Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer, born on September 11, 1945, in Munich, West Germany, is widely regarded as one of the most successful soccer players in history. Growing up in a post-World War II environment, he began his soccer career at the Munich 60 Club before moving to Bayern Munich, where he achieved significant success. Beckenbauer made his international debut shortly after joining the German first division and became a key player for the national team, participating in multiple World Cups. He was instrumental in West Germany's success in the 1974 World Cup, where the team emerged victorious.
Innovatively transforming the role of the sweeper, Beckenbauer integrated offensive skills into his defensive position, contributing to his team's dynamic play. After retiring from professional soccer, he transitioned to coaching, leading West Germany to a World Cup victory in 1990. Beckenbauer later took on significant roles within Bayern Munich and the German Football Association, and he played a crucial part in organizing the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Despite facing scrutiny due to corruption allegations related to the tournament's bid, his contributions to soccer are notable.
Later in life, Beckenbauer's health declined, and he underwent several surgeries. He passed away on January 7, 2024, at the age of 78, leaving behind a legacy as a revered figure in soccer, often referred to as "the Kaiser."
Franz Beckenbauer
Coach
- Born: September 11, 1945
- Place of Birth: Munich, Germany
- Died: January 7, 2024
- Place of Death: Salzburg, Austria
SPORT: Soccer
Early Life
Franz Beckenbauer was born on September 11, 1945, in the district of Giesing, in the city of Munich in West Germany (now Germany). As a young boy growing up in post-World War II West Germany, young Beckenbauer dreamed of playing professional soccer. He started his soccer career with the Munich 60 Club, where he played from 1954 to 1958. The team was located in Giesing, so Beckenbauer was able to play on the same team as many of his boyhood friends.
The Road to Excellence
Beckenbauer had planned to play for the professional club 1860 Munich, but a fight between him and its star player prevented this. Beckenbauer signed with Bayern Munich, the club with which he played for the majority of his career. In 1964, at the age of nineteen, Beckenbauer was named to Bayern Munich’s first-division team in his first year of eligibility. The promotion, which was similar to a baseball player getting promoted from the minor to major leagues, was an impressive feat for a player of his age. Beckenbauer was about to emerge into the international soccer arena.
The Emerging Champion
Only four weeks after starting his career in the German first division in Stockholm, Beckenbauer made his debut with the German national team in an important World Cup qualification game against the Swedish team. He began a career that kept him on the German national team for twenty years. During the 1966 World Cup, he was employed in an offensive position in midfield, although he had played only defense for Bayern Munich. With Beckenbauer stabilizing the middle of the field, West Germany advanced to the final game of the World Cup before losing to host England in a dramatic overtime game. Beckenbauer’s outstanding performance in the 1966 tournament caused the German press and populace to label the twenty-one-year-old “the Kaiser,” or the king, of soccer.
In his second World Cup competition in Mexico in 1970, Beckenbauer again played midfield, even though he wanted to play his more familiar defender’s role. Characteristically, he placed the success of his team before his own wishes, and West Germany reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to Italy.
After the 1970 World Cup tournament, Beckenbauer’s patience and sacrifice were rewarded. West Germany’s national team coach, Helmut Schoen, finally put Beckenbauer in his accustomed defender position. The move enabled him to reach his full potential for the German national team.
Beckenbauer revolutionized the position often called “sweeper.” Before his time, the sweeper played behind the defenders but in front of the goalkeeper, acting as a last zone of defense on the field. Beckenbauer, however, added an incredible offensive dimension to the position. He became the playmaker on the field. With his accurate, precise passing, he utilized all nine offensive players.
With Beckenbauer as sweeper and captain of the national squad, the 1970s were known as the golden years of German soccer. In 1974, Bayern Munich won the European Cup, and the West German team won the World Cup. Bayern Munich repeated as European Cup winners in 1975 and 1976, and Beckenbauer received European soccer’s highest individual honor when he was selected as European Player of the Year in both 1972 and 1976.
Continuing the Story
In 1977, at the age of thirty-two, Beckenbauer surprised the soccer world when he signed to play with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL). He explained that his superstar status in Germany had taken such a toll on him personally that he needed the anonymity of American soccer. His three marriages and other aspects of his personal life were well publicized in the German media. In the United States, Beckenbauer led the Cosmos to three league championships and was a vital contributor to the short-lived success of NASL.
Despite his NASL achievements, Beckenbauer wanted to end his soccer career in the German first division, so he signed with the Hamburg SV team for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. In 1982, he led Hamburg to the league championship, but injuries plagued him, and he was forced to retire from active play after the season. His retirement as a player did not mean the end of his relationship with German soccer, though. Soon after his playing days ended, he was named coach of the West German national team. In 1986, he led the team to a second-place finish in the World Cup tournament in Mexico.
In 1990, Beckenbauer reached the pinnacle of success for a “total” soccer player. When West Germany defeated Argentina in the World Cup Final, he became only the second person ever to win the World Cup as both a player and a coach. Following his success at the World Cup, he accepted a coaching position with Olympique de Marseilles. In 1994, he returned to Bayern Munich as a coach, leading them to the Bundesliga title. Later, he became the club president. He remained president of Bayern until 1998 when he left to become vice president of the German Football Association.
In 2004, the Union of European Football Associations Golden Jubilee Poll voted Beckenbauer the second-best European player of the previous fifty years. He launched a successful campaign to make Germany the host for the 2006 World Cup, beating South Africa in a 12–11 vote. In 2006, he served as president of the organizing committee for the World Cup, a demanding position that required Beckenbauer to oversee a tournament of 194 national soccer teams. Beckenbauer was praised for the meticulous and professional planning he brought to this task. The successful operation of the World Cup tournament was seen as a personal triumph for Beckenbauer.
However, this success was overshadowed in 2016 by the formal announcement that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)'s ethics committee would be investigating Beckenbauer and several other officials from the bid team after a report conducted by the German Football Association (DFB) indicated that they might have been involved in an act of corruption to secure the German bid for the 2006 World Cup. The investigations centered upon suspect payments and contracts that were believed to have been used to give the German team an unfair advantage in the host selection. When the allegations were initially leveled by the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel in late 2015, Beckenbauer immediately denied that a supposed slush fund had been set up to buy and bribe for votes from FIFA to secure the win for Germany. At the same time, lawyers claimed that they had uncovered a signed contract that appeared to be a form of bribery between Beckenbauer and the former FIFA vice president Jack Warner. Beckenbauer's reputation had already been tainted when, in 2014, he had been chided by FIFA regarding his participation in the 2010 vote for the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. FIFA initiated a ninety-day ban from soccer activities and fined Beckenbauer for failing to cooperate during an interview and questioning about the vote. The head of DFB, Wolfgang Niersbach, resigned from his post and claimed "political responsibility" for the scandal by the end of 2015. The investigation was closed with a verdict in 2021 as the statute of limitations expired. Beckenbauer, who had also been serving as a longtime television analyst for Sky Deutschland, left that position in March 2016.
Although known for his FIFA and other minor financial issues, Beckenbauer also made charitable contributions through his foundation Franz-Beckenbauer-Stiftung, which provided resources for individuals with illnesses and disabilities. In the late 2010s, Beckenbauer's health began to decline. He underwent multiple cardiac surgeries and had a hip replacement. On January 7, 2024, Beckenbauer died of natural causes at the age of seventy-eight.
Summary
Franz Beckenbauer was possibly the most successful player in German soccer history. He added an attacking dimension to the position of sweeper, introducing a new weapon to soccer offense. He was the first man to be a player, a captain, and a coach on World Cup championship teams. As a player, he was noted for both his elegance and precision. With more than one hundred international game appearances, he truly deserved the title of the “Kaiser” of German soccer.
Bibliography
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