Franz Beckenbauer, whose death on Sunday at the age of 78 was announced this Monday, shone in world football as a footballer, coach and manager.

From his first trophies with Bayern Munich and Germany to hosting the 2006 World Cup, here are six dates that marked his career:

1970: hand immobilized in the “match of the century”

It was one of the most famous images in the history of football: a hand in a sling at a legendary match. On June 17, 1970, West Germany met Italy in the World Cup semi-finals at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium.

Not long after the hour mark, trying to force a penalty kick in action – he was ‘only’ fouled -, Beckenbauer falls heavily on his right hand, which dislocates. His team’s coach, Helmut Schön, had already made two changes that were approved at the time, and Kaiser He continued to play despite everything, enduring the pain.

Goodbye ‘Kaiser’! overview of the life of Franz Beckenbauer, historic for his titles with Germany

After Karl-Heinz Schnellinger equalized ‘in extremis’ at the end of the second half, Beckenbauer played another half hour with his arm supported by a bandage as an improvised form of immobilization.

The semi-final ended on the side of Italy (4-3), in a completely crazy duel that many called the “match of the century”.

The ‘Kaiser’ has passed away! Franz Beckenbauer, a world champion as a player and FIFA World Cup coach with Germany, has died at the age of 78

1972: Ballon d’Or, like Gerd Müller

Since it was founded by France Football magazine in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded only to attacking players, with the exception of USSR goalkeeper Lev Yashin (1963).

The novelty was therefore that in 1972 libero Franz Beckenbauer, who a few months earlier was declared European champion with West Germany, was awarded. In the voting, he overtook two teammates from his team, Gerd Müller and Günther Netzer, by only two points.

Beckenbauer then succeeded Gerd Müller (1970) and the Dutchman Johan Cruyff (1971) on the list of winners.

Four years later, like the Argentine nationalized Spaniard Alfredo Di Stéfan (1957, 1959), he won the second Ballon d’Or, then surpassing the Dutchman Rob Rensenbrink.

In the history of the prestigious award, only two other defenders have won the coveted golden ball: German Matthias Sammer (1996) and Italian Fabio Cannavaro (2006).

1974: crowned at home

Born in Giesing, a working-class district south of Munich, Franz Beckenbauer had to wait until the 1974 World Cup final to play in Munich’s Olympic Stadium, built north of the urban agglomeration for the 1972 Olympics.

After an indecisive first stage and a humiliating defeat to East Germany (GDR), the FRG progressed in the second stage and reached the final, where they dominated Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands.

SRN won the final 2-1, and captain Beckenbauer lifted the trophy in front of 78,200 spectators.

“From 1974, Franz arrived, figuratively speaking, on another planet,” said German left back Paul Breitner.

1976: third European Cup

The 1976 European Champions Cup (now Champions League) final saw Bayern Munich beat France’s Saint-Etienne 1-0.

It was Beckenbauer’s third consecutive title with the Bavarians in European football’s premier competition, enabling Bayern to emulate what Ajax Amsterdam had achieved (1971, 1972, 1973) and close in on Real Madrid’s feat of five European Cups in a row from 1956 to 1960

With Bayern, Beckenbauer added his thirteenth and final trophy as a player in November 1976, the Intercontinental Cup.

1990: in the footsteps of Zagall

After being world runners-up in 1982, West Germany crashed out of Euro 1984 in the first stage, and the coach at the time, Jupp Derwall, was not renewed.

Although the position did not motivate him at the time, Beckenbauer eventually relented and agreed to be the coach.

At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, they reached the final, before losing to Diego Maradona’s Argentina (3-2).

Four years later, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, again against the Albiceleste, Beckenbauer won the world title as a coach, sixteen years after winning it as a player. In doing so, he modeled himself on the Brazilian Mario Zagallo, who died just last week.

2006: ‘Beckenbauer Tour’

Beckenbauer’s ‘third life’ in football took him to the office. He was vice-president and then president of Bayern in the 1990s and 2000s, but he actually headed the organization of the 2006 World Cup in Germany where he reached the international summit.

In his helicopter he went from stadium to stadium like a bee from flower to flower. He visited 48 of the 64 matches of the tournament, from box to box.

That particular ‘Beckenbauer Tour’ was tarnished a decade later when suspicions of corruption surrounding the 2000 award for the venue were revealed. Then the German candidacy won by 12 votes to 11 over the South African candidacy. (D)