The history of German football and the successes that began to recognize it as a force were not born with the appearance of Franz Beckenbauer, but with him the era of consolidation was established. The imaginary line that we usually invoke when we want to distinguish between eras was created by the appearance of Beckenbauer on the German football scene. It must be noted that his influence began in 1964, when he made his debut for Bayern Munich at the age of 19.

An unpleasant moment experienced by Franz Beckenbauer: his phone number was mistaken for an erotic line

Germany, before the appearance of Beckenbauer, won the World Cup, in Switzerland in 1954 in the famous final against Hungary called the ‘Miracle of Bern’ because they defeated a powerful team, that of the famous magical Hungarians of the revolutionary DT Gusztáv Sebes. . The team of Ferenc Puskas, Zoltan Czibor, Sandor Kocsis and other stars won the Olympic tournament in Helsinki in 1952. Four years passed without losing a game. The Hungarian favorites were comfortably leading 2-0 until a miracle happened. In the end, the Germans won 3-2.

The former coach of Bayern Munich proposes to change the name of the Allianz Arena stadium after Franz Beckenbauer

The great idol of that German world champion was undoubtedly Fritz Walter. One of the reasons for the miracle was revealed after the final in Bern, played on a rainy day. The Hungarians skated on that swampy ground, while the Germans stood firm thanks to the brothers Adolf (nicknamed Ada) and Rudolf Dassler, the founders of Adidas, who designed boots with replaceable studs for the Germans for the final.

Franz Beckenbauer admits he remembers Barcelona SC and says of Ecuador: ‘I’ve always been impressed by their hospitality’

Franz Anton Beckenbauer was born on September 11, 1945 in Munich, a destroyed city, which a few months earlier had been captured by the Allied armies in the fall of the Third Reich from Nazi Germany. Franz grew up in the working-class district of Giesing, and his penchant for football was due to the influence of his idol, Fritz Walter. When he was ten years old, Franz registered for the team from his neighborhood, the club TSV 1860 München, but in 1958 he joined FC Bayern from the same city.

Franz Beckenbauer vs Barcelona SC: Referee kicks, blackout and goals at Modelo Stadium in ‘friendly’ game with New York Cosmos

At the age of 19, on June 6, 1964, he made his debut in the senior team, which was promoted to the first league in that campaign, and in 1965 he was called up to the German national team, where he made his debut on September 26 at the age of 20. Until then, the German press had described this young man as a virtuoso, a capable defender and attacker, who possessed refined technique. He arrived at the 1966 World Cup in England as the undisputed starter of his team. Germany qualified for the final against the home team undefeated.

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On July 30, 1966, England and Germany met in front of 85,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium. The young Beckenbauer, who scored four goals, stood out the most for the Germans in the matches so far. England won 4-2 in extra time. The match ended 2-2 in 90 minutes, but in extra time, in the 101st minute, a goal was scored that changed history. England striker Geoffrey Hurst powerfully finished the ball which hit the underside of the crossbar and hit the goal line to bring the game back into the game.

To the surprise of the Germans, the Soviet linesman Tofik Bakhramov assured the Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst that the ball had gone in, which caused an outcry from the English fans. This goal was called a ghost goal, because no television footage could determine with 100% whether the ball went in or not. It was not until 1995 that England accepted that the ball did not cross the goal line. This was confirmed by a study by the University of Oxford. The Germans’ angry claim against the Swiss judge’s decision had a protagonist: Franz Beckenbauer.

In 1999, at the presentation of Germany’s bid to host the 2006 World Cup, journalist Patricio Cornejo personally witnessed when Franz Beckenbauer, having learned that England had applied, took the opportunity to look back on that 1966 final and admitted.

“I was very upset with the decision to confirm the third goal; We all saw that the ball didn’t go in. I was 21 years old, but I told my classmates that we should not allow such a blatant kidnapping and to withdraw in protest. When we were walking towards the tunnel, Uwe Seeler, the captain, stopped me and told me forcefully: ‘Franz, we can’t leave, that’s a sign of weakness; We Germans do not deserve any more criticism, we will continue to fight.’ If it wasn’t for maestro Uwe Seeler, I wouldn’t be talking to you. “I would not bear the shame of abandoning the fight.”

Those who have studied the personality of Kaiser Beckenbauer in depth describe him as a person who is calm under pressure, thoughtful, with a commanding voice, exemplary in following the rules, great charisma, resilient and planning. This is the only way to understand so many triumphs as a footballer: three European Cups (today the Champions League) with Bayern Munich (1974, 1975, 1976), the European Cup Winners’ Cup (1967), four Bundesliga titles (1969, 1972). ., 1973, 1974) and four German Cups (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971), one Intercontinental Cup (1976). He played for Germany 103 times, appeared in three world championships (1966, 1970 and champion in 1974), won the European Cup in 1972. He was the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or (1972 and 1976).

As coach of his national team, he won the World Cup in 1990 in Italy and was runner-up in Mexico in 1986. His arrival at the New York Cosmos in 1977 was a real success. A team was formed with stars such as Pelé, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto. He won three titles with the New York team. He ended his career in 1982 with the crown in the Bundesliga with Hamburg.

Known as Der Kaiser (The Emperor), he is associated with the creation of the role of libero; He disrupted the defensive position with studied movements and became an offensive midfielder with great vision, but what caught the most attention was his elegance, his subtlety in handling the ball. Spanish journalist Alfredo Relaño described him: “He was a velvet footballer, with ease in handling the ball and an almost boring elegance.”

On October 31, 1978, Kaiser played in Guayaquil with Cosmos. The details of that unforgettable night were described in detail in the article by Ricardo Vasconcellos Figueroa.

the article “Beckenbauer vs Barcelona SC in Model: kicks, blackouts and goals”, published in Diario EL UNIVERSO last Wednesday.

In an interview with Kaiser in October 2012, journalist Matt Sebra, in GQ magazine, compared him to Hollywood’s best dancer of the 20th century, Fred Astaire, for his virtuosity, technical control, balance and sense of rhythm.dancer, for Beckenbauer’s grace and aristocratic gait as he walks through the court.

His death at the age of 78 saddened the world. German newspaper Bild reported that he was bedridden and barely able to speak. In the last year of his studies, Beckenbauer underwent heart surgery twice. He also survived an eye infarction, was in an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease and suffered from depression. He lost the will to live, until last Sunday, January 7, he rested in peace. (OR)