FLands Beckenbauer will always have a place in football history, besides popularizing the role of the libero and establishing Bayern Munich as this A force in German football, he is one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and coach. He had one of the best and most unique nicknames of all time, just like his near-contemporary in cycling, Eddie “Man-Eater” Merckx, who was nicknamed “The Man-Eater.” emperor The nickname both suited him and introduced him in advance.
Opinions differ on the origin of this title. Some say he was asked to pose next to a bust of the real Emperor, others point to an incident when he effortlessly defeated his German opponent known as “The King” on the pitch. Regardless, there was always a statesmanlike quality about Beckenbauer, whether as a player, coach or administrator. Despite his humble, working-class roots in war-torn Munich, he seemed different from most footballers.
Of course, Beckenbauer’s nickname was more favorable than Eric Cantona’s “water bearer” derision of Didier Deschamps, before the Frenchman became the first player to play as the Frenchman in 1998. After winning as a player, he won the World Cup as a head coach. Brazil’s Mário Zagallo, one of the founders of the World Cup trio, is sometimes called “The Professor” and “The Old Wolf” (the latter being a play on part of his last name), but even In this way, there is also a lack of authority and respect given.go through emperor.
Of the three, Zagallo’s World Cup record is perhaps the most remarkable, winning two World Cup titles as a player (1958 and 1962) and once as a manager (memorably of the 1970 Brazil team) and another as an assistant coach, winning the 1994 championship. He won the runner-up as a player in 1966, the runner-up as the head coach in 1986, the championship as the captain in 1974, and the championship as the coach in 1990. He then successfully entered the field of sports politics and won the title for the German team as the president of the national team. 2006 World Cup Champion. The bid was previously selected in England.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Beckenbauer did not escape the FIFA deal unscathed. When a criminal case was filed against him in 2016, he was charged with, among other things, false declarations and money laundering, mainly involving amounts in excess of 6.7 million euros, an amount that no one involved in the 2006 bid could fully account for. Swiss federal investigators raided his home in Salzburg looking for evidence. Beckenbauer professed his innocence but increasingly began withdrawing from public life while citing health concerns that were real enough. No conclusion has yet been reached – Beckenbauer’s trial on corruption charges ended without a verdict in April 2020 – and now there may never be one.
Beckenbauer has always been considered a great admirer of the British style of football and rose to prominence in the country when he beat Bobby Charlton in the 1966 World Cup final. If this plan was only partially successful, Beckenbauer still impressed in the tournament, even finishing as the joint-third top scorer while playing as a defender. As England discovered in 1970, he had a keen eye for goal and a penchant for turning defense into attack with quick passes from his own half.
Without Beckenbauer’s signature move to rival the famous Johan Cruyff turn, he was perhaps better than anyone else at choosing his moment, timing his tackles perfectly, often waiting until the last moment, cleanly Cleanly tackle your opponent. In fact, he excelled in every aspect of the game. From the 1960s into the 1970s, he was a thoroughly modern footballer, always effortlessly ahead of his time.
Beckenbauer’s West Germany dominated games against Charlton and England at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, with the defender’s goal helping the side come back from two goals down in León. Charlton was immediately substituted, a management decision that remains hotly debated to this day. England’s bench had been preparing for a change before Germany’s goal and claimed it was done to save 32-year-old Charlton’s legs in the semi-final, but with Beckenbauer now playing Playing in a freer role, the plan backfired, with goals from Gerd Müller and Uwe Seeler knocking out the defending champions.
West Germany failed to defeat Italy in the semi-finals, with Beckenbauer continuing with a dislocated shoulder after allowing a substitution, but he captained the team to a second World Cup win in 20 years, following the 1974 home tournament. after the first game. Many neutrals would have preferred to see the Netherlands win the final, although Cruyff and Total Soccer lost that game 2-1 to a rough West German defence, with British referee Jack Taylor giving away two penalty kicks, one of which came in the opening minute.
It was significant for Beckenbauer and his team that the European champions – West Germany beat the Soviet Union in the Belgian final in 1972 – became World Cup champions for the first time.
After finishing his playing career with the New York Cosmos, Beckenbauer was appointed coach of West Germany and reached his first World Cup final in 1986, losing to Diego Maradona and Argentina in Mexico. Four years later, he was still seeking revenge, last playing for West Germany in a 1-0 victory over Argentina in Rome.
Although the World Cup brought Beckenbauer to global prominence, in Germany he is generally regarded as Mr. Bayern Munich, a fan of 1860 Munich for whom he is synonymous with the club’s extraordinary success. They were the more successful club in Bavaria at the time, while Bayern, which Beckenbauer joined in 1964, was in the lower leagues at the time. With typically impressive timing, he helped the team gain 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 the sweeper to make the most of his offensive and defensive abilities, and after winning the league title for three consecutive years from 1972 to 1974, Bayern declared themselves the quintessence of German football. Strong country. Between 1974 and 1976, the team won three consecutive European Cups, defeating Atletico Madrid, Leeds United and Saint-Etienne in the finals.
Beckenbauer served as captain each time, an even more significant achievement for a player who won both the World Cup and European Cup. In fact, in terms of achievements, few football careers can match what Beckenbauer achieved during his football career.While there may be better players – though not that many – as reliable, consistent overachievers emperor He went out on his own.
