Danke, Kaiser
A Legend leaves us
Choosing the all-time best football XI is a battle best fought offline, but some names remain universally adored. Lev Yashin, Paolo Maldini, Diego Maradona, Leo Messi, Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer - these "Untouchables" grace any greatest team without question. While others like Cruyff or Ronaldo may jockey for remaining spots, these six are legends etched in stone.
Among them, Beckenbauer reigns supreme as the undisputed king of center-backs. England might champion Bobby Moore, Italy might tout Franco Baresi, but compared to Beckenbauer, they're merely understudies. He embodied their strengths and surpassed them all. Imagine Baresi's longevity, Moore's intelligence, Koeman's scoring prowess, Nesta's bravery, and Ramos's aggression, all blended into one sentient being. That's Beckenbauer, the man who elevated both Bayern Munich and West Germany to footballing glory.
Choosing the all-time best football XI is a battle best fought offline, but some names remain universally adored. Lev Yashin, Paolo Maldini, Diego Maradona, Leo Messi, Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer - these "Untouchables" grace any greatest team without question. While others like Cruyff or Ronaldo may jockey for remaining spots, these six are legends etched in stone.
Among them, Beckenbauer reigns supreme as the undisputed king of center-backs. England might champion Bobby Moore, Italy might tout Franco Baresi, but compared to Beckenbauer, they're merely understudies. He embodied their strengths and surpassed them all. Imagine Baresi's longevity, Moore's intelligence, Koeman's scoring prowess, Nesta's bravery, and Ramos's aggression, all blended into one sentient being. That's Beckenbauer, the man who elevated both Bayern Munich and West Germany to footballing glory.
Twice the winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976, he won a European Championship with West Germany and three consecutive Big Cups with Bayern in the 1970s, five German league titles in three different decades and is one of only three players to win the World Cup as a player and manager. When he joined Bayern, they were not even permitted a place in the newly-founded Bundesliga. As a player, manager and later behind the scenes, they grew into a global giant. Can anyone claim to have had a bigger influence on a single club?
Of course, things could have been so different. Beckenbauer was just a slap away from joining Bayern’s rivals, 1860 Munich, as a young lad. In 1958, playing for under-14 local side SC 1906 as a striker against 1860, he had an altercation with opposing centre-half Gerhard König, who aimed a slap at Beckenbauer. The incident convinced Franz to change his plans of joining 1860. Instead, Bayern came calling. “It was just fate that we both came together, and that I became a Red and not a Blue,” Beckenbauer told Bayerischer Rundfunk in a 2010 interview, alongside König. 1860’s loss was Bayern’s gain. The rest is history.
The Emperor is gone at 78, leaving behind a legacy unmatched. He battled health and controversy in his later years, yet his brilliance on the field remains untarnished. The libero is free again, and his impact on football will forever be etched in our memory.
The Emperor is gone at 78, leaving behind a legacy unmatched. He battled health and controversy in his later years, yet his brilliance on the field remains untarnished. The libero is free again, and his impact on football will forever be etched in our memory.
Danke Kaiser, Deutschland und München werden dich nie vergessen