Franz Beckenbauer

Funkfingers

Franz Beckenbauer, 78, (West) German footballer. Captained them to World Cup victory.

GoFish

Only 3 people have won the World Cup as both players and managers. We have just lost two of them in 3 days.

RIP Beckenbauer and RIP Mario Zagallo too.

scrumhalf

A genuine world class player and icon of the game.

As a very young lad I remember his heroic display in the 1970 semi-final against Italy, a tremendous game, where he injured his shoulder and played with one arm lashed to his chest. 

Shrews

Would make an all time great football eleven. Such a brilliant defender. I just remember 1974. I was 7 and not really into football then, but that WC kickstarted my interest and the interest of friends of a similar age. Cruyff and Holland's total football and Beckenbauer and Muller. When you're the best of the Germans then you've got to be pretty good.

RIP Franz, thanks for the childhood memories.

JAYJO

My first addidas footy boots beckenbauer star...i was gutted as they were mouldies and i wanted screw ins....whole team i played for had the same beckenbauer boots... a step up from my plastic steve heighways.... 

57Deluxe

...from an era that was Subbuteo and the beginning of club and country kits although the Brazil kit was endemic... 

We weren't very 'European minded' back then so wasn't revered in my home, but sad to hear nonetheless.

gordiji

Shrews said:

Would make an all time great football eleven. Such a brilliant defender. I just remember 1974. I was 7 and not really into football then, but that WC kickstarted my interest and the interest of friends of a similar age. Cruyff and Holland's total football and Beckenbauer and Muller. When you're the best of the Germans then you've got to be pretty good.

RIP Franz, thanks for the childhood memories.

I watched it as a kid also to see what Cruyff would pull out of the bag , he was all the rage with his fancy dribbling..

JAYJO said:

My first addidas footy boots beckenbauer star...i was gutted as they were mouldies and i wanted screw ins....whole team i played for had the same beckenbauer boots... a step up from my plastic steve heighways.... 

I always wanted screwins and never got them...but it was known they became sharp round the edges by crossing paved areas etc. In first year of secondary during games a kid got slide  tackled and was crying on the field, the games teacher (ex pro footballer) told him to get up and stop wingeing. I was very close and said 'sir, you need to come'. The kid's calf was opened, good 5inch slash, you could see the muscle like in butchered meat, surprisingly little blood to cloud the image. Sir came over , said 'alright Brown' picked him up and ran with him in his arms to Whiston hospital which would have been a good 3/4 mile.