Franz Beckenbauer will always have a place in football history, apart from popularizing the role of the libero and establishing Bayern Munich as the force in German football and being one of only three individuals to win the World Cup as a player and as a manager. He had one of the best and most distinctive nicknames ever, and like his near contemporary Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx in cycling, his The Emperor The name suited him and served to introduce him in advance.
Opinions are divided about the origin of the appellation. Some say he was asked to pose next to a bust of a real emperor, others point to an on-field incident in which he effortlessly defeated a German opponent known as the King. Regardless, there was always something of a statesman about Beckenbauer, whether he was in action as a player, manager or administrator. He seemed cut from a different cloth than most footballers, even though he came from a modest working-class background in war-torn Munich.
Related: Franz Beckenbauer, World Cup-winning captain and manager, dies aged 78
Certainly, Beckenbauer’s nickname pleased him more than the “water carrier” jibe that Eric Cantona famously directed at Didier Deschamps before the Frenchman added a World Cup as a manager to his triumph as a player in 1998. Brazil’s Mário Zagallo, the founder of the illustrious trio of World Cup overachievers, was also known as The Professor and also as The Old Wolf (the latter being a pun on part of his surname), but even that lacks the authority and respect afforded him. Through The Emperor.
Of the three, Zagallo’s World Cup record is probably the most notable. He won two tournaments as a player (1958 and 1962), one as a manager (of the unforgettable Brazil of 1970) and one as an assistant manager in 1994. Yet Beckenbauer is not far away. behind, having finished second as a player in 1966 and as a manager in 1986, in addition to winning as captain in 1974 and coach in 1990, before successfully entering the arena of sports politics to deliver the 2006 World Cup to Germany as head of the bid chosen before England’s.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Beckenbauer did not escape his dealings with FIFA with his reputation fully intact. False reporting and money laundering were among the charges when criminal proceedings were opened against him in 2016, largely over a sum of 6.7 million euros that no one involved in the 2006 bid could fully account for. Swiss federal investigators raided his home in Salzburg in search of evidence. Beckenbauer protested his innocence, but increasingly began to withdraw from public life, at the same time citing health problems that were real enough. No conclusion has yet been reached – Beckenbauer’s trial on corruption charges ended in April 2020 without a verdict – and now that may never be the case.
Beckenbauer was always said to have held the English style of football in high esteem, and he rose to prominence in this country when he was tasked with demolishing Bobby Charlton in the 1966 World Cup final. Although that plan was only a partial success was, Beckenbauer still managed to make a huge impression in the tournament and even became joint third top scorer while playing as a defender. As England would discover in 1970, he had a keen eye for goal, as well as a penchant for the ball played quickly from his own half to turn defense into attack.
If there wasn’t a typical Beckenbauer maneuver to emulate the famous Johan Cruyff turn, perhaps he was better than anyone at choosing his moment to time a tackle to perfection, often leaving it until the last moment waiting to slide in and dispossess an opponent cleanly and fairly. in truth, there were no aspects of the game in which he did not excel. As the 1960s turned into the 1970s, he was the completely modern footballer, who always effortlessly managed to be ahead of his time.
During the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Beckenbauer and West Germany got the upper hand over Charlton and England, with the defender scoring the goal that started his side’s comeback from two goals down in León. Charlton was immediately substituted, a management decision that is hotly debated to this day. The England bench had prepared the substitution before the German goal, claiming that the intention was to spare the 32-year-old Charlton’s legs for the semi-final, but with Beckenbauer given a freer role in the match, the plan backfired and goals from Gerd Müller and Uwe Seeler eliminated the holders.
West Germany failed to get past Italy in the semi-final, a match in which Beckenbauer went through with a dislocated shoulder after being injured after the permitted substitutions were made, but he was captain when his side won their second World Cup 20 years ago. after the first, on home ground in 1974. Many neutral sides would have preferred to see the Netherlands win the final, although Cruyff and Total Football lost 2–1 to West Germany’s brusque defense in a match in which two penalties were awarded by the English referee Jack Taylor. , one of them in the opening minute.
The significance for Beckenbauer and his team was that for the first time the European champions – West Germany had triumphed in a final against the Soviet Union in Belgium in 1972 – were also World Cup winners.
After ending his playing career with New York Cosmos, Beckenbauer was appointed manager of West Germany and reached the World Cup final at his first attempt in 1986, but lost to Diego Maradona and Argentina in Mexico. Four years later he was still in place for revenge when his side, playing as West Germany for the last time, defeated Argentina 1-0 in Rome.
Although the World Cups gave Beckenbauer most of his global fame, in Germany he was usually regarded as Mr. Bayern Munich, a figure synonymous with that club’s remarkable success despite growing up a fan of the Munich of 1860. They were the most successful club in Bavaria at the time, and the Bayern side that Beckenbauer joined in 1964 was in a lower division. With generally impressive timing, he secured promotion to the newly formed Bundesliga in 1965, and from then on Beckenbauer and Bayern went from strength to strength.
It was at club level that Beckenbauer redefined the role of sweeper to make the most of both his attacking and defensive capabilities. After winning three consecutive league titles between 1972 and 1974, establishing themselves as the powerhouse of German football, Bayern went on to win three consecutive European Cups between 1974 and 1976, beating Atlético Madrid, Leeds United and St Étienne in the final.
Beckenbauer was captain every time, another remarkable achievement for a player who simultaneously held World Cup and European Championship titles. In terms of achievements, few football careers can match what Beckenbauer has put into his time in the sport. Although there might have been better players – although not that many – who reliably achieved consistent excellence The Emperor was out on his own.