In the mid-60s, the most recognized footballers in history were offensive forwards or midfielders, but there was one player who managed to change this trend.
He delayed his position to display his quality and became one of the best players in history from the position of Libero. Today in football memories, we talk about the Legend of Bayern Munich and German football; he "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer.
The Beginnings of Beckenbauer
On September 11, 1945, and in the middle of the post-war period, Franz Beckenbauer was born in Munich. The boy grew up in the Giesing neighborhood and began playing football as a striker for SC 1906 in Munich. Like almost all the boys in that area, he became a staunch fan of Munich 1860, which at that time was the great team of the Bavarian capital.
Bayern saw themselves as a rival team, but in a random episode, Franz wanted to end up denying his childhood team to go play against the enemy.
At the age of 13, Beckenbauer faced 1860, and during the match, he began to receive kicks from the rival team. After suffering repeated fouls, Franz scrambled against an opposing player and kicked him back, but, to his surprise, he responded with a slap in the face.
Beckenbauer took that event as a humiliation and swore to himself that he would never play on that "wild" team. A year later, he entered Bayern's youth ranks, where he joined an unrepeatable generation of players (Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier...)
He debuted with the first team in 1963, and after scoring 17 goals in 64/65, he managed to be promoted to the Bundesliga First Division with Bayern.
Explosion at the 1966 World Cup in England
Beckenbauer became the great promise of the German team and would play his first World Cup in it World Cup in England in 1966.
The then midfielder made his debut by scoring two goals against Switzerland and scored two more goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals to lead the Germans to the grand final. At Wembley, Germany lost 4-2 to England in a match that went down in history for Hurst's ghost goal. The Germans lost the World Cup but saw the birth of a new star.
The figure of Beckenbauer represented a regeneration of football in Germany, which began to become professional and elevate the stars of its generation to the category of idols. The young man from Munich became an attraction for advertising brands and symbolized the arrival of modern football in his country.
Captain of Bayern and "Kaiser of Germany
In 1967, the Bavarians won the Cup Winners' Cup, and in '69, Beckenbauer won his first league with Bayern. From that moment on, the Munich team became one of the best teams in Germany, and with Beckenbauer at the helm, they began to dominate in Europe.
In the summer of 1970 in Mexico, Beckenbauer once again plays a great World Cup with Germany. Beckenbauer scores a goal against England that serves to avenge the controversial defeat suffered four years earlier and reaches the semifinals against Italy.
The Mannschaft loses the "Party of the Century" by 3-4 and stars in the image of the match. The "Kaiser" dislocates his shoulder in the second half but not only endures the 90 minutes but also plays overtime with his arm in a sling.
Between 1972 and 1974, Bayern became the first team to win the Bundesliga three consecutive seasons, and between 1974 and 1976, the old team would win three consecutive times European Cup
Germany 74: Cruyff vs Beckenbauer
In 1972, he won the Euro Cup with Germany and established himself as one of the best players of the moment. That year, Beckenbauer was named the best in the world and became the first defense to win a Ballon d'Or.
As the years went by, the man already considered Emperor of German football delayed his position until defense, although not to defend but to start the attacking game.
From the central area of their field, the "Kaiser" started with the ball and began to eliminate rivals. With the ball glued to his boot and with an elegance unusual for the time, Beckenbauer was creating his legend.
The 1974 World Cup held in his country was the climax of his career. He won the personal duel against Cruyff in the final against the Netherlands and, as captain of Germany, lifted the World Cup to the sky of his hometown.
Beckenbauer at the New York Cosmos
After Bayern's three European Cups in a row and the defeat in the euro Cup final in 1976 against Czechoslovakia, marked the end of his career in Germany. At the age of 31, Beckenbauer won his second Ballon d'Or, but after being immersed in the center of a media scandal for evading taxes, he decided to sign for him New York Cosmos.
After playing 720 games and scoring 94 goals in the Bavarian shirt, Franz Beckenbauer said goodbye to the club of his life.
In the United States, he met with another Legend as Pelé and he spent 5 more years of his career. Between 1977 and 1980, Beckenbauer won three American leagues and became a personality in the country. He multiplied his income from image rights and was even portrayed by the New York painter Andy Warhol.
Sunset in Hamburg
In 1980 and after seeing him in a friendly match, Günter Netzer (Hamburg's sporting director) convinced him to return to Germany. He played two seasons for the Hanseatic team, saying goodbye by winning the 1982 Bundesliga.
Beckenbauer decided to play the last year of his career in the New York Cosmos, where he retired from active football in 1983. He was leaving the best German player of all time.
The Beckenbauer Coach
In 1984 and to everyone's surprise, he was appointed German coach. The "Kaiser" did not even have a coaching card, but his figure was the only one that could lift Germany's failure in the French Euro Cup.
With the German team, he reached the final of the World Cup Mexico 86, the semifinals of the Euro 88, and, finally in Italy 90, won the third World Cup for his country. After Zagallo, Beckenbauer became the second footballer to lift the trophy as a player and coach.
After the World Cup, Beckenbauer coached Olympique de Marseille on a couple of occasions, his beloved Bayern Munich. But his career as a coach did not go any further, and Beckenbauer transferred his wisdom to the offices as vice president and president of the Bavarian club.
From 1994 to 2009, the Kaiser turned around like no one else in a suit and tie, participating as a sports commentator and being the president of the German candidacy to organize the World Cup 2006.
Beckenbauer Death (1945-2024)
In the last years of his life, Beckenbauer faced numerous health problems. He suffered an ocular infarction that left him practically blind in his right eye, and he underwent two surgeries and a hip implant. Finally, on January 8, 2024, he died at the age of 78. His legacy as a player, coach, and president was the seed that allowed the club of his life to grow into the largest in Germany and one of the best in Europe.