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Franz Beckenbauer

German sports official and association football player (1945-2024) · Germany · Footballers · Died at 78

Franz Beckenbauer is read about 3,333 times a day, in 99 languages.

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They called him der Kaiser, and the nickname stuck because he redrew the map. Beckenbauer didn't just play centre-back - he invented the modern sweeper, turned defence into attack, and won everything there was to win as both player and manager.

FootballersFootball / Soccer PlayerSoccerFootballMusicGermanyEurope20th Century

A life in dates

2024Died7 January 20242023Askania Lifetime Achievement AwardAward2018German Football Hall of FameAward2014“When players like [Gareth] Bale and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are worth around €100 million, Johan [Cruyff] would go in the billions.”In their wordsSeptember 2014Franz Beckenbauer, in an interview with Henning Feindt of Bild.de (September 2014).

2012Bayerische VerfassungsmedailleAwardUEFA President's AwardAward2009Order of Merit of North Rhine-WestphaliaAward2008Cross of Merit First Class of the Lower Saxony Order of MeritAward2006Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyAward2005Bayerischer SportpreisAward1983New York CosmosClub1980Hamburger SVClub1980-19821977New York CosmosClub1977-19801976Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyAwardGerman Footballer of the YearAward1974Bravo OttoAwardGerman Footballer of the YearAward1968German Footballer of the YearAward1966German Footballer of the YearAward1965FC Bayern MunichClub1965-1977Germany men's national association football teamClub1965-1977Germany national football B teamClub1964Germany national under-18 football teamClub1945Born11 September 1945

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Franz Beckenbauer (1975)Franz Beckenbauer (1975)Franz Beckenbauer 1972Franz Beckenbauer 1972Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01195Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01195Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01196Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01196Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01199Freiburg im Breisgau- Prominentenfußballspiel- Allstars Freiburg gegen Prominente, u. a. Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer und Paul Breitner - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 01199Freiburg im Breisgau- SC Freiburg gegen Hamburger SV (u.a. mit Franz Beckenbauer) - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 00572Freiburg im Breisgau- SC Freiburg gegen Hamburger SV (u.a. mit Franz Beckenbauer) - LABW - Staatsarchiv Freiburg W 140 Nr. 00572Joska Bodenmais Pokal Golfturnier Beckenbauer Kaiser spezialJoska Bodenmais Pokal Golfturnier Beckenbauer Kaiser spezialMallon and BeckenbauerMallon and Beckenbauer

In their own words 1

,
Franz Beckenbauer
,
One statement

  1. When players like [Gareth] Bale and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are worth around €100 million, Johan [Cruyff] would go in the billions.

    Sep 2014, Franz Beckenbauer, in an interview with Henning Feindt of Bild.de (September 2014)., Own words

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Teams 7

New York Cosmos1983-1983
Hamburger SV1980-1982
New York Cosmos1977-1980
FC Bayern Munich1965-1977
Germany men's national association football team1965-1977
Germany national football B team1965-1965
Germany national under-18 football team1964-1964

Career record

SpellAppsGoals
1983-1983252
1980-1982280
1977-19808017
1965-197743964
1965-197710314
1965-196520
1964-196433

Awards

Askania Lifetime Achievement Award2023
German Football Hall of Fame2018
Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille2012
UEFA President's Award2012
Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia2009
Cross of Merit First Class of the Lower Saxony Order of Merit2008
Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany2006
Bayerischer Sportpreis2005
BigBrotherAwards2005
Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany1976
German Footballer of the Year1976
German Footballer of the Year1974
Bravo Otto1974
German Footballer of the Year1968
German Footballer of the Year1966
Bavarian Order of Merit
Silbernes Lorbeerblatt
Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille in Gold
Golden Honorary Ring of the City of Munich
Steiger Award
Ballon d'Or
Germany's Sports Hall of Fame
Honorary Golden Medal of the State Capital Munich

In their orbit

Child: Stephan Beckenbauer

About this person

Born in Munich in 1945, Beckenbauer started as a midfielder before dropping back and redefining what a defender could do from deep. He captained West Germany to the World Cup in 1974, won three straight European Cups with Bayern Munich from 1974 to 1976, and collected two Ballon d'Or awards along the way. After a stint with the New York Cosmos, he returned to manage West Germany and lifted the World Cup again in 1990 - one of only three men to win it as both player and boss. He later led Germany's bid for the 2006 World Cup and chaired the tournament, though the final years brought a fraud investigation tied to that event; it closed in 2020 when the statute of limitations ran out. He died in January 2024, widely regarded as one of the three greatest footballers of the past century.

Country
Germany
Category
Footballers
Type
Football / Soccer Player
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1945 to 2024 · aged 78

In common with Franz

Ronald KoemanAlso in EK 'Eighty-Eight - Oranje Kampioen! (2004)Gerd MüllerAlso in Libero (1973)Paul BreitnerAlso in Aktion "Leder" Die Stasi und das deutsche Fußballduel WM'74 (2014)Tamás AlmásiAlso in Puskás Hungary (2009)Marco van BastenAlso in EK 'Eighty-Eight - Oranje Kampioen! (2004)Sepp MaierAlso in Gib mich die Kirsche! - Die 1. deutsche Fußballrolle (2004)

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