Posted on 01/10/2024 6:30:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup both as a player in 1974 and as a manager in 1990, died on Sunday at the age of 78, the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Monday.
Former captain of the West German national team in the 1970s, manager of the Mannschaft from 1984 to 1990, and later an executive at Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer had limited his public appearances in recent years due to his health and was living in retirement in Salzburg, Austria.
“A legend of German and world football. The Kaiser was a great person, a friend of football, a champion, and a true legend. We will never forget you, dear Franz, thank you for everything,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram. In Germany, where he was a particularly remembered figure, the impact of the news was significant. “Franz Beckenbauer was definitely the greatest German footballer of all time, and above that, he was a wonderful man,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, vice president of the DFB, in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at ticotimes.net ...
Who?
He played on the NY Cosmos with Pele. He was still really good. He was probably the best player on that team. They had some other great international players.
In the ‘66 world cup, he showed up as a kid and looked like he was going to teach everyone there what really good footwork meant. He simply dominated the game... very much like Pele. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWzeUFNS6WM
Back in the elder days when cable TV was a novelty, I had access to a NY station that showed the Cosmos games. Back then I would watch any sport - these were the days when ESPN showed Australian Rules Football and Irish Hurling. I knew nothing about soccer but tried to get into it - even with my limited understanding I recognized that Beckenbauer was something special. He was like a soccer robot - always in control, never making a mistake. I shortly lost interest, but always remembered watching him play.
It says who in the article.
Der Kaiser
Yes, I know it says who he was in the articles but the only people who heard of him in the USA are people who think soccer is football.
Again, who?
One German called him “a German hero the world didn’t have to be afraid of.”
Very impressive guy. He won the World Cup as a player, and then as a manager, then won the Europa Cup (or whatever they call it) as a manager, then secured the World Cup competition for Germany. Then it all fell apart when he was implicated in the FIFA bribery scandal. He was rather a tragic figure. Troubles with wives and girlfriends and tax agencies and his health didn’t help.
There’s a great recent documentary about Beckenbauer — you don’t have to like soccer to appreciate it — but I don’t know if it’s been subtitled yet.
Arguably the greatest defender ever, changed the game, like Bobby Orr changed hockey.
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