The greatest footballers of all time – No. 7

Continuing with our series on the greatest footballers of all time, here’s No. 7 on our list.

No. 7 – Franz Beckenbauer

Der Kaiser, or The King, as he is called, is one of the most dominant, and complete players the world has ever witnessed. He had a certain air about him that exuded confidence, and his leadership was of the highest quality, as he led West Germany, and his club, Bayern Munich to ultimate glory as a player. Post retirement, his hunger for success lingered on, and he coached West Germany to another grand triumph. Never shy of a goal, Beckenbauer scored a remarkable 14 goals for country, and a further 81 for various clubs over his career. And yet, all these are just a fraction of the reason why Beckenbauer makes our list of the greatest footballers.

Club Career

Being one of the few players to have played football professionally in all three outfield positions of the pitch with great success, Franz started his career playing as a forward for SC Munich ’06 in their U-14 set-up. An ugly spat in a game against 1860 Munich, Franz’s dream club, saw him join the Bayern Munich youth set-up instead, and it was there that he would make his name. He made his debut for the senior team, at the age of 18, in the regional league, where he played on the left wing. In that very season, Bayern Munich earned promotion to the newly formed Bundesliga, which, under Beckenbauer, they went on to dominate.

Having won the German cup, and tasted European success with the Cup winners’ cup, young Beckenbauer was made the captain of his team in the ’68 – ’69 season. Where many would have rested on their laurels, Franz used his new found freedom to experiment with a new role, that of the Sweeper. The role of a sweeper, to put it in a simple manner, is similar to that of a free-roaming mid-fielder, with no set position. The only difference being that the sweeper usually plays behind the back four, instead of the midfield, and his duties are to ‘sweep up’ if an attacker manages to breach the back-line. Beckenbauer was the genius who moulded the defensive sweeper into an attacking role, and used it to the chagrin of many an opposition who were tactically outdone by this great German.

Beckenbauer then dealt in hat-tricks at his club, with three consecutive league triumphs from ’72 – ’74, followed by a trio of European cup wins from ’74-’76; a feat so impressive that Bayern were allowed to add the trophy to their cabinet permanently. In many ways, Beckenbauer was a fashion icon of his time, appearing in several photo-shoots, with the likes of Bobby Moore, among others. He was also one of the earliest famous players to move to the United States at the twilight of his career, signing a lucrative contract with The New York Cosmos, a club Pele had played for as well. However, missing the Bundesliga, Beckenbauer returned, playing at Hamburger SV for a season, and winning the league. And he finally ended his playing career with one last season at New York Cosmos, where he still played a commendable 27 games.

National Career

Interestingly, Beckenbauer’s national career nearly never took off. The Ultra-conservative West Germany’s DFB banned him from playing for the nation after his girlfriend became pregnant when he was 18, and he declared he had no intention of marrying her. It was only thanks to diminutive coach Dettmar Cramer’s insistence that he was re-admitted to the side, much to the benefit of the footballing world.

Beckenbauer had a total of 103 caps for West Germany, scoring 14 times, including a brace in his first ever World Cup match in ’66. While Beckenbauer’s team may have fallen short at the last hurdle, he ended up as the tournament’s third highest scorer with four goals; a remarkable tally for a sweeper. He, however, made amends at the very next World Cup, in ’70, scoring against England when facing a two-goal deficit to inspire a come-back victory for his team. It was also at the semi-finals of this very tournament that he played on with a fractured clavicle, with his arm in a sling, since all substitutions had been exhausted. And while West Germany lost the game, finally finishing third, the footballing world was won over.

In ’72, Beckenbauer led his nation to his first major international triumph, as they won the European Championships. From then until ’74, West Germany were nigh unstoppable, dominating teams on their way to World Cup glory. Playing as the host nation, West Germany overcame the ‘Total football’ of the Dutch team, as Beckenbauer scored a personal victory over Johan Cruyff, on their path to victory. This era of dominance continued, and in ’76, West Germany were defending their European Championship crown against Czechoslovakia, only to lose out on penalties. Nonetheless, it had been a well decorated career indeed.

Managerial Career

The passion that Franz had for the game ensured that he took to the football pitch again, after retirement, albeit in classy suits this time. Beckenbauer took over the reins for West Germany from Jupp Derwall, making sure that free-flowing play continued. Under his guidance, West Germany reached the finals of the ’86 World Cup, where they lost to Argentina. However, just like before, Beckenbauer returned, more determined, to the next World Cup. The finals of ’90 were a familiar event, with Argentina on the other side of the pitch, but this time, Beckenbauer’s charges prevailed. Beckenbauer thus became the only person to have won the World Cup both as team captain, and coach; and one of only two people to have won it as a player, and coach (Mario Zagallo being the other).

Franz then moved on to managing clubs, but his start was an unfortunate one, with him parting ways with Olympic Marseille after just four months in charge. He then returned to the familiar sights of Munich, taking charge for brief spells at Bayern, and adding a league title, and a European Cup to his credit. Since then, Beckenbauer has been actively involved in an administrative role at Bayern, and much of their recent success has been at least partially attributed to his involvement.All in all, a complete player, strategist, manager, and administrator, Franz Beckenbauer is truly a complete footballer.

Here’s a video showcasing some of Beckenbauer’s finest moments on the pitch.

These are the other players who have made it so far:

No. 20 – David Beckham; No. 19 – Oliver Kahn; No. 18 – Jurgen Klinsmann; No. 17 – Luis Figo; No. 16 – Romario; No. 15 – Marco van Basten; No. 14 – Eusebio; No. 13 – Lionel Messi; No. 12 – Zico; No. 11 – Paolo Maldini; No. 10 – Michel Platini; No. 9 – Puskas; No. 8 - Lothar Matthäus

Read the detailed write-ups on all the players in this list here:

The greatest footballers of all time