Franz Beckenbauer Biography - Joined Bayern As A Teen, First World Cup Final, On Top Of The World, Across The Atlantic
soccer germany team west
1945-
German soccer player
Franz Beckenbauer is the only person who has won soccer's World Cup as team captain and as coach. Beckenbauer captained the former West Germany to the championship in 1974, and coached it to the top in 1990. Beckenbauer, who also played for the New York Cosmos when soccer interest in the United States began to rise in the mid-to-late seventies, is now president of one of Europe's top teams, Bayern Munich, after a successful stretch for that team as player, coach and general manager. He is also president of the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup to be hosted in Germany.
Beckenbauer, credited with popularizing the "sweeper" defensive position and using it as a mode of counterattack, was also captain of the former West Germany's national team when it won the European Championship, and led Bayern Munich to three successive European Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup. But there was an air about Beckenbauer that transcended championships. "Every movement he made on the pitch bristled with elegance," the International Football Hall of Fame wrote of Beckenbauer. "There was an arrogance in his
Franz Beckenbauer
play that suggested he was always in command-'Emperor Franz' and 'The Kaiser," they called him. But more than that, he was a great thinker about the game and brought about a revolution in the way it is played by inventing the role of the attacking sweeper." Keir Radnedge wrote in The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Soccer. "He was the puppet master, standing back and pulling the strings which earned West Germany and Bayern Munich every major prize," he explains further.
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During the World Cup in 1966, which England hosted, Beckenbauer scored four goals. He struck twice in a 5-0, early-round pasting of Switzerland, then scored the winner against the Soviet Union winning 2-1 in the semifinals, circling a shot around a Soviet defensive wall. In the finals, against England at historic Wembley Stadium in London, West German coach Helmut Schön had Beckenbauer play…
West Germany, the host nation in 1974, overcame a bitter loss to East Germany in the first meeting between the two rival countries. Both teams were assured of advancing under the new tournament format, but the defeat prompted Beckenbauer to hold a team meeting, suggest lineup and strategy changes to Schön and even appear on national television to calm a skittish public. "When you are…
In 1977, Beckenbauer signed with the New York Cosmos of the North Atlantic Soccer League. His teammates included the redoubtable Pele of Brazil and Giorgio Chinaglia of Italy, each of whom had achieved his own World Cup fame. Attendance soared as the Cosmos, playing in Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands sports complex, achieved worldwide recognition. Beckenbauer, who split his playing duties betwee…
Dirigent im Mittelfeld. (Title means "Conductor in the Centre Zone"), Munich, Germany: Copress-Verlag, 1966. Gentleman am Ball (Title means "Gentleman on the Ball"), Rosenheim, Germany: Komar-Verlag, 1968. Halbzeit: Eine Zwischen-Bilanz (Title means "Halftime: A Trial Balance"), Hannover, Germany: Strohte, 1971. Einer Wie Ich (Title means "One Like …
Hahn, James. Franz Beckenbauer: Soccer Superstar. St. Paul, Minn.: EMC Corp., 1978. LeGoulven, Francis and Robert Ichah. Franz Beckenbauer: l'homme qui vaut 2 milliards (title means "Franz Beckenbauer: The Man Worth Two Billion."). Paris: PAC, 1977. Radnedge, Keir. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Soccer: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to World Soccer. Rocklin, CA: Prima, 1994. …
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