Franz Beckenbauer dies aged 78

[Clovius Boofus]

https://news.sky.com/story/franz-becken ... 8-13044240

[ClaretTony]

Just this minute seen that and came back on the board to post

One of the absolute greats of the game. Wonderful footballer.

[Taffy on the wing]

Fabulous player!...RIP.

[Rowls]

A true legend of the game. RIP

[LeadBelly]

Yes he was a truly great player, read the game brilliantly, tackled and passed so well.
Made the sweeper (libero?) role fashionable for quite a while. (loved that role myself in my heyday).

RIP der Kaiser

[Royboyclaret]

A very sad day for football.

One of the very best.....RIP.

[Jamesy]

Top footballer and World legend. I remember when I was in my teens Adidas made Beckenbauer Super football boots, although I never had enough money to buy a pair. RIP Franz.

[aclaretinstevenage]

Every now and again a death really shocks, this is one of those. Just a superb footballer, very sad. RIP

[Big Vinny K]

Top footballer and World legend. I remember when I was in my teens Adidas made Beckenbauer Super football boots, although I never had enough money to buy a pair. RIP Franz.

Sold these at Cockers on Kierby Walk.
I used to look at them enviously so many times as my dad bought me the cheaper Stubert screw ins….which I was still very grateful for btw.

I did however get the West Germany white strip with black stripes which was a classic strip

FB was one of the best players in the history of the game and says something when people still use his name to describe a footballer who plays in a certain way.

[Woodleyclaret]

I was privileged to see Franz play v USSR at Goodison in the World Cup semi final in 1966
A great player RIP

[ALP]

How very sad, he was one tremendous footballer and I believe a true gentleman. May he rest in peace and condolences to his family and friends.

[Buxtonclaret]

One of the greatest ever.

R.I.P The Kaiser

[clansman]

R.I.P “Der Kaiser”
Brilliant player

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Wonderful player
Wonderful Individual
RIP

[AlargeClaret]

One of the greats, as a kid after the 74 WC everyone wanted to be Franz or Cryuff in the playground.

[ClaretTony]

Six players left now from the 1966 World Cup Final

Sir Geoff Hurst - 82

Willi Schulz – 85
Wolfgang Weber – 79
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger – 84
Wolfgang Overath – 80
Siggi Held - 81

[Clovius Boofus]

Yep, one of the greats. Won the World Cup, Bundesliga and European Cup as both player and manager.

[ClaretTony]

One of three to have won the World Cup as a player and a manager and two of them have passed away in the last three days - Mário Zagallo and now Kaizer Franz.

The one remaining member of that elite group is Didier Deschamps.

[TsarBomba]

Way before my time unfortunately, and for those like me that never saw him play, if you were to compare him to a modern player, who would it be?

RIP.

[Tricky Trevor]

RIP Franz. A genius footballer. He appeared to float around the field he was so graceful.
Scored against England in the Mexico QF with his arm in a sling.

Off thread. Any mention of his name reminds me of a mates line on interview. Two jobs open, one he felt he could handle and one he was unsure about. They offered him the second. His reply, “ Would you sign Beckenbauer and play him at goalkeeper”?

[bfcjg]

Brilliant, as kids we all tried to defend like him. Top player.
RIP.

[ecc]

One of the greatest players of all time. Full stop.

Everything's subjective but one of the best liberos. Rudi Krol and Franco Baresi were, IMHO, his main competitors as a libero who liked to attack.
Gaetano Scirea wasn't allowed to venture forward very much.

A sad day for football.

[ecc]

Way before my time unfortunately, and for those like me that never saw him play, if you were to compare him to a modern player, who would it be?

RIP.

There are no great sweepers today IMHO TsarBomba. A lot of people said Van Dijk was up there with the Beckenbauers but I disagree.

Beckanbauer was IMHO both a sweeper/libero AND the German playmaker. The Dutch had several great coordinators namely Cruyff, Neeskens and Krol.

[Woodleyclaret]

Inspired lots of young footballers, included our own Jordan Beyer to play out from the back

[Pickles]

Before my time but everyone knows how good he was regardless of how old you are.

Also before my time is the sweeper. It's like a free role defender right? Sort of like a number ten but in the backline - floating to wherever he's needed? Is it a bit similar to what centre halves have been doing recently - for example, Alexander-Arnold bombs forward or goes in central midfield so then Van Dijk tucks in behind to cover the right back spot?

Or is it more about going forward like Stones has been doing for Man City?

[ClaretTony]

When he first got into the West German team he played in a midfield role in front of the defenders, certainly there in the 66 World Cup. I recall him playing in the 1970 semi against Italy with his arm in a sling, something Jimmy Mac did once for us against West Brom.

[Big Vinny K]

Way before my time unfortunately, and for those like me that never saw him play, if you were to compare him to a modern player, who would it be?

RIP.

In the earlier part of his career he was a midfielder. Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbaur were probably the 2 best footballers in the world in 1966. Unfortunately in the final they were both asked to man mark each other and effectively cancelled each other out - both ending up having for them largely anonymous games in the final.

West Germany had a brilliant team for the next decade and FB was their captain and best player.

[ClaretTony]

In the earlier part of his career he was a midfielder. Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbaur were probably the 2 best footballers in the world in 1966. Unfortunately in the final they were both asked to man mark each other and effectively cancelled each other out - both ending up having for them largely anonymous games in the final.

West Germany had a brilliant team for the next decade and FB was their captain and best player.

Great minds on the midfield role

[Big Vinny K]

When he first got into the West German team he played in a midfield role in front of the defenders, certainly there in the 66 World Cup. I recall him playing in the 1970 semi against Italy with his arm in a sling, something Jimmy Mac did once for us against West Brom.

You got there first !!
Yep he was definitely a midfielder in the 66 World Cup.

[Big Vinny K]

It’s always hard to answer when people ask how would certain players be regarded in todays game and are they better than Messi, Ronaldo etc.

Personally I think someone like Beckenbaur and Bobby Charlton would both be in a lot of peoples world best eleven of all time. They won everything and their longevity too as they were that good for a long time.

Pretty sure FB went to play in America at the end of his career - can’t remember whether it was at same time as Best etc but I think it was when they were trying to relaunch the league and bringing over big names

[Lip]

What a great player he was..One of the best.

R.I.P. Franz .

[ecc]

In 1974 he played alongside Schwarzenbeck in central defence. The latter was a stopper. Lacked mobility but was there as a rampart and to win balls in the air. Beckenbauer would trigger attacking moves. He was very comfortable on the ball, an excellent passer and the brain of the team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_FIFA_World_Cup_final

The Italians used to play with four in a line at the back plus a fifth defender behind the back four. "Libero" meaning free in terms of not marking a forward, he could both launch attacks and cover at the back (sweep up).

In the 1982 WC Final Italy played like that with Scirea playing behind a back four albeit above all to tighten the defence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_FIFA_World_Cup_final

[Pickles]

The Italians used to play with four in a line at the back plus a fifth defender behind the back four. "Libero" meaning free in terms of not marking a forward, he could both launch attacks and cover at the back (sweep up).

This is my understanding of a sweeper was but it doesn't sound like Beckenbauer played that way - especially if he was in a back four.

The Italian way, with the sweeper behind the back four... How did that work with offsides?

[Big Vinny K]

This is my understanding of a sweeper was but it doesn't sound like Beckenbauer played that way - especially if he was in a back four.

The Italian way, with the sweeper behind the back four... How did that work with offsides?

They just paid the referee !

[Cirrus_Minor]

One of the all time guests. Graceful, technically brilliant player who could dictate play from a sweeper position (that he seemed to initiate), with his arm in a sling. RIP.

[ecc]

This is my understanding of a sweeper was but it doesn't sound like Beckenbauer played that way - especially if he was in a back four.

The Italian way, with the sweeper behind the back four... How did that work with offsides?

They didn't play for offsides. They considered that too dangerous.

The first successful Italian manager to play with a sweeper and play the offside trap was Arrigo Sacchi at Milan. Baresi was his sweeper and he was the one who told the defence when to push up. Baresi was a much more attacking sweeper than his predecessors. He would often go right through midfield on his forays.

[Belgianclaret]

RIP Der Kaiser - a true legend of the game

[quoonbeatz]

The OG libero. Slightly better than Chris Waddle in that role.

[Bosscat]

RIP Franz Beckenbauer ... A true great in Football from my youth.

[Westleigh]

I can vaguely remember him hurting his arm playing for Germany and he carried on with it in a sling,was one of the best ,VVD has the same sort of presence on a football pitch,he was one of these players that seem to have all the time in the world.

[Claretitus]

Absolute Rolls-Royce of a footballer, and a gentleman to boot. Very good friends with Bobby Charlton. When I was at BGS, a visiting football team member left a pair of Adidas Beckenbauer boots in the dressing room. They ended up in lost property, and I eventually got them for 50p. Best pair of boots I ever owned. Black, with the 3 lime green stripes. This was around 1975.

[Herts Clarets]

Before my time but one of the all time greats. Even now when I see a centre half trying to play out from defence and being the ball forward I think who do you think you are, Beckenbauer. RIP Der Kaiser

[ClaretTony]

Wonderful tributes from Bayern Munich

https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2024/01/fc ... eckenbauer

[Jamesy]

Sold these at Cockers on Kierby Walk.
I used to look at them enviously so many times as my dad bought me the cheaper Stubert screw ins….which I was still very grateful for btw.

I did however get the West Germany white strip with black stripes which was a classic strip

FB was one of the best players in the history of the game and says something when people still use his name to describe a footballer who plays in a certain way.

I know they sold em at Cockers. I too looked at these boots many times just wishing I could afford a pair. I could only afford Gola boots but I do remember the Stuberts, my mate had a pair. Decent boots at a good price.
I used to love browsing in Cocker Sports, proper sports shop.

[Big Vinny K]

I know they sold em at Cockers. I too looked at these boots many times just wishing I could afford a pair. I could only afford Gola boots but I do remember the Stuberts, my mate had a pair. Decent boots at a good price.
I used to love browsing in Cocker Sports, proper sports shop.

Yep Cockers and Yardleys my 2 favourite shops when I was younger. Yardleys used to resole your Sambas for £8 !!

[ThaiClaret]

Fortunate to see Beckenbauer play for NY Cosmos against River Plate of Argentina at the Giants Stadium NY must have been 1978.
He didn't break sweat.
He didn't have to.

[Jamesy]

Yes I remember Yardleys too. Wasn’t the proprietor a decent squash or badminton player? Nice bloke.

[Jamesy]

Malcolm Yardley I think?

[Jamesy]

Just googled him. Olympic Sprinter!

[Big Vinny K]

Malcolm Yardley I think?

Yep !