As a player, he won the UEFA Cup in 1967, the European Championship in 1972, the World Cup in 1974, the European Cup in 1974 and 1975, as well as numerous Bundesliga titles. He also clinched the 1990 World Cup as the coach of the German national team. However, yesterday, the man nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' (the Emperor) lost his battle against illness. Franz Beckenbauer passed away at the age of 78, and Germany lost its greatest player in history. An elegant defender who could handle the ball like no other and who left an indelible mark on an entire era.
Little Franz was born on September 11, 1945, in Munich. He grew up in a city in ruins, disfigured by war. The entire nation he knew as a child was damaged and deeply ashamed of its past actions. The Kaiser's own father had been a soldier in the Nazi army. Perhaps to forget this heavy history or to restore glory to his country, he chose to start a career in football.
Originally, like most Munich residents at that time, Franz Beckenbauer was a fan of the TSV Munich 1860 club and dreamed of playing for them. However, during a youth tournament, a player from that team struck him, and this incident prompted him to join the rival club, the future Bayern Munich. He was 14 years old.
In 1964, he scored 18 goals with Bayern, enabling his club to advance to the Bundesliga just one year after the creation of this division. These performances earned him a spot in the German national team, and he participated in the 1966 World Cup as a midfielder. He scored four goals and reached the final. The Germans were defeated by the England of the great Sir Bobby Charlton, who also passed away recently, last October.
During the following years, his coach at Bayern Munich moved him back into defense. He then invented a new way of playing in this position, regularly moving up the field to deliver exquisite passes to his teammates. He won numerous titles and gradually established himself as a true legend of the club. In the 1974 World Cup, which he won after a final against Johan Cruyff's Netherlands, he was a key player in this success, much like Paul Breitner and Gerd Müller.
From 1976 onwards, the Kaiser began to suffer frequent injuries, and his performance declined. In the summer of 1977, he signed with the New York Cosmos to live the American dream and boost his bank account. He shared the field with the Brazilian Pelé, another living legend of football who also came to prepare his retirement under the sun.
Before hanging up his boots for good, he returned to Germany and signed with Hamburg, with whom he became a champion in 1982. He then became the sporting director of the French club Olympique de Marseille, but his adventure there lasted only six months due to disagreements with the president. In 1994, he took control of his former club, Bayern Munich, and remained at its helm until 2009.
On a personal note, Franz was a handsome man and has been married three times. In 2015, he lost one of his sons, who passed away from a brain tumor.
I was born in 1992 and have personally never seen Franz Beckenbauer play. As a football fan, I, of course, knew his name very well and I enjoyed a lot delving into his history to write this article and revisiting some highlights of his most beautiful plays.
Rest In Peace, Franz.
