By Karolos Grohmann
Franz Beckenbauer, who has died at the age of 78, helped modernise soccer and came to personify Germany’s post-war sporting success, captaining his country to the 1974 World Cup title on home soil to anchor his legacy.
‘Der Kaiser’, or the emperor, as he was nicknamed for his imperious playing style and command of the game, was for decades synonymous with Germany’s success on the pitch, as player and then coach.
Beckenbauer helped elevate Bayern Munich from regional obscurity into one of the most dominant sporting brands on the planet.Credit: AP
He amassed every major honour in his glittering playing career and continued his extraordinary record of success after switching to the manager’s bench.
Beckenbauer won 103 caps and captained West Germany to World Cup success in 1974, two years after lifting the European title.
At club level he steered Bayern Munich to three successive European Cup victories from 1974 to 1976 and won the World Club Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and eight domestic trophies – four league titles and four cup triumphs.
He was West Germany’s footballer of the year a record four times and twice European footballer of the year.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was among those paying tribute on Tuesday (AEDT).
“A legend of German and world football, Franz Beckenbauer has achievements and triumphs which are etched in history and yet, for all his popularity, ‘Der Kaiser’ always remained modest and down to earth,” he said.
“A great neighbour to me during many UEFA Executive Committee meetings, he willingly shared so much of his knowledge of football. A really great person, a friend of football, a champion and a true legend, dear Franz will never be forgotten.”
German chancellor Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, expanded on the one-word nickname which became synonymous with Beckenbauer.
Franz Beckenbauer in action during a group-stage match against Peru at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.Credit: AP
“World Cup winner as player and coach: Franz Beckenbauer was one of the greatest footballers in Germany and for many ‘der Kaiser’ also because of the excitement for German football he created for generations,” he posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will miss him. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Several domestic and European rivals were also among those paying tribute, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, and by many as the best European, as a player he invented and defined the modern sweeper role.
Always calm under pressure and a skilful marshal of his defence, Beckenbauer could read the game so astutely he knew exactly the right moment to surge upfield, seeming to never break sweat as he sprayed perfect long raking passes to his strikers.
He enjoyed success as a coach while leading the Germans to the 1990 World Cup title in Italy, one of only three men to have won world titles as both player and coach.
But despite heading the 2006 World Cup on home soil as organising chief, his reputation was tarnished in recent years following an investigation into a potential slush fund for that tournament and a €6.7 million payment to world soccer’s governing body FIFA in 2005.
Beckenbauer, who had been battling several health issues, denied any wrongdoing and largely withdrew from the public eye.
Born in Munich on September 11, 1945, Beckenbauer, a postal official’s son who once trained to be an insurance salesman, joined Bayern’s youth teams in 1959.
Beckenbauer with Brazilian legend Pele in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup, hosted by Germany.Credit: AP
He progressed to the first team and, with Beckenbauer orchestrating from midfield, Bayern rocketed to international prominence from the obscurity of West German regional league soccer to establish the most powerful brand in German football.
Shortly after his 20th birthday Beckenbauer was capped for the first time in a World Cup qualifier against Sweden and became a fixture in the national team for more than a decade. Beckenbauer produced notable performances in three World Cups before moving across the Atlantic to New York Cosmos in a multimillion-dollar deal in 1977.
He stayed in the United States for three lucrative years before returning to West Germany in a shock that which took him to Bayern’s northern rivals Hamburg.
Beckenbauer retired to a comfortable life at his home in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbuehel, spending much of his time on the local golf course.
A bribery scandal in the lead-up to the 2006 tournament tarnished Beckenbauer’s legacy somewhat in recent years.Credit: AP
But he kept in the public eye with a regular column in West Germany’s mass-circulation Bild newspaper and eventually took over as Germany coach despite his lack of managerial experience.
Beckenbauer brought discipline to the squad and commanded instant respect. Less than two years after taking over, he guided West Germany to the 1986 World Cup final in Mexico where they lost 3-2 to Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
However, they won the title four years later in rematch against the Argentines to give Beckenbauer a rare World Cup double as player and then coach and enhance his legacy.
Reuters
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