Today is the 11th September 2015. It is also Franz Beckenbauer’s 70th birthday. The day is overshadowed by the sudden death of his son Stephan, who lost his battle with a brain tumour on the 31st July. The Kaiser will spend his day in the company of his family. Wolfgang Tobien, a long-time follower of the double world champion, has taken the opportunity to describe the career and life of this exceptional man.
2015 – In theory, a year of celebration for the Kaiser. The 8th July was the 25 year anniversary of his World Cup triumph in Italy 1990. The 26th September marks 50 years since his debut for the Germany national side in 1965. In between, on the 11th September, he turns 70. This is certainly reason enough to look back at the career and achievements of the former Germany international.
A dark shadow was cast over this summer of celebration however, after a parents’ worst nightmare came true for the Beckenbauer family with the passing away of his son. On the 31st July, Stephan succumbed to a brain tumour at the young age of 46. During a very emotional and touching funeral on the 7th of August, Beckenbauer, his family, and many friends from the wider football world said goodbye. Afterwards, Beckenbauer removed himself from the public eye and cancelled all appointments until mid September. For this reason, there is an undeniable cloud hanging over his 70th birthday celebrations.
Private birthday celebrations
He had planned to spend today with just his close family long before the personal tragedy: "With Heidi and the kids, and then afterwards with some very close friends, but exclusively family." Sometime in the future, Germany’s most popular footballer, and one of football’s most prominent figures worldwide will no doubt return to the public eye and dive back into the world of football.
Beckenbauer: "Football is the central focus of my life"
The son of a postal secretary, who started playing football aged nine at SC 06 in München before moving to FC Bayern in 1958, resigned from all official footballing positions in 2011. He "doesn’t regret" this at all, because he wanted finally to have more time for his children, after being constantly busy with work during his first marriage and seeing his sons grow him up without him.
Football is, and will always be, however, "the central focus of my life" according to Beckenbauer, who emphaises the fact that he has football to thank for everything. "The basis of my life is football. It continually gives me joy. All my sponsors and television appearances on Sky are all football related. I’m pleased that I still have the opportunity to offer my opinion as an expert on Sky, and to be involved in football on a regular basis."
The World Cup in Germany 2006: "And the winner is… Deutschland"
Ten years ago, on his 60th birthday, Franz Beckenbauer was still very much part of the German international setup. As president of the Organisation Committee for the 2006 World Cup, he had to deal with receiving congratulations from all over, including from FIFA in Marrakesh, from the Free State of Bayern, the city of Munich, Bayern Munich and on German television channel ZDF. One year later, Beckenbauer would get to experience the World Cup in his own country, which he considered the high point of his exceptional career.
As with most of the things he did, Beckenbauer was always sure to receive admiration and applause wherever he went. This was the case after the 1972 European Championship, the 1974 World Cup, and throughout his club career, having won just about every notable honour in footballing art and finally ending his illustrious career in New York at the Cosmos. He was congratulated after the 1990 World Cup in Rome having managed them to victory in his last game in charge, making him a World Cup winner as player and manager.
Today is the 11th September 2015. It is also Franz Beckenbauer’s 70th birthday. The day is overshadowed by the sudden death of his son Stephan, who lost his battle with a brain tumour on the 31st July. The Kaiser will spend his day in the company of his family. Wolfgang Tobien, a long-time follower of the double world champion, has taken the opportunity to describe the career and life of this exceptional man.
2015 – In theory, a year of celebration for the Kaiser. The 8th July was the 25 year anniversary of his World Cup triumph in Italy 1990. The 26th September marks 50 years since his debut for the Germany national side in 1965. In between, on the 11th September, he turns 70. This is certainly reason enough to look back at the career and achievements of the former Germany international.
A dark shadow was cast over this summer of celebration however, after a parents’ worst nightmare came true for the Beckenbauer family with the passing away of his son. On the 31st July, Stephan succumbed to a brain tumour at the young age of 46. During a very emotional and touching funeral on the 7th of August, Beckenbauer, his family, and many friends from the wider football world said goodbye. Afterwards, Beckenbauer removed himself from the public eye and cancelled all appointments until mid September. For this reason, there is an undeniable cloud hanging over his 70th birthday celebrations.
Private birthday celebrations
He had planned to spend today with just his close family long before the personal tragedy: "With Heidi and the kids, and then afterwards with some very close friends, but exclusively family." Sometime in the future, Germany’s most popular footballer, and one of football’s most prominent figures worldwide will no doubt return to the public eye and dive back into the world of football.
Beckenbauer: "Football is the central focus of my life"
The son of a postal secretary, who started playing football aged nine at SC 06 in München before moving to FC Bayern in 1958, resigned from all official footballing positions in 2011. He "doesn’t regret" this at all, because he wanted finally to have more time for his children, after being constantly busy with work during his first marriage and seeing his sons grow him up without him.
Football is, and will always be, however, "the central focus of my life" according to Beckenbauer, who emphaises the fact that he has football to thank for everything. "The basis of my life is football. It continually gives me joy. All my sponsors and television appearances on Sky are all football related. I’m pleased that I still have the opportunity to offer my opinion as an expert on Sky, and to be involved in football on a regular basis."
The World Cup in Germany 2006: "And the winner is… Deutschland"
Ten years ago, on his 60th birthday, Franz Beckenbauer was still very much part of the German international setup. As president of the Organisation Committee for the 2006 World Cup, he had to deal with receiving congratulations from all over, including from FIFA in Marrakesh, from the Free State of Bayern, the city of Munich, Bayern Munich and on German television channel ZDF. One year later, Beckenbauer would get to experience the World Cup in his own country, which he considered the high point of his exceptional career.
As with most of the things he did, Beckenbauer was always sure to receive admiration and applause wherever he went. This was the case after the 1972 European Championship, the 1974 World Cup, and throughout his club career, having won just about every notable honour in footballing art and finally ending his illustrious career in New York at the Cosmos. He was congratulated after the 1990 World Cup in Rome having managed them to victory in his last game in charge, making him a World Cup winner as player and manager.
He was praised on the 6th July 2000 in Zurich, where he said "the best and happiest moment of my life in football was when we won the bid for the 2006 World Cup, and I heard the words ‘and the winner is… Deutschland’". The cheers for Beckenbauer came once more on the 9th July 2006, after the final of the 18th World Cup in Berlin, even when the big dream for Germany had come to an end.
"We wanted people to say afterwards that we were good hosts." This goal was achieved, as they received an impressive amount of thank-you letters from all over the world, saying how the event was a true spectacle for world football. It was the definition of a summer festival and was full of enthusiasm, which reflected on Beckenbauer’s confident and casual approach.
Genius on the pitch, passionate strategist off it
Franz Beckenbauer, a footballing Kaiser and cosmopolitan. Genius on the pitch and a true strategist while managing from the bench. Munich, New York, Rome, Zurich and Berlin are five cities that are very important to his life, that all represent his accomplishments and symbolise the independence of the world famous Beckenbauer and how he freely conquered the footballing world at home and abroad.
Along with this sense of freedom, people encountered Beckenbauer’s warmth and easy going nature, as well as his less noticeable self-discipline and work ethos. These qualities were important and allowed him to be part of the German administrative bodies up until four years ago. As well as these personal qualities, Beckenbauer also always had football on his mind.
"Never has football been played as well as it is done today"
Beckenbauer thinks that football has changed a lot in the past few years, and has experienced it first-hand. "There are lots of people and institutions beyond the pitch that get involved with the game now. Especially TV. And on the pitch, play has become faster and much more intense. Nobody runs as far with the ball as they did in my time. Never has football been played as well as it is now," said Beckenbauer.
In his private life, he concentrates on his family in Salzburg and their wellbeing. "I like to go hillwalking, playing golf, cross-country skiing in the winter and aqua-jogging in my pool. I now have 330 holiday days a year, very different to the times of the 2006 World Cup. I couldn’t imagine doing that again."
He is now generally a "more happy person", which is something he values. He is glad that he has a "stable family life, and that I am fit and healthy so that I can continue to do what I most value and care about." Even when he has retreated out of the limelight, his 70th birthday is a reminder of his great importance and achievements.
