West Germany World Cup hero, Fritz Walter. His boyhood support belonged to local side TSV 1860 München, and it was a dream of Beckenbauer to play for them. That dream very nearly became reality, as financial troubles fell onto SC Munich, and they were forced to close their youth teams, with other teams in the area preparing to take many of their players. At their final showing in an Under-14 tournament, the SC Munich and 1860 Munich sides faced off in a very fierce and volatile final, one that saw Beckenbauer slapped across the face by an opponent whilst the referee was distracted. This experience caused Franz to snub 1860, and chose to join the less popular FC Bayern München. He entered their youth team aged 14.

FC Bayern Munich and Nationalmannschaft

Beckenbauer’s time in the youth team is not well documented, though at the age of 17, he was told that his potential could see him turn professional. He was at the time training to be an insurance salesman, but he soon made the decision to drop that career path, and signed his first professional contract with Bayern.

During his time in the youth outfit, he came under public scrutiny. At 18, his Girlfriend was revealed to be pregnant. He also showed no intention of marrying her. This at the time was a huge social faux pas, and Beckbauer was initially banned from the West German Youth team, though the intervention of the youth teams head coach saw that overturned.

Aged 19, Beckenbauer made his debut in the Regionalliga Süd (Now known as 2. Bundesliga) against Stuttgart Kickers. He played as a Left Winger during his first games for Bayern, though would cut inside, as opposed to the traditional bi-line style of winger. At the end of the 1964/65 season, Bayern were promoted to the newly formed Bundesliga (Bayern were not considered a big enough name to introduced in the first season).

The following season saw Beckenbauer dropped back into the Midfield, due to his ability to not only power forwards, but dictate the movement of the ball for others. This transition soon proved effective, as he helped steer Bayern to DFB-Pokal glory (Germany’s most prestigious knockout competition). This meant that Bayern Munich would enter the 1966-67 UEFA Cup Winners Cup, their first entry into European football.

His international debut came on September 26th 1965, in a World Cup qualifier against former finalists, Sweden. West Germany won the match 2-1, and were going to the World Cup in England.

The following summer, Franz would play in every game of the 1966 World Cup. The opening game against Switzerland saw West Germany win 5-0, Beckenbauer scoring two of them. The following match against Argentina finished 0-0, leaving West Germany needing at least a draw against Spain to qualify. After going behind, Germany pulled back and won 2-1, with Beckenbauer powering through time and time again, though failing to score.

The next round saw West Germany play in a heated contest against Uruguay. Tackles from Uruguay flying in with excessive force, seeing Hector Silva and Horacio Troche both dismissed for Uruguay after 54 minutes. With the score already at 1-0, the Germans couldn’t be stopped. Beckenbauer and Seeler constantly pushing through the Uruguay midfield with ease, allowing Beckenbauer to score his third of the tournament in the 70th minute, a beautiful demonstration of 1-2 passing, with Franz rounding the keeper and running it into an open net. The game would finish 4-0, with the Soviet Union up next.

The game started out quite rough, with both teams looking to get physical against the goalkeepers, leaving feet in, or running into them at every chance. Beckenbauer was actually booked in the first minute, along with Vorinin of the USSR, due to an early confrontation. A sublime through ball from Schnellinger let Haller through, who rocketed it home in the 43rd minute. Just after kickoff, a ferocious challenge from Chislenko left Sigfreid Held writhing in pain, and saw the Soviet man sent off. The game however was still evenly contested, with the Germans testing Yashin on multiple occasions, and the barrage of Soviet shots tiring German keeper, Hans Tilkowski to the point he needed physio treatment for his shoulder. However, in the 67th minute, a moment of Beckenbauer magic sealed the tie. Receiving the ball from the right, he dropped his shoulder and skipped past two Soviet defenders, before launching a rocket from 22 yards into the top left corner. A goal in the 88th minute from Porkuyan, who gave the Soviets a glimmer of hope, but ultimately West Germany went to the final.

The World Cup final of 1966 was famous for a multitude of reasons, but one corner of this historic match was the legendary battle between Beckenbauer and Bobby Charlton. Despite being 8 years younger, Beckenbauer was given one job and one job only; stop Charlton. For the first 90 minutes, he did so brilliantly, but there was also something else of note. Charlton was also marking Beckenbauer too. The two of them had a wonderful battle, challenging firmly but fairly, each man trying to out do the other and not succeeding nor failing. After being level for 90 minutes, England pressed ahead, and Beckenbauer appeared to have given all he could, as the England flat 4 midfield left him overwhelmed and outnumbered with his fellow central midfielder Wolfgang Overath. Charlton began to have an impact, striking the post early into extra time. Eventually England would score two more, to win the final 4-2, though the Germans had won the respect of Wembley Stadium, and the clash between Charlton and Beckenbauer is fondly remembered as a great piece of World Cup history. Upon arriving home, the Nationalmannschaft received a heroes welcome, and had captured the imagination of many Germans. Beckenbauer was named Young Player of the Tournament after a unanimous vote and placed into the Team of the Tournament. His performances also saw him nominated for the 1966 Ballon d’Or, and he finished 3rd, with Bobby Charlton and Eusebio beating him. His name had become globally known.

Der Kaiser. The Libero.

Following the summer break, Bayern Munich began to grow in stature, and Beckenbauer grew with them. During the 1966-67 season, they began to climb up the table, and finished in a respectable 6th, only 6 points behind champions Eintracht Braunschweig. However, success came in the form of 2 wonderful Cup runs, with Bayern defending their DFB-Pokal crown, as well as winning the Cup Winners Cup at the first try. Beckenbauer again receiving constant plaudits for the way he orchestrated almost every attack, though many noted that he was no longer scoring as many has used to, which raised several concerns that he was playing too deep to be fully effective. Bayern Munich had to scrape through early rounds after being almost surprised by the level of competition, winning 4-3 on aggregate against TJ Tatran Prešov and Shamrock Rovers, then beating SK Rapid Wien 2-1 with Extra time needed to do so. However, form found them in the Semi Final tie against Standard Liege, as they dominated them 5-1 on aggregate, to set up an exciting final against Rangers in Nuremberg. A true game of two halves, Rangers dominated the first half, Bayern the second. With 90 minutes finishing 0-0, the game was forced to extra time. In the 108th minute, Beckenbauer, who was notably playing the centre back role for this match, sold a dummy inside his own box and laid the ball forward to Dieter Koulmann, who played a high ball into Franz Roth, with his header lobbing Norrie Martin and securing Bayerns first ever European success.

Shockingly, West Germany were unable to qualify for Euro 1968. They were in a group with Yugoslavia, who were no pushovers at the time, and Albania. After destroying Albania 6-0 at home, they went into the final game knowing that a win would be enough to go through, but somehow, Albania held onto a 0-0 draw, forcing West Germany out. Yugoslavia would go on to be runners-up.

The 1967-68 season saw Bayern finish 5th, though slightly further off league champions FC Nurnberg (9 points this time), as well as them out of the DFB-Pokal and Cup Winners Cups in the Semi-Finals off both competitions. However, during this time, is when Beckenbauer reinvented himself, and helped pioneer a new style of player.

As he was constantly dropping further back to cover injuries to defensive players, as well as proving himself more than capable in defensive duties, Beckenbauer and Bayern manager Branko Zebec, decided to attempt a new style that took advantage of all of Franz’s abilities. He would line up alongside 2 additional Centre Backs, playing with a flat line of 3, with 2 wing backs to provide width as well as additional defensive coverage. However, Franz was given a free role at the back, described by Italian journalist Gianni Brera as Libero (translates literally as ‘Free’). To many the role was known as the Sweeper, but the Italian term helps distinguish the type of sweeper Beckenbauer was. As he was able to defend, he would win the ball from opposing attackers, then charge forwards, using his agility, balance and strength to power past the opposing midfield/front lines, creating a pocket between midfield and defence to play in. This allowed him to play the ball in any direction he saw fit, or even continue the run forwards. He would also maintain his forward runs, often finding himself as an extra man on the edge of the opposing penalty area, where he would attempt a killer ball, or shoot for himself using his fierce shot. What this saw was Beckenbauer playing rapid 1-2’s with his teammates, bossing almost every aspect of the game. As he started so deep, it was difficult to man-mark him, as it would mean sacrificing a position for him alone, which was never guaranteed to work, as he was immensely talented at all aspects of the game and often beat opponents, or simply passed around them.

This style of play saw him nicknamed Der Kaiser, translated as The Emperor. A nickname that would stick with him for the rest of his career and beyond. Two origin stories for how the name itself exist. One is that he posed with a bust of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, with the other claiming that he had fouled Reinhard Libuda of Schalke much to the hate of the opposing fans. Beckenbauer the reportedly ran into the Schalke half and juggled the ball for a few seconds in front of Schalke’s irate fans. As Libuda was the King of Westfalen, the press declared Beckenbauer as the Emperor. You can decide which you prefer. Just prior to the start of the upcoming season, Franz Beckenbauer was named Captain of Bayern Munich.

The 1968-69 season saw a transformation in the way Bayern played, and as such, they went on to win their first ever Bundesliga. Gerd Muller finished the season as top scorer with 30 goals, many of those assisted by Beckenbauer and his new style of play. Sadly assists were not tracked, so an exact figure isn’t known. Success wouldn’t halt there though, as Bayern also regained the DFB-Pokal, successfully completing a domestic double, only the second in German history, and the first since the formation of the Bundesliga format.

The following season saw Bayern enter the European Cup for the first time. Unfortunately for them it did not go well. They were eliminated in the first round by St. Etienne. A 2-0 home advantage for Bayern not being enough as the French side over turned it by winning 3-0 in France. They were also eliminated by Nuremberg in the Quarter Finals of the DFB-Pokal. To top of a fruitless season, they finished second to Borrusia Monchengladbach, despite Gerd Muller scoring a record 38 goals.

World Cup 1970 – The Game of the Century

With the league season wrapped up, it was time for World Cup 1970 in Mexico. West Germany had qualified with ease, only dropping a single point in a draw against Scotland in Glasgow.

West Germany received a favourable group draw, and won all 3 games against Morocco, Peru and Bulgaria. Beckenbauer was still playing in Central Midfield for the Nationalmannschaft, and would be better described as a classic ‘Box-to-Box’ style of player for them. This allowed him much more freedom as he was not expected to play deep for long periods of the game. He was again receiving positive reviews for his performances, but the group stage really was the Gerd Muller show (he scored 7 in the 3 games, including 2 hat-tricks). The Quarter Finals saw a replay of the 1966 final, with West Germany coming out and beating England. England had led 2-0, and effectively shut Muller out of the game, but aging English legs eventually gave in, and as Beckenbauer began to find more and more of the ball, many could sense it was a matter of time before Germany scored. Beckenbauer hit a thunderous long range effort early in the second half that just went over the bar. Eventually he found his way through, by driving to the right corner of the Penalty area, and drilling shot low and hard into Peter Bonetti’s right side. Germany knew they were back in it and after Charlton walked off exhausted, Germany equalised in the 82nd minute. Franz almost won it, after some mesmerising 1-2 play saw him through 1-o-1, but he slid it just wide. Extra time saw dominance from the West Germans, and following another rocket attempt from Beckenbauer, Muller scored a cross from the left and sent ahead. Beckenbauer received a moment of fortune, as he slid in on Geoff Hurst in the Penalty Area, not even coming close to the ball, yet nothing was given against him. In the end, the Germans advanced into the Semi-Final where they would face Italy.

An early goal from Roberto Boninsegna gave Italy the lead. Disaster would strike deep into the second half. Having already made both of their allowed substitutions, Beckenbauer came out of a 50-50 tackle worse for wear. The medics feared that his Clavical had broken, leaving his right arm useless and partially dislocated. As they prepared to lift him off the pitch, Beckenbauer was having none of it. He ordered them to fasten a sling around his neck so that he could support the arm, and he walked straight back out onto the pitch. What followed was considered one of the gutsiest performances by a player of all time. Beckenbauer didn’t skip a beat, guiding the ball between players, bursting forwards with sheer determination to play through the pain. Eventually, he began to sit deep and dictate the play, as it soon became apparent that going in to robust tackles was dangerous. It paid off, as West Germany were able to grind away at the Italian defence and in the 90th minute, Schnellinger (of A.C. Milan) scored a dramatic equaliser. The game was going to extra time, and what followed was the most breath-taking 30 minutes in World Cup history.

In the 94th minute, a standard West German corner came in and a weak header drifted towards the Italian centrebacks. They seemed to lose all concentration, and the soft backpass to Italian stopper, Enrico Albertosi, was pounced on by Muller, and the ball slipped through keeper and defender and trickled over the line. In the 98th minute, shoddy defending from Held, who had drifted back to cover for the injured Benckenbauer, saw him head the ball straight to the feet of Burgnich to tie the game level. Beckenbauer had clearly lost a lot of mobility by this point, but still he was sticking his feet into tackles, and having the ball pass through him as a line between defence and attack. The Italians managed to capitalise on a sloppy on their own box, and broke to the other end, with Riva putting Italy back ahead in the 104th minute.

In the second period of extra time, Beckenbauer caught a second wind. He drove forwards once again, releasing a cannon towards the Italian goal that forced a save. In the 109th minute, clever play from Beckenbauer, Muller and Held forced a corner, which was converted by Muller, bring the game to 3-3. However, as the West German television stations were still showing the replay, Italy ran the ball right from the kick-off and scored their 4th. The West Germans then pushed on valiantly, but in the end, were defeated. Beckenbauer had played with a broken clavicle for just short of an hour and was hailed a hero for his warriors efforts.

Following Uwe Seeler retiring from the Nationalmannschaft, Franz Beckenbauer was made Captain of West Germany.

Hunting European and World Glory

Beckenbauer was able to recover in time for the start of the upcoming FC Bayern Season, which saw them making an appearance in what would be the last Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. They were selected due to finishing 2nd. As UEFA had no control of this tournament, they were allowed to enter both European tournaments, which FIFA still reagrds as a ‘Major Historical Tournament’.

They did very well, managing to beat Rangers in the opening round, before breezing past Coventry 7-3 on aggregate. They also managed to beat Sparta Rotterdam in the third round, before falling to English giants Liverpool in the Quarter Finals after a 3-0 defeat at Anfield. The tournament was later discontinued to make way for the new UEFA Cup competition.

The 1970-71 Bundesliga season is one that will be forever tarnished in controversy. Match fixing by the relegation battlers was rife and following that season, 60 players from 10 teams were banned, with punishments ranging from 2 years to lifetime bans, all of which were upheld by UEFA and FIFA as well. The season up top however, finished extremely close, with only 2 points separating champions Borussia Monchengladbach and runners up Bayern Munich. However it wouldn’t be a fruitless season.

Beckenbauer was able to lead Bayern to the Final of the DFB-Pokal once again, his fourth final in six years. On the night, in Stuttgart, Beckenbauer ran the show. After a Bernd Rupp goal put Koln ahead in the 13th minute, Bayern, with Beckenbauer once again back to his now famous Libero role, pushed and pushed for a winner. Beckenbauer was instrumental to almost every Bayern attack, and the breakdown of Koln’s. It took them a while, but in the 53rd minute Beckenbauer picked the ball up about 45 yards out, slightly to the left of centre. He charged forwards, skipping past two players, before laying it off to a teammate, who’s shot was well saved, but caught a wicked spin that stopped it dead on the right side of the 6 Yard box, where Beckenbauer steamrollered forwards and placed it into the net. After an even contest, the game was set for a penalty shoot-out, until late into extra time, Scheider scored a wonderful went bent shot from 20 yards, winning the DFB-Pokal for Bayern again, and allowing Beckenbauer to raise his first trophy as captain.

The following season saw Bayern turn it up once again in the league, with Beckenbauer in scintillating form, offering a solid base for the defence to work with, whilst still providing the energy and power of his elegant forward runs and mesmerising passing accuracy. Many plaudits were falling over themselves to celebrate Gerd Muller breaking the Bundesliga yet again (with 40 goals), but the international media were obsessed with Beckenbauer. He was an enigma in the game, and many believed that the game would change to adopt his style more in the future. Had it not been for updates to the Offside rule, this might have been true. Bayern were finally able to clinch the title for the second time. They were unable to retain their DFB-Pokal after a monumental collapse saw them waste a 3-0 advantage from their first leg against Koln, with them losing the second leg 5-1 (5-4 aggregate).

Bayern also struggled with their every growing fixture congestion in Europe as well, and even though they were able to defeat Liverpool in the 3rd round, they fell short in the Semi-Final against Rangers.

The summer of 1972 saw West Germany compete in the European Championships. During the qualifying that had dominated their group, and then eliminated England in the 2 leg Quarter-Final with a famous 3-1 win at Wembley. Beckenbauer led his team out for the opening game of the tournament with hosts Belgium. With a new sense of pride as Captain, and after feeling that West Germany had underachieved, Beckenbauer once again was instrumental in their performances. A shaky first half saw Belgium squander a handful of chances, though a Gerd Muller header gave the Germans lead in the 24th minute. Beckenbauer seeing that the game was too fast for his compatriots to make the most effective use of the ball slowed the game down, making himself the inlet and outlet of almost every move in the middle of the pitch, dictating the pace and after was key in Netzer setting up Muller his and West Germany’s second. Belgium didn’t lie down though and with 6 minutes to spare pulled 1 back, though it was too little too late, and Beckenbauer would get the chance to lead his nation out at an International Final against the Soviet Union.

The final was incredibly one sided from the very start. Beckenbauer, Hoeneß, Netzer and Muller running rampant against the aging Soviet defence. A wonderfully weighted long ball from Beckenbauer was smashed against the crossbar, with Muller casually tapping home the rebound after controlling down. Beckenbauer already provided Hoeneß a chance earlier in the game as well, but that too hit the bar. Eventually, Wimmer would add a second in the 52nd minute, before Muller took advantage of a goalkeeper error to seal the win. It was the first major trophy West Germany had won since the 1954 World Cup, and Der Kaiser was presented the trophy. It was also the first time Germany had won the European Championships at all.

The 1972-73 season saw Bayern retain their Bundesliga crown with ease, but also saw them return to the European Cup. They were able to dominate Galatasaray 7-1 in the First round (1-1 & 0-6) with Beckenbauer noted as creating 4 of them, and scoring a penalty as well. They then recorded a 13-0 aggregate win against Cypriot side Omonia, before facing off against Ajax in the Quarter Finals. Ajax overwhelmed Bayern in Amsterdam and ran away 4-0 winners. The home leg faired better, with Bayern able to claim a 2-1 win, but ultimately eliminated. However, many Bayern players saw this as a good learning experience, and used it to motivate themselves for when they would end up in the competition the following season.

At the end of 1972, for his stellar performances for both club and country, Franz Beckenbauer was nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He faced tough competition from Gerd Muller and Gunter Netzer, but was presented with the award after winning it by 2 points (he was on 81, with Muller and Netzer on 79).

FC Bayern’s domestic dominance once again was confirmed in 1973-74, as they once again retained the Bundesliga, making it a hat-trick of titles. Bayern were determined to better their progress in Europe this time, but almost stumbled at the first hurdle, with Swedish side Åtvidaberg able to overturn a 3-1 win in Munich, to force extra time in Sweden. Bayern were able to win 4-3 on penalties, and were drawn against East German side Dynamo Dresden. It was the first time clubs from East and West Germany had drawn together since the war. It was a heated affair for both legs, and also 2 memorable games of football on the pitch as well. It was obvious that neither team was willing to accept defeat, and the opening tie in Munich saw a goal glut. Beckbauer was bombarded with heavy hitting challenges, but kept returning to the pitch to continue his supporting role. After a constant back and forth of goals, the first leg finished 4-3 to Bayern. 3 away goals gave Dresden real hope, and the return leg was another thriller. 2 early goals (with an assist from a series of lightning fast 1-2’s from Beckenbauer for the second) saw Bayern looking comfortable, but Dreden pushed back, and were able to score before half-time, then turn the game on it’s head with two goals in 6 minutes, with Bayern now losing through the away goals ruling. However, it took just two minutes for Beckenbauer to find Hoeneß, who crossed for Muller to score the winner.

The Quarter-Finals saw Bayern draw against CSKA Sofia. Beckenbauer was able to get on the scoresheet with another well worked series of passes that gave him space to drive home a low shot just inside the box. The first leg finished a comfortable 4-1 win, with the second leg proving slightly tougher, with Sofia winning 2-1, but Bayern made their way into the Semi-Finals, and there was now a belief that they could go on to win it. The Semi-Finals against Újpesti Dózsa saw a tough first leg end in 1-1 in Budapest. The second leg in Munich however, was all Bayern, and another great showing for Beckenbauer. The World player of the year providing assist to 1 of the 3 goals scored on the night, and was unlucky not to have a goal of his own, which wound up an own goal after some bizarre calamities at the back. Bayern were going to the final in Brussels.

The 1974 European Cup final against Atletico Madrid was a fairly unique event in itself. It was the first final since 1961 that saw two teams competing in it for the very first time. The game was very tense, and it was clear that both teams were very nervous. Overall Atletico are credited for playing the better football, and notably, Beckenbauer and Muller didn’t perform well at all. After finishing goalless, the game entered extra time. In the 114th minute Aragones put Atletico ahead with a gloriously hit free kick, seemingly giving them the title. However a moment of European magic struck when Georg Schwarzenbeck hit a seemingly tame effort from 35 yards in the final minute, but keeper Reina had his vision blocked by his two centre backs and the ball fizzed into the net. The game would go to a replay 2 days later, and the outcome was very different.

From the kickoff, Beckenbauer seemed to be in total control. Every tackle crisp, every pass finding it’s target. He recognised that the Atletico defence was more than comfortable to play it slow, so he picked up the pace of the game and the added intensity proved too much for the Spanish side, with Bayern taking the lead in the 28th minute with Hoeneß finishing a wonderful long flat pass from Beckenbauer from his own penalty area. The lead was doubled in the 60th minute when once again, Beckenbauer found Muller with another superb low through ball, and Muller lobbed the ball over Reina with incredible precision. Muller would add a third in the 71st minute, after some pressure from Atletico forced some superb defending from Breitner, Scwarzenbeck and Beckenbauer, with Breitner clearing a header that awkwardly bounced in front of the Atletico centrebacks and let Muller take it in his stride before rounding two players and the goalkeeper and slamming it home. Hoeneß finished the scoring in the 84th minute and Bayern Munich had become European Champions. Beckenbauer was presented the trophy.

The season wasn’t over yet though, there was the small matter of West Germany hosting a World Cup in the summer to attend to first.

The draw had thrown out an unusual twist, seeing both East and West Germany drawn together in Group A, along with Chile and Australia. West Germanys opening game against Chile was a tense affair, with many of the players showing signs of fatigue following a long season with their clubs, particularly the Bayern players. However they were able to win 1-0 thanks to a Breitner goal in the 18th minute. The second performance against Australia was far more convincing, with a dominant 3-0 win. The final group game provided one of the shock results of the tournament, with East Germany pulling off a 1-0 win, and winning the group, leaving West Germany 2nd. The shock appeared to have a strong effect, and Beckenbauer seemed to snap into life for every game after that, taking control on the field in the second group stage, with West Germany easily beating Yugoslavia and overturning an early goal to beat Sweden 4-2. The 3rd game against Poland was a real all or nothing affair, though yet another Muller goal set up by Beckenbauer gave Germany the win, and put them into the Final, here they would face the Netherlands, and Johann Cruyff.

Marketed heavily as Cruyff vs Beckenbauer, the game did not start well for the Germans, when Cruyff took the ball forwards on a run straight from the kick off and was fouled by Hoeneß and the Dutch awarded a controversial penalty (many claim the foul was outside the area). West Germany struggled to recover despite Beckenbauers best efforts to stifle Cruyff (much like he had to do in the 1966 final against Charlton). Another penalty was awarded, this time to West Germany, when Holzenbein was fouled. Again, controversy exists surrounding the location of the actual foul. Breitner coolly slotted the penalty away and in the 43rd minute, Muller scored what would be his last goal for his country to give West Germany the lead. After an intense battle between both sides, West Germany were declared World Champions, and Beckenbauer was the first captain to receive the newly designed trophy (Brazil had been awarded the Jules Rimet for being the first to win it 3 times). It was also the first time that a nation was both European and World Champions, a feat not repeated until France in 2000. Beckenbauer was also awarded the Silver Ball, as he was voted the second best player of the tournament, losing out on the Golden Ball to Johann Cryuff.

The 1974-75 season was a very difficult season for Der Kaiser and Bayern Munich. The long and ever intense season that followed a trying World cup saw the team showing signs of burnout very early on. This cause a lot of injuries and slip ups in the league, which saw the defending champions finish in 10th.

However, they were able to maintain performance in the European cup. After being award a Bye in the first round, the faced off against East German side, Magdeburg. As it always was against East German opposition, the game was an extremely intense affair, though Bayern were able to pick up close victories in both legs, and progress to the final 8. Here, they faced Turkish side Arafat Yerevan. After struggling for most of the first leg, Beckenbauer was able to slide a pass out to Hoeneß, who gave Bayern the lead in the 78th, before Torstensson doubled the lead with 7 minutes to spare. A tied Bayern then lost the second leg 1-0, in what was a difficult environment for them in Yerevan.

The semi-finals against Saint-Etienne was another difficult away leg, with neither side able to capitalise, resulting in a 0-0 draw. However, Bayern seemed refreshed at the home leg, and it took Beckenbauer 80 seconds to open the scoring, after performing a lovely series of one and two touch passes from halfway line to penalty area that allowed him through to slide past the French goalkeeper.

The 1975 European Cup final is often looked back as a controversial match for many reasons. One being the refereeing, and the string of seemingly biased and terrible decisions reached by French referee Michel Kitabdjian. Beckenbauer was woefully bad in this final, and he barely left his own half of the field, as Leeds dominated the game for 70 minutes. Beckenbauer appeared to handle the ball in the penalty area in the 23rd minute, and would later trip Alllan Clarke in the 34th minute inside the penalty area. Neither decision was given a penalty, and Leeds would later have a goal disallowed after Beckenbauer pestered the linesman to give an offside decision that he had initially not made. Somehow though Bayern were able to break in the 71st minute and Roth gave them the lead. As Leeds now had no choice but to push for an equaliser, a second counter saw Muller score another counter attack and give Bayern a 2-0 win, and successfully defend the European Cup.

After the match Beckenbauer was quoted as saying: “We came back into the game and scored two lucky goals, so in the end we were the winners but we were very, very lucky”

The summer break invigorated Beckenbauer, who would pick up his form and return to his old self, helping Bayern perform much stronger than the previous season domestically, with them finishing 3rd domestically. However, Beckenbauer would lead Bayern to a third consecutive European Cup, with Beckenbauer again grabbing all the plaudits from the international media for his unique playmaking style. Benckenbauer would provide the assist with a gorgeous long range freekick that found Roth, who half-volleyed home. The victory would see them face Cruzeiro in the Intercontinental Cup, with a 2-0 Aggregate win allowing them take the title.

In 1976, Franz Beckenbauer was awarded his second Ballon d’Or, winning by a clear 26 votes.

The following season saw Bayern Munich struggle once again in the Bundesliga, and it became clear that the now aging squad was in need of change. The 1976-77 season would be Franz Beckenbauers final season at FC Bayern Munich.

After Bayern

In 1977, Der Kaiser received multiple offers to play all over the World. He eventually was lured to America to join the New York Cosmos, where he would play alongside Pele in his final year as a Professional. The Cosmos would go on to win the North American Soccer League with a 2-1 win against Seattle Sounders, with Beckenbauer awarded the MVP trophy for the season. He would play for the Cosmos for 4 seasons, winning the Soccer Bowl again in 1978 and 1980.

Following this successful (and lucrative time) in America, Der Kaiser felt a need to return to Germany for his twilight years, where he signed on for Hamburger SV. Despite losing a lot of his pace, he was able to contribute to Hamburg’s team, helping them to second place in 1980-81, before claiming his final Bundesliga title as a player in 1981-1982. Der Kaiser would return the Cosmos for the rest of 1982, before finally calling time on one the most memorable playing careers in history at the close of the 1983 season.

Management

Following his retirement, Der Kaiser was called by the DFB to manage the Nationalmannschaft, an offer he couldn’t refuse. In 1984, Franz Benckenbauer was tasked with trying to emulate the glory of his playing days, after West Germany had slipped into a decline by it’s own strict standards. It was a U-Turn from Beckenbauer, who had once stated he had no desire to manage after he finished playing.

His first actions were to remove German favourites Bernd Forster, and Gerd Strack, as well as only once selecting Uli Stielike, before informing him he would no longer play a part in his plans. He did manage to persuade to players to come out of international retirement. These were Felix Magart, a midfield playmaker that was seen as Germany’s main weakness, and defender Dietmar Jakobs. Benckenbauer also looked to youth to revitalise the national side, calling up Thomas Berthold, Uwe Rahn, Michael Frontzek and 18-Year-Ol Olaf Thon.

His first match in charge was a friendly in Stuttgart against South American powerhouses Argentina. The match was incredibly one-sided, mainly due to the introduction of so many new players against an experienced Argentinian side, and it saw West Germany lose 3-1, however Beckenbauer would say that he saw positives in the game, and could see potential in the side.

This potential soon become to mould itself into a strong side, as West Germany were able to win their next 5 matches in a row, all of them qualification matches for the 1986 World Cup. The aim of the game for Der Kaiser was discipline. The team would no longer stay in luxury hotels, instead being forced to stay in sports camps and training centers. At 10:00pm every night, he would allow them to relax with a beer as he held a team meeting, mettings in which he had forbidden any of the federation staff from attending except for his own coaching team. He also sought to curb the lazy habits of senior players, telling Team Captain, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that he must be the leader on the field and in the dressing room. Beckenbauer challenged him to be the first to training, the first to the dinner table, and the first to wake in the mornings.

Whilst this had instilled a new sense of pride in the Nationalmannschaft, Beckenbauer knew that this was merely laying groundwork, and when West Germany were humbled at a Pre-World Cup tournament in Mexico by England and the Hosts, Franz stated that he expected West Germany would have to wait until at least 1988 to see international victory.

His predictions were accurate, as West Germany would struggle through the next year, finding themselves drawing 2 and losing the last of their qualification matches, though they still qualified as group winners for the World Cup.

The team struggled in their group, drawing 1-1 with Uruguay in their opening game, before beating Scotland and then losing to Denmark. They qualified from their group in second, with a Second round match against Morocco up next. It was another laboured performance, that saw Lother Matthaus score a late winner.

The Quarter-Finals saw West Germany play against the hosts. It was another very poor performance, that saw Beckenbauer finally lose patience with his captain, who had earlier in the tournament greatly offended the Koln contingent, and almost forced a walkout by several players, and pulled him off after 59 minutes and replaced him with Deiter Hoeneß. It resulted in a Penalty shoot out that West Germany won 4-1.

The Semi-Final match against France was one of their better performances of the tournament, and an early Brehme goal gave the West Germans the lead. Despite dominant spells by the French, they were unable to break through the German defensive line, and in the 85th minute, Rudi Voeller scored their second, incredibly, sending Germany to the Final.

The Final against Argentina was a classic match in World Cup history. Argentina took the lead in the 23rd minute though a Jose Luis Brown goal, before Jorge Valdano doubled the lead in the 56th minute. West Germany however, fought bravely, and began to take control of what seemed to be a tiring Argentina midfield. In the 74th minute, Rummenigge was able to pull one back, and in the 81st minute, Voeller tied the game, seemingly shifting the momentum to the Germans, who now looked like they could go on to win it. However, Diego Maradona, who had been marked out of the game for 83 minutes, was able to finally involve himself effectively, and slid a ball through the German back line to allow Jorge Burruchaga to score the winner for Argentina.

West Germany, despite playing poorly for most of the tournament, had managed to recapture the faith in the fans, and many could see the potential that Beckenbauer spoke of continuously. Though he knew work still had to be done. The first step was to suggest Rummenigge retire from the national side (though he would play in one more match during an injury crisis), and to name Lothar Matthaus the new captain, though initially this was supposed to be Harald Schumacher, but he ruined his career with the release of his controversial autobiography.

As hosts, West Germany would automatically qualify for Euro 88, so they were given freedom to play in friendlies against opposition of their choosing. The end of 1987 saw them visit South America to face Brazil and Argentina, seen as excellent opponents to encourage the new younger players to perform against. This saw Beckenbauer call up even more youngsters, including Bundelsiga’s current top scorer, Jurgen Klinsmann.

The first match against Brazil ended 1-1, and many commented on that though the Brazilian team was weakened, it was a solid performance by the Germans. 4 days later they faced Argentina, where they lost 1-0, but still performed admirably.

West Germany’s opening game at Euro 88 was a 1-1 draw against outside favourites Italy. They then made light work of Denmark and Spain, with Klinsmann and Voeller proving to be a strong partnership. This would see West Germany move to face Nederlands in an infamous game of football that is remembered for the Van Basten volley, and the bitter ferocity of each teams tackles. The Nederlands would win 2-1, and go on to win the tournament on their hated rivals home soil.

Many saw this as a failure, especially as Beckenbauer had promised victory. The DFB stuck with Der Kaiser though, as they accepted that the match against the Dutch had been the real final of the tournament.

This would give West Germany renewed focus to live up to their expectations, and this would see them qualify with ease for Italia 90. They would batter Yugoslavia 4-1, and the United Arab Emirates 5-1, before drawing 1-1 with Columbia, easily finishing top of their group.

The second round saw them face off against Nederlands, in what became infamous for Voeller and Rijkard being sent off for a fight in the goalmouth, and Rijkard spitting at the German after they were both shown Red. However goals from Kilnsmann and Brehme would safely see the Germans avenge their Euro defeat, with a 2-1 win.

After dispatching Czechoslovakia and England, West Germany faced Argentina in the Final. The match was one-sided, with West Germany dominating from kick-off, though struggling to break down the Argentinian defence, who seemingly were willing to play for Penalties, having won the previous two rounds this way. However, a controversial penalty in the 85th minute saw Brehme hand the Nationalmannschaft the lead, and when the whistle blew 5 minutes later, Franz Beckenbauer became only the second man in history to win the World Cup as both player and manager, and is to date the only man to win it as Captain and Manager. He was also the last manager of the West German national team, as in 1990, East and West unified.

He decided that he could do no more for his country, and briefly managed Marseille, before managing Bayern Munich for a season in 1993-94, guiding them to the Bundesliga title, then returning as caretaker in 1996, where he won the UEFA Cup.

After a spell as Vice-President of the DFB, and part of the 2006 World Cup organisation committee, Franz appears on Sky Deutschland and writes for Bild.

Trivia

Franz briefly advertised a Mobile Phone company, and at his request, was given the phone number; 0176 666666. However, horny men would call it hoping it was a sex line (in German, the number six is pronounced sechs which sounds like sex) so he had to change it.

Beckenbauer retired as a professional player with a career total of 108 goals in 773 appearances. These include 14 in 103 appearances for his country.