Franz Beckenbauer's career in pictures: The life of an emperor
He became a World Champion, won the European Cup, and is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time: Today, Franz Beckenbauer would have turned 80. We look back at his life.
From 1959 to 1964, Franz Beckenbauer played for FC Bayern Munich's youth team before joining the professional team. He actually had his sights set on joining TSV 1860, Munich's more successful local rivals at the time. However, during a match between his youth club, SC 1906, and the Lions, an opponent slapped him. Beckenbauer subsequently joined Bayern Munich.
As a young player, Franz Beckenbauer also had to collect the balls after training, as seen here at the DFB training camp in 1965.
Bayern coach Tschik Cajkovski does not miss the opportunity to congratulate his protégé after his international debut.
Franz Beckenbauer (back center) celebrates promotion to the Bundesliga with FC Bayern Munich in 1965.
Franz Beckenbauer at the reception at Munich's Marienplatz after the cup victory in 1966.
In the same year, Franz Beckenbauer became Footballer of the Year.
At the 1966 World Cup, Beckenbauer led West Germany to the final against England, where Germany lost due to the Wembley goal.
Franz Beckenbauer in fan mail.
Only a Kaiser can head the ball like this: Beckenbauer in the local derby against the Lions.
Tschik Cajkovski is considered his first mentor; Franz Beckenbauer liked to tell this anecdote: “In the final training game, he never stopped until the team he was playing on had won: ‘Until night, play to win!’”
Under Helmut Schön, a German national team was formed that, under the leadership of Franz Beckenbauer, would compete for titles for years to come.
At this point, Beckenbauer was already considered an exceptional figure in German football.
Beckenbauer's third son, Stephan, was born in 1968. He predeceased his father after a long illness in August 2015.
With FC Bayern, Franz Beckenbauer became a world-class team. He, along with goalkeeper Sepp Maier, was the face of this era.
The flowers weren't really necessary: the people of Munich love their Beckenbauer anyway.
In 1969, Beckenbauer won the first championship with Bayern.
The parade through the city of Munich turns into a triumphal procession.
There's two reasons to celebrate. In 1969, FCB won the first double in the club's history.
The emperor still carries out the ball carrying himself.
With the first successes, the partnership with the German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas is becoming increasingly stronger.
The match of the century in the 1970 World Cup semifinal turned into a personal ordeal. Because the substitution quota was exhausted, the Kaiser had to continue playing in a sling for almost an hour after a bruised acromioclavicular joint. Germany lost 4-3 to Italy.
In 1972, the stadium moved to Munich's Olympic Stadium. The turf passed the imperial plucking test.
Beckenbauer becomes European Champion...
... and three-time European Cup winner.
Afterward, he's naturally in a joking mood. His time with the New York Cosmos is no joke. There he became US champion in 1977, 1978, and 1980.
With Pelé and his teammates, Beckenbauer is part of a star-studded ensemble. And the United States suits him in other ways, too.
On his return, Beckenbauer won the German championship with HSV in 1982.
After Jupp Derwall's resignation, Beckenbauer took over as team manager of the German national team in 1984. At the 1986 World Cup and the 1988 European Championship, he and the DFB selection narrowly missed out on a title.
But that would follow at the 1990 World Cup. The German team was considered one of the favorites, and the final against Argentina ended narrowly 1-0 – but the victory and the congratulations for the Kaiser were well deserved.
Beckenbauer thus achieved the feat of winning the World Cup both as a player and as a coach. Which is why the team boss announced his resignation after the final as a winner.
Beckenbauer subsequently worked as a coach only in Marseille and as an interim solution at Bayern Munich. He increasingly focused on his career as a sports official.
The fact that the 2006 World Cup came to Germany was considered his masterpiece. Only later did it become public knowledge that the choice of host for the World Cup had been improper.
As head of the organizing committee, Beckenbauer travels throughout the country by helicopter during the World Cup.
After the tournament, the reputation of the former luminary suffered. Beckenbauer became an ambassador for Russian gas, and around the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he said he hadn't seen any slaves in the country. The missteps surrounding the World Cup awarding process did the rest.
Beckenbauer remains a welcome guest at FC Bayern. Since 2009, he has been honorary president, just one of countless honorary titles. These include inclusion in FIFA's list of the 100 greatest players of all time, two World Player of the Year awards, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Meanwhile, Beckenbauer increasingly withdraws from public life. He dies on January 7, 2024, at the age of 78.
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