Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbaueris a German former professional footballer and manager. Early in his playing career he was nicknamed Der Kaiserbecause of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the field, and also as his first name "Franz" is reminiscent of the Austrian emperors. He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. A versatile player who started out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer made his name as a central defender. He is often...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth11 September 1945
CityMunich, Germany
CountryGermany
It's quite possible that Beckham suffers from a mental block at big tournaments
At the World Cup and even now at the Confederations Cup, our security provisions will ensure the greatest level of protection possible for all those participating - both inside and outside the stadiums.
The Olympic stadium may have been built only in the early 1970s but it was clear for a long time it had no future. For many reasons it is not good enough for modern football and today's fans.
The Netherlands have great strikers... but they are only playing one. They are depriving themselves of their best qualities and shooting themselves in the foot.
The most important thing however is the money. What use would it be to us, to have a a mighty stadium but a useless team, because we couldn't afford anything better?
For example, Michael Jordan earns $100million a year but continues to play basketball and remains a modest human being.
Rugby is a different game. There is an interruption every two minutes also in American football. Our soccer is a moving game: play, play, play, move, move - you don't interrupt.
I kept my speeches short as captain. I focused on the key points of the opposition of the day. As coach, I was never afraid to give long speeches to the players throughout our preparations. It was important they had all the information possible.
At least six Bayern players, who have won almost everything, are in the national squad.
We should not fool ourselves. We are not one of the world's top teams any more.
At any rate, I can only see such a success having positive effects for everyone, particularly as our anticipation of the World cup would only increase further.
Back then, a half-a-century ago, the situation was totally different. Economically, we were practically on our knees, and politically, we were still excluded from the community of nations. Today, in this respect, we have a totally different and much more stable basis.
Certainly it is a different world for players nowadays. But it depends on the individual.
German football is like English football. The Germans and the English do not play like a Brazilian side. They have to improve, bring up their young players, who have character.