The Emperor
On the 7th of January, Frank Anton Beckenbauer breathed his last at Salzburg, Austria. Beckenbauer nicknamed der Kaiser ( The Emperor ) left a lasting legacy not only in German Football but also in the Sport as a whole. A player of remarkable skills, both in attack and defence, having a tremendous temperament and leadership abilities, der Kaiser brought great glory to German Football, both in his days as a player and also while managing the National Team.
The Historic 1974 Final
Franz ‘der Kaiser’ Beckenbauer has many successes to his name, however, the 1974 World Cup Final between West Germany and the Netherlands is one of the high points in his illustrious career as a player for Germany. That match held on 7th July 1974 at the Olympiastadion, Munich gained huge historical importance mainly because of three iconic players who played that game. Johan Cruyff, Gerd Muller and der Kaiser himself. The final saw the emergence of new tactics and strategies in competitive football.
The Immaculate Kaiser
The Dutch Team had dominated the World Cup playing ‘ Total Football ‘ with the legendary Johan Cruyff in sublime form. The Dutch were favourites to win, but Franz Beckenbauer captaining the West German side had different ideas. A master strategist der Kaiser with his immaculate defensive play, tied Johan Cruyff in knots. The brilliant, free-flowing Dutch who had cast his spell on the competition was unable to wriggle out from Kaiser’s hold and virtually remained ineffective in the match. Gerd Muller, the German great playing his last international match, scored the winner and West Germany triumphed over the Dutch 2-1.
Johan Cruyff Denied
It is widely believed that the tactical brilliance of der Kaiser was responsible for denying Johan Cruyff a World Cup. Kaiser too played his part as a central defender to perfection and the modern-day sweeper position to a large extent, is the result of his experiments on the field.
West Germany Win World Cup Again…
16 years later in 1990, adorning the role of the Manager of the West German World Cup Team, Franz Beckenbauer, created history again. The World Cup was played in Italy, just before the unification of Germany. Der Kaiser’s strong midfield play with their brilliant captain Lothar Mathaus, strangulated teams and the well-equipped forward line with Jurgen Klinsmann and Rudi Voeller, gave the West Germans a mighty edge over the competition. My memories of that World Cup are firmly etched around West Germany’s performance. Lothar Mathaus and Klinsmann were spectacular in the tournament and so was the tough, indomitable, Kaiser who oversaw his team from the sidelines.
…And Kaiser Scripts History
West Germany sailed through to the finals and eventually won against Argentina. Der Kaiser made history again, becoming only the second player after Mario Zagallo of Brazil to win the World Cup as a captain and Manager ( A few years later Didier Deschamps of France added himself to the stellar list ).
The Emperor Lived his Name
Der Kaiser, along with Germany, also brought huge glory to Bayern Munich and was associated with the club for long. He was named in the World Team of the 20th Century and was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world’s greatest living players. Indeed Kaiser lived his name and his departure has made the Sport poorer.
RIP Franz ‘ der Kaiser ‘ Beckenbauer
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Der Kaiser the German hero of football is rightly called as The Emperor by RizKhan…. his skills both as a player and the manager in this sport on different occassions heavily contributed to the success of the German football team.He deserves to be remembered ..
Beckenbauer was a football legend in his own right. It is no mean achievement that his tactics and strategies both as player and manager left an everlasting stamp on the techniques of the game. His legacy has immensely profited all later generation of players to strategise on their defensive and winning game plans.
Now that he has passed away recently, it is good that Riz Khan has reminisced on this star football player’s achievements on the field.👍👍
Very well summarised