Person1945 – 2024

Franz Beckenbauer

Also called: Der Kaiser

West German footballer and coach who won the World Cup as captain in 1974 and as coach in 1990, and chaired the organizing committee of the 2006 World Cup; nicknamed “Der Kaiser”

Born in Munich, he played for Bayern Munich and redefined the role of the attacking sweeper, or libero. With West Germany he was a runner-up in 1966 and third in 1970 before captaining the side to victory at the home World Cup of 1974. As coach he reached the 1986 final and won the 1990 tournament in Italy, becoming the second man after Brazil’s Zagallo to win the World Cup as both player and coach. He led Germany’s successful bid for and organization of the 2006 World Cup, though payments made during the bid were later investigated. He died in 2024.

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5 related events

1
19661966 FIFA World Cup Englandparticipant
England, the home of football, beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time for their first title. North Korea, in its first finals, beat Italy and reached the quarter-finals.
2
19701970 FIFA World Cup Mexicoparticipant
The first World Cup broadcast live around the world in colour. Pelé’s Brazil beat Italy 4–1 in the final for a third title and kept the Jules Rimet Cup for good.
3
19741974 FIFA World Cup West Germanykey figure
The first tournament for the new FIFA World Cup Trophy. Beckenbauer’s West Germany beat Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands 2–1.
4
19901990 FIFA World Cup Italykey figure
West Germany beat Argentina 1–0 in the final for their third title. Germany reunified three months later, making this West Germany’s last World Cup.
5
20062006 FIFA World Cup Germanyrelated figure
The first World Cup hosted by reunified Germany. Zidane was sent off for a head-butt in the final, and Italy beat France on penalties for a fourth title.

People who appear alongside

Pelé1940 – 2022
Brazilian footballer who won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to win it three times
Diego Maradona1960 – 2020
Argentine footballer who captained his country to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, scoring both the “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” against England in the quarter-final
Lionel Messi1987
Argentine footballer who captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and won the Golden Ball for a second time; he holds the record for World Cup appearances

Themes this person appears in

FIFA World Cup1904 – 2026
From the founding of FIFA to the 48-team tournament in North America — the football championship that has gathered the world every four years since Uruguay 1930