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Franz Beckenbauer.

Franz Anton Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer — Athlete
Born Munich, Germany
Died Salzburg, Austria
Citizenship Germany
Would Be 80 yr If Living

8 min read

Reading time

1,403

Words

Published

39

Film credits

21

Awards

TL;DR

The only person to captain and coach a World Cup-winning team, Franz Beckenbauer led West Germany to victory in 1974 as captain and 1990 as coach. He spent most of his career at Bayern Munich, winning four league titles and four European cups. Beckenbauer also played a season with the New York Cosmos alongside Pelé in 1977 and later served as president of Bayern Munich.

Identity & family.

KIN · 4

Names, aliases, and relatives of Franz Beckenbauer — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Franz Anton Beckenbauer
Nicknames The Kaiser, Kaiser, Kaiser Franz
Aliases Franzl Beckenbauer
Spouses
Heidi Beckenbauer Sybille Beckenbauer Brigitte Beckenbauer
Children
Stephan Beckenbauer

At a glance.

STATS

Franz Beckenbauer by the numbers — life, work, and family.

78 Years lived
39 Film credits
21 Awards
3 Marriages
1 Child

Who was Franz Beckenbauer?

BIOGRAPHY

Franz Beckenbauer — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

At 14, Franz Anton Beckenbauer joined Bayern Munich, born in Munich on September 11, 1945. He developed into a versatile sweeper with an elegant style and strong leadership. His Bundesliga debut came in 1965, and he soon earned a place in the national team.

Career

Beckenbauer made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich in 1965 and helped the club win the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967. He led Bayern to three consecutive European Cup titles from 1972 to 1974 and four league championships. For West Germany, he earned 103 caps, scoring 14 goals, and captained the team to the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974. After a stint with the New York Cosmos from 1977 to 1980, where he played alongside Pelé, he returned to Germany and finished his playing career with Hamburger SV. In 1984, he became manager of the West German national team, leading them to the World Cup final in 1986 and victory in 1990. He later served as coach and president of Bayern Munich.

Personal life

Beckenbauer was married three times: to Brigitte Beckenbauer from 1966 to 1990, Sybille Beckenbauer from 1990 to 2004, and Heidi Beckenbauer from 2006 until his death. He had five children: Thomas b. 1963, Michael b. 1966, Stephan 1968-2015, Joel b. 2000, and Francesca b. 2003. His son Stephan predeceased him in 2015.

Legacy

Franz Beckenbauer revolutionized the sweeper position and became the first person to both captain and coach a World Cup-winning team. He received the Ballon d’Or and German Footballer of the Year award four times. The Hall of Fame des deutschen Sports inducted him, and he chaired the organizing committee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The Kaiser remains a symbol of German football excellence.

Filmography.

FILMS · 39

The complete filmography of Franz Beckenbauer — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

  1. TV Poster for Leute Heute

    Leute Heute

  2. TV Poster for NDR Talk Show

    NDR Talk Show

  3. TV Poster for Bambi

    Bambi

  4. TV Poster for Wetten, Dass..?

    Wetten, Dass..?

  5. TV Poster for Beckmann

    Beckmann

  6. TV Poster for Maybrit Illner

    Maybrit Illner

  7. TV Poster for Verstehen Sie Spaß?

    Verstehen Sie Spaß?

  8. TV Poster for Boulevard Bio

    Boulevard Bio

  9. TV Poster for Heut' Abend

    Heut' Abend

  10. TV Poster for Stars in the Ring

    Stars in the Ring

  11. TV Poster for Ein Herz Für Kinder

    Ein Herz Für Kinder

  12. TV Poster for Music & Guests

    Music & Guests

  13. TV Poster for Am Laufenden Band

    Am Laufenden Band

  14. TV Poster for Sportschau

    Sportschau

Showing 14 of 39 View all 39 films

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 18

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Franz Beckenbauer — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

  • German Footballer of the Year
  • Bavarian Order of Merit
  • Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia
  • Silbernes Lorbeerblatt
  • Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille in Gold
  • Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Golden Honorary Ring of the City of Munich
  • Merit Cross of the Lower Saxony Order of Merit 1st class
  • Steiger Award
  • Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Ballon d'Or
  • Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille
  • Bravo Otto
  • BigBrotherAwards
  • Hall of Fame des deutschen Sports
  • honorary golden medal of the state capital Munich
  • Askania Award
  • UEFA President's Award

Did you know?

FACTS · 11

Little-known facts about Franz Beckenbauer — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

  1. Beckenbauer captained West Germany to victory in the 1974 World Cup final, beating the Netherlands 2-1.

  2. He coached West Germany to the 1986 World Cup final, where they lost 3-2 to Argentina, and then led them to the 1990 World Cup title, becoming the first person to captain and coach World Cup-winning teams.

  3. In the 1966 World Cup final, Beckenbauer’s role was to mark England’s Bobby Charlton.

  4. He played for West Germany in the 1966, 1970, and 1974 World Cups, scoring four goals in the 1966 edition.

  5. Beckenbauer earned 103 appearances for West Germany between 1965 and 1977, scoring 14 goals.

  6. He played for the New York Cosmos from 1977 to 1980 and briefly in 1983, alongside Pelé during the 1977 season.

  7. Beckenbauer had five children: Thomas, Michael, Stephan 1968-2015, Joel Maximilian b. 2000, and Francesca Antonie b. 2003.

  8. He was head of the organizing committee for the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany.

  9. Beckenbauer made 424 appearances in the West German Bundesliga for Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV, scoring 44 goals.

  10. He won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967 with Bayern Munich and the European Championship in 1972 with West Germany.

  11. Without holding a formal coaching license, Beckenbauer managed West Germany from 1984 to 1990 as Team-Chef.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 35

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Franz Beckenbauer.

Audited & updated by

Olivia Brooks

Senior Staff Writer & Biography Editor

Olivia has 6 years of experience writing biographical profiles and still approaches every subject like it's the first one. She covers everyone from debut musicians to Hall of Fame athletes to novelists most people have never heard of. She finds something worth reading in all of them. Her drafts tend to come in already clean, which her editor appreciates. She says good writing is just good thinking written down. Hard to argue with that.

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