German football player and manager (born 1945)
"Beckenbauer" redirects here. For the surname, see Beckenbauer (surname)
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (German pronunciation: [fΚants π ΛΚantoΛn ΛbΙknΜ©ΛbaΚΙ] β; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional football player and manager. Nicknamed "Der Kaiser" ( π lit. 'The Emperor'), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.[1][2] A π versatile player who started out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer made his name as a central defender. He is often credited π as having invented the role of the modern sweeper (libero).[3] With success at club and international level, he is one π of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or.
Twice named European π Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany, playing in three FIFA World Cups and two European π Championships. He is one of three men, along with Brazil's MΓ‘rio Zagallo and France's Didier Deschamps, to have won the π World Cup as a player and as a manager; he lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and π repeated the feat as a manager in 1990.[4] He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European π Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level. He was named in the World Team of the π 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2024, and π in 2004 was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world's greatest living players.[5][6]
At club level with Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer π won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967 and three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. The latter feat π made him the first player to win three European Cups as captain of his club. He became team manager and π later president of Bayern Munich. After two spells with the New York Cosmos he was inducted into the U.S. National π Soccer Hall of Fame.[7]
Beckenbauer led Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup and chaired the organizing committee. π He worked as a pundit for Sky Germany, and for 34 years as a columnist for the tabloid Bild, both π until 2024.[8] In August 2024, it was announced Beckenbauer was being investigated for fraud and money laundering in connection with π the 2006 World Cup.[9] The investigation was closed without a verdict in 2024 as the statute of limitations expired.[10]
Early years π [ edit ]
Franz Beckenbauer was born in the post-war ruins of Munich, the second son of postal-worker Franz Beckenbauer, Sr. π and his wife Antonie (nΓ©e Hupfauf). He grew up in the working-class district of Giesing and, despite his father's cynicism π about the game, started playing football at the age of nine with the youth team of SC Munich '06 in π 1954.[11]
Originally a centre forward, he idolised 1954 FIFA World Cup winner Fritz Walter and supported local side 1860 Munich, then π the pre-eminent team in the city, despite their relegation from the top league, the Oberliga SΓΌd, in the 1950s. "It π was always my dream to play for them" he would later confirm.[11] That he joined the Bayern Munich youth team π in 1959, rather than that of his favourites 1860 Munich, was the result of a contentious Under-14 youth tournament in π nearby Neubiberg. Beckenbauer and his teammates were aware that their SC Munich '06 club lacked the finance to continue running π its youth sides, and had determined to join 1860 Munich as a group upon the tournament's conclusion. However, fortune decreed π that SC Munich and 1860 would meet in the final and a series of niggles during the match eventually resulted π in a physical confrontation between Beckenbauer and the opposing centre-half. The ill-feeling this engendered had a strong effect upon Beckenbauer π and his teammates, who decided to join Bayern's youth side rather than the team they had recently come to blows π with.[12]
In 1963, at the age of 18, Beckenbauer was engulfed by controversy when it was revealed that his then girlfriend π was pregnant and that he had no intention of marrying her; he was banned from the West Germany national youth π team by the DFB and only readmitted after the intervention of the side's coach Dettmar Cramer.[13]
Club career [ edit ]
Beckenbauer π (left) after Bayern Munich's Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1967
Beckenbauer made his debut with Bayern in a Bundesliga promotion play-off π match on the left wing against FC St. Pauli on 6 June 1964. In his first season in the Regionalliga π SΓΌd ("Regional League South", then the second level in Germany), 1964β65, the team won the league and eventually promoted to π the Bundesliga.
Bayern soon became a force in the new German league, winning the German Cup in 1966β67 and achieving European π success in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. Beckenbauer became team captain for the 1968β69 season and led his club π to their first league title. He began experimenting with the sweeper (libero) role around this time, refining the role into π a new form and becoming perhaps the greatest exponent of the attacking sweeper game.[1]
During Beckenbauer's tenure at Bayern Munich, the π club won three league championships in a row from 1972 to 1974 and also a hat-trick of European Cup wins π (1974β76) which earned the club the honour of keeping the trophy permanently.
Beckenbauer with Diego Maradona during a New York Cosmos π friendly in Argentina, November 1978
Since 1968 Beckenbauer, has been called Der Kaiser by fans and the media.[1] The following anecdote π is told (even by Beckenbauer himself) to explain the origin: On the occasion of a friendly game of Bayern Munich π in Vienna, Austria, Beckenbauer posed for a photo session right beside a bust of the former Austrian emperor Franz Joseph π I. The media called him FuΓball-Kaiser (football-emperor) afterwards, soon after he was just called Der Kaiser. However, according to a π report in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, this explanation is untrue, though very popular. According to the report, Beckenbauer π fouled his opposite number, Reinhard Libuda from Schalke 04, in the cup final on 14 June 1969. Disregarding the fans' π hooting, Beckenbauer took the ball into the opposite part of the field, where he balanced the ball in front of π the upset fans for half a minute. Libuda was commonly called KΓΆnig von Westfalen (king of Westphalia), so the press π looked for an even more exalted moniker and invented Der Kaiser.[14]
In 1977, Beckenbauer accepted a lucrative contract to play in π the North American Soccer League (NASL) with the New York Cosmos. He played with the Cosmos for four seasons up π to 1980, and the team won the Soccer Bowl on three occasions (1977, 1978, 1980).[1]
Beckenbauer retired after a two-year spell π with Hamburger SV in Germany (1980β82) with the win of the Bundesliga title that year and one final season with π the New York Cosmos in 1983. In his career, he appeared in 754 competitive club matches.
International career [ edit ]
Beckenbauer π won 103 caps and scored 14 goals for West Germany.[1] He was a member of the World Cup squads that π finished runners-up in 1966, third place in 1970, and champions in 1974, while also being named to the tournament all-star π team in all three editions. He also won the 1972 European Football Championship and finished as runners-up in the 1976 π edition. Beckenbauer's first game for the national team came on 26 September 1965.[1]
1966 World Cup [ edit ]
"The message he π [Beckenbauer] sent out was: 'Don't even try it. Coming out to face me is a waste of your time.' βEngland π 1966 World Cup legend Bobby Charlton.[15]
Beckenbauer appeared in his first World Cup in 1966, playing every match. In his first π World Cup match, against Switzerland, he scored twice in a 5β0 win.[16] West Germany won their group, and then beat π Uruguay 4β0 in quarter-finals, with Beckenbauer scoring the second goal in the 70th minute.[16]
In the semi-finals, the Germans faced the π USSR. Helmut Haller opened the scoring, with Beckenbauer contributing the second of the match, his fourth goal of the tournament.[16] π The Soviets scored a late goal but were unable to draw level, and West Germany advanced to the Wembley Stadium π final against hosts England.
He and Bobby Charlton were instructed by their respective managers to man-mark each other, thus cancelling out π each other's play.[17] England went on to win the final and the Jules Rimet Trophy in extra time.[1] The Germans π fell at the final hurdle, although Beckenbauer had a notable tournament, finishing joint third on the list of top scorersβfrom π a non-attacking position. The team returned to a heroes' welcome in their homeland.
1970 World Cup [ edit ]
West Germany won π their first three matches before facing England in the second round in a rematch of the 1966 final. The English π were ahead 2β0 in the second half, but a spectacular goal by Beckenbauer in the 69th minute helped the Germans π recover and equalise before the end of normal time and win the match in extra time.[16] West Germany advanced to π the semi-finals to face Italy, in what would be known as the Game of the Century. He dislocated his shoulder π after being fouled, but he was not deterred from continuing in the match, as his side had already used their π two permitted substitutions.[1] He stayed on the field carrying his dislocated arm in a sling. The result of this match π was 4β3 (after extra time) in favour of the Italians. Germany defeated Uruguay 1β0 for third place.[1]
1972 European championship [ π edit ]
Beckenbauer became captain of the national side in 1971. In 1972, West Germany won the European Championship, beating the π Soviet Union 3β0 in the final.
1974 World Cup [ edit ]
The 1974 World Cup was hosted by West Germany and π Beckenbauer led his side to victory, including a hard-fought 2β1 win over the hotly favoured Netherlands side featuring Johan Cruyff. π Beckenbauer and fellow defenders man-marked Cruyff so well that the Dutch were never quite able to put their "Total Football" π into full use.[1]
Beckenbauer became the first captain to lift the new FIFA World Cup Trophy after Brazil had retained the π Jules Rimet Trophy in 1970.[1] This also gave West Germany the distinction of being the first European national team to π hold both the European Championship and World Cup titles simultaneously (two other countries have done it since: France in 2000, π and Spain in 2010).
1976 European Championship [ edit ]
In the 1976 competition, West Germany again reached the final, where they π lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia. Beckenbauer was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Beckenbauer retired from international football in 1977, π at the age of 31, following his move to New York Cosmos.[18]
Managerial career [ edit ]
Beckenbauer receiving the Sports Bambi π Award at the Leipzig Opera, Augustusplatz in 1990
On his return to Germany, Beckenbauer was appointed manager of the West Germany π national team to replace Jupp Derwall on 12 September 1984. He took the team all the way to the final π of the 1986 World Cup, where they lost to the Diego Maradona inspired Argentina.[1]
In 1990, before the German reunification, Beckenbauer π managed the last Germany national football team without East German players in a World Cup, winning the final 1β0, against π Argentina, in a rematch of the previous World Cup final. Beckenbauer is one of three men (with Mario Zagallo, and π Didier Deschamps) to have won the Cup as player and as manager, and he is the first man and one π of only two (with Didier Deschamps) to have won the title as team captain as well as manager.[1]
Beckenbauer then moved π into club management, and accepted a job with Olympique de Marseille in 1990 but left the club within one year. π Marseille eventually won the 1990β91 French championship and ended runner-up of the 1990β91 European Cup.
From 28 December 1993 until 30 π June 1994, and then from 29 April 1996 until 30 June of the same year, he managed Bayern Munich. His π brief spells in charge saw him collect two further honours β the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup π in 1996.[19][20]
In 1994, he took on the role of club president at Bayern, and much of the success in the π following years has been credited to his astute management. Following the club's decision to change from an association to a π limited company, he has been chairman of the advisory board since the beginning of 2002. He stepped down as president π of Bayern in 2009, being succeeded by long-time general manager Uli HoeneΓ.
In 1998, he became vice-president of the German Football π Association.[1] At the end of the 1990s, Beckenbauer headed the successful bid by Germany to organize the 2006 FIFA World π Cup.[1] He chaired the organizational committee for the World Cup and was a commentator for the Bild-Zeitung.
Financial Controversies [ edit π ]
FIFA inquiries and ban [ edit ]
Beckenbauer (second from left) in 2007
In June 2014, Beckenbauer was banned by FIFA Ethics π Committee for 90 days from any football-related activity for allegedly refusing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption dealing with π the allocation of the 2024 and 2024 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.[21] He protested the ban, as he had π requested the questions that were put to him be in German and in writing. The ban was lifted after Beckenbauer π agreed to participate in FIFA's inquiry.[22] In February 2024, Beckenbauer was fined CHF 7,000 and warned by FIFA Ethics Committee π for failing to cooperate with the inquiry in 2014.[23]
In March 2024, the Ethics Committee opened formal proceedings against Beckenbauer regarding π the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup to Germany.[24]
In the course of investigations, Swiss officials also found evidence of π a payment of at least 1.7 million euro, allegedly from the South African Football Association, to Beckenbauer, via Gibraltar.[25] It π was claimed this was a consultancy fee for helping secure the hosting of the 2010 World Cup for South Africa.[26]
It π also emerged that Beckenbauer, who had claimed to be working for free for the World Cup Organizing Committee of the π German Football Association (DFB), had been paid 5.5 million from the income of a sponsorship deal that the German Football π Association had made with betting company Oddset in 2004. No tax had been paid in Germany on the money until π the authorities chanced upon it in 2010.[27] Beckenbauer stated he had already paid the tax due on his share in π Austria, where he was tax resident.[28]
In 2024, FIFA closed its ethics inquiry against Beckenbauer as the statute of limitations expired.[29]
Alleged π bribe from Russia [ edit ]
In October 2024, Black Mirror Leaks published email correspondence of Russian member of Parliament, Sergey π Kapkov, where Beckenbauer and his adviser, Fedor Radmann, were named as recipients of β¬3 million for their votes in favour π of Russia as host of the 2024 World Cup. Both allegedly received an additional β¬1.5 million in success fees after π the 2024 cup was allocated to Russia.[30]
Tax Issues [ edit ]
In 1976, Beckenbauer paid 1.6 million D-Marks in back taxes. π He had relied on advice to shelter income from tax using a financial structure which was later found to be π invalid. In this instance, he was not fined.[31] He claimed in his memoir that the Bavarian Finance Minister Ludwig Huber, π who had attended Beckenbauer's 30th birthday party in 1975, had given him tax advice, including about moving to Switzerland. Huber π was also president of the state-owned bank and approved a loan of 1 million D-Marks to enable him to pay π the back-taxes.[32]
In 1987, Beckenbauer was fined by Swiss authorities for evading taxes while living in Switzerland between 1977 and 1980.[33]
In π 1982, Beckenbauer moved to Austria, where tax rates were lower.[27]
Legacy [ edit ]
"Franz Beckenbauer symbolises football and a winning mentality. π On top of that, he brought the World Cup to his own country. We're proud of him." βGerman tennis player π Boris Becker.[15]
"He's the hero of our nation. It hasn't happened by chance, he's earned it by hard work." βWest Germany π team-mate GΓΌnter Netzer.[15]
Beckenbauer is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game.[1][2] He π is the only defender in football history to win the Ballon d'Or twice.[34] He is often credited as having invented π the role of the modern sweeper or libero, a defensive player who intervenes proactively in the offensive game of his π team.[3] Named European Footballer of the Year twice, Beckenbauer was chosen on the World Team of the 20th Century in π 1998, and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002.[6][35]
An icon in Germany, and one of only three men to π have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager, Beckenbauer was lauded by former German chancellor π Gerhard SchrΓΆder for winning the World Cup as a player in 1974, winning as manager in 1990, and for playing π a leading role in Germany's success of achieving host status of the 2006 World Cup;[15] however Beckenbauer's reputation as an π administrator was later tarnished by repeated allegations of bribery.[36]
Media [ edit ]
During his playing career, Beckenbauer's popularity was such that π he was included as a character in Monty Python's sketch "The Philosophers' Football Match" as the sole genuine player and π a "surprise inclusion" to the German team. During the match, between famous Greek and German philosophers, instead of actually playing π football, the "players" walk in circles contemplating philosophy, while "asking questions", a popular phrase used by English football commentators, much π to the confusion of Beckenbauer.[37]
In a 2013 advertisement for South Korean company Samsung, Beckenbauer appeared as the manager of a π Galaxy XI of football players from around the globe, and hands the captain's armband to Lionel Messi.[38] Beckenbauer features in π EA Sports' FIFA video game series; he was included in the FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Legends.[39]
Personal life [ edit ]
A π Cosmos jersey worn in 1977
Beckenbauer has been married three times and has five children, one of whom, Stephan, was a π professional footballer,[40][41] who died after a long illness on 31 July 2024, at the age of 46.[42] Stephan's son Luca π is also a professional footballer, playing for SV Wacker Burghausen in the Regionalliga Bayern.[43] After appearing in an advertisement for π a big mobile phone company, Beckenbauer specifically requested the number 0176 / 666666 for his mobile phone. However, he soon π was flooded with phone calls by men who thought it was a phone sex number (in German, "6" translates to π "sechs", sounding similar to the word sex).[44]
In 2024 and 2024, Beckenbauer had cardiac surgery twice. He also had an artificial π hip inserted in 2024.[45]
Career statistics [ edit ]
Club [ edit ]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season π League Cup Europe Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Bayern Munich 1963β64 Regionalliga π SΓΌd 0 0 β β 6[a] 2 6 2 1964β65 Regionalliga SΓΌd 31 16 β β 8[b] 2 39 18 π 1965β66 Bundesliga 33 4 6 1 β β 39 5 1966β67 Bundesliga 33 0 5 0 9 0 β 47 π 0 1967β68 Bundesliga 28 4 4 0 7 1 β 39 5 1968β69 Bundesliga 33 2 6 0 β β π 39 2 1969β70 Bundesliga 34 6 1 0 2 0 β 37 6 1970β71 Bundesliga 33 3 9 1 8 π 1 β 50 5 1971β72 Bundesliga 34 6 6 1 7 0 β 47 7 1972β73 Bundesliga 34 6 6 π 0 6 1 5[c] 0 51 7 1973β74 Bundesliga 34 4 4 0 10 1 β 48 5 1974β75 Bundesliga π 33 1 3 0 7 1 β 43 2 1975β76 Bundesliga 34 5 7 2 9 0 2[d] 0 52 π 7 1976β77 Bundesliga 33 3 4 0 6 1 4[e] 0 47 4 Total 427 60 61 5 71 6 π 25 4 584 75 New York Cosmos 1977 NASL 15 4 β β 6[f] 1 21 5 1978 NASL 27 π 8 β β 6[f] 2 33 10 1979 NASL 12 1 β β 6[f] 0 18 1 1980 NASL 26 π 4 β β 7[f] 1 33 5 Total 80 17 β β 25 4 105 21 Hamburger SV 1980β81 Bundesliga π 18 0 2 0 0 0 β 20 0 1981β82 Bundesliga 10 0 3 0 5 0 β 18 0 π Total 28 0 5 0 5 0 β 38 0 New York Cosmos 1983 NASL 25 2 β β 2[f] π 0 27 2 NY Cosmos total 105 19 β β 27 4 132 23 Career total 560 79 66 5 π 76 6 52 8 754 98
International [ edit ]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[46] National team Year Apps π Goals Germany 1965 3 0 1966 12 7 1967 5 0 1968 9 1 1969 6 0 1970 12 2 π 1971 9 2 1972 7 0 1973 10 1 1974 15 0 1975 7 0 1976 7 1 1977 1 π 0 Total 103 14
Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Beckenbauer goal.
Managing statistics π [ edit ]
As of 22 January 2014
Honours [ edit ]
Player [ edit ]
Bayern Munich
New York Cosmos
Hamburger SV
West Germany National Team[52][53]
West π Germany National Team
Marseille[54]
Bayern Munich
Individual [ edit ]
Player
Manager
Civil [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
Hesse-Lichtenberger, π Ulrich (2002). Tor! The Story of German Football. London: WSC Books. ISBN 0-9540134-3-3 .
Literature [ edit ]
