by In late February 2020, myself and a handful of other British journalists were taken on a tour of the German Football Museum, which is opposite the central station in Dortmund. Our knowledgeable guide provided story and color to the vast array of artefacts relating to the history of sport before and after reunification – and then we arrived at Beckenbauer Corner.
The events that celebrated the career of Franz Beckenbauer, which lasted more than four decades as a player, as a coach, as an administrator and as an influencer (in the traditional sense of the word) were collected and ended in a sort of museum purgatory. The long-term fate of the collection would be decided, our guide explained, after Fifa’s Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into bribery aimed at Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup. In early 2021, the investigation was closed, when the statute of limitations expired, and the charges were dropped.
Related: Franz Beckenbauer – life in pictures
The museum scene was, in many ways, a perfect summary of Beckenbauer’s complex legacy. Der Kaiser, the German football legend who died on Sunday at the age of 78, was always a leader and a pioneer, although there was still plenty of right place, right time throughout his career. The earliest sliding doors moment is generally acknowledged to be in 1958, when 12-year-old Beckenbauer played in a youth tournament in Neubiberg, a village in the southeastern suburbs of Munich. He grew up a supporter in Munich from 1860 but legend has it that he decided to cast his lot with Bayern after being beaten by 1860 player Gerhard König.
He was the referee who changed the course of German football history and shaped Bayern, who entered at the right time. When 1860 was chosen as Munich’s representative for the first Bundesliga season in 1963, Bayern had to tighten their belts. Young talents, led by Beckenbauer, got the opportunity. By 1969 Bayern were the first Bundesliga-DFB Pokal double winners.
If Gerd Müller’s goals wrote headlines, Beckenbauer’s guiding hand was always visible. He was a delegate when König gave him wallpaper in his youth but as a pro player, he redefined what the game could expect from a defender. He was one of those rare players whose name came to define a role and, in his case, embody a certain finesse.
Some in Germany suggested that Beckenbauer’s personality and influence was even greater than his performance on the pitch, but the combination of his character and talent was irresistible. He saw him beat the only European player of his era he considered great, Johan Cruyff, in the 1974 World Cup final for West Germany – and his pep talk changed after a shock defeat to East Germany in the first round of that competition – before Bayern lifted three European Cups in a row, fully establishing themselves as the dominant force in the Bundesliga era.
Beckenbauer’s next step in influence was leaving the Munich bubble and joining the New York Cosmos in 1977. Landing stateside proved to have a financial aspect after running into issues with tax authorities West Germany, but Beckenbauer’s move was pioneering. . Along with Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia the Cosmos were “the ultimate boy band”, in the words of Tim Juergens 11 Freunde, and Beckenbauer lived large from his 21St ground floor apartment in Central Park, walking distance from Studio 54.
Beckenbauer already had cultural significance beyond the game, posing for photos with Mick Jagger (and teammate Müller) after Bayern won the 1976 European Cup in Glasgow but by immersing himself in NYC, Der Kaiser truly came the man of the world. When he took over the West German team from Jupp Derwall in 1984, he approached his treasure from his playing career into a new life. His post-playing peak, coaching his country to the 1990 World Cup, was built on confidence rather than sheer control.
When the DFB delegation paid a pre-broadcast visit to Lake Kaltern in South Tyrol, where West Germany would be based for Italia 90, the party got a little out of hand. After hearing about various tall pipes containing alcohol, Beckenbauer could assert his authority. Instead he turned a blind eye, and it was the start of a successful summer with “an emperor who ruled with a light touch,” as Juergens put it. “Go out there, have fun and play football,” was his message to his squad. “Winning a title is not just about tactics and training,” revealed midfielder Pierre Littbarski. “He needs a healthy dose of fun.”
That feeling was front and center when the West German players bid him farewell after the tournament, but Beckenbauer quickly decided that training wasn’t fun enough for him. His career on the bench ended with a short and turbulent spell in charge of Bernard Tapie at Marseille except for two successful caretaker spells at Bayern. He once again left his mark on his first club in 15 years as Bayern president, part of the coup with Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that helped make FC Hollywood one of the blue chip institutions of European football, rather than as one of the institutions built on-. a sand giant that had started leaking money by the late 70s.
When winning the right to host in 2006, Beckenbauer’s reputation was enhanced as The Man Who Could and despite the fallout, there is no doubting the huge impact he had on German football, standing tall on and off the pitch. As the game comes to terms with its loss, Beckenbauer Corner promises to be one of the museum’s main attractions for years to come.
