Geht's 'naus und spuit's Fussball!

[Heid the Ba]

Franz Beckenbauer rather than Little Willie. I grew up watching him stroll through matches and boss games.

[Arneb]

R. I. P., Franz Beckenbauer. Germany's best ever footballer died yesterday, aged 78.

Germany's best ever football player, and undoubtedly one of the best in the World. If they play football where he is now, he'll captain the Heavenly National team. And they'll play with a Libero instead of 4-4-2 because that is what the Kaiser plays.

Beckenbauer's club, of course, was Bayern München. He started there as a youth player, and worked his way through National Championships, Cup wins, and, a feat that wouldn't be repeated until Real Madrid in the 10's, three consecutive NAtional Champions' Cup wins (what today is the Champions League). He was the face of the German National Team's first golden age in the sixties and seventies, finishing second in '66, third (after the dramatic "Match of the Century" defeat against Italy in the semi) in 1970, European Champion in '72, and finally crowning himself World Champion in '74, earning the nickname of "der Kaiser". He transferred to New York Cosmos three years later, having an unforgettable run in the National American Soccer League of the70s, playing alongside Pelé and other (former) greats.

When Germany's football hit rock bottom in'84, he took over the National team as manager (without a licence, so he was just called Teamchef, while his assistant was the official National coach) and brought it back to fame with an epic Final lost against Argentina in '86, a semifinal participation in the '88 European Championship and finally, crowning himself World Champion again in 1990. He is one of only three people who became football World Champion as a player and as a coach: Only Brasil's Mario Zagallo, who died a day before him, and Didier Déschamps, the current selectionneur of the French National team, can lay claim to this feat.

Finally, as an offical, he secured the 2006 World Championship to be held in Gemany - a woderful time, which I remember with great fondness. But it also tarnished his reputation because, well not everyone had played fair in the process of awarding the FIFA World Championship. Oh dear, was everyone surprised and outraged.

Beckenbauer was perhaps an untipical German football player, bringing playfulness, levity, and elegance to our football - not usually things you associate German teams. Things seemed to come to him effortlessly - you could say he was tofootball what Roger Federer was to tennis: A perfectionist, endlessly ambitious and hard-working, but like with Federer, you didn't see the hard work he put in. Legendarily, he finished his motivation speech before the 1990 final with the simple sentence, Geht's 'naus und spuit's Fussball - Go out and play football. Like a father would, grinning, finally giving the ball to his raucous boys after they had finished their homework. The image of him walking the grounds in Rome's Olympic Stadium alone, medal hanging from his neck, un-selfconscious, at ease, is unforgettable.

Godspeed, Kaiser Franz. Thank you for the moments.





[ETA: I merged Heid's and my thread.]