In the early morning of January 9 (Vietnam time), the world of football expressed regret after the news of legend Franz Beckenbauer's passing away at the age of 78. Three days before, Mario Zagallo - another Brazilian legend, also passed away at the age of 92.
Zagallo and Beckenbauer are two of three world champions in both player and coaching positions. That alone shows their specialness.
nickname "Emperor"
As for Beckenbauer, he will always have a place in football history with the invention of the libero role. Of course, his career has been associated with many successes with Bayern Munich, the German national team and a number of other teams.
He has one of the best and most special nicknames ever and, like his recent Eddy The Cannibal Merckx in cycling, the nickname Der Kaiser is both appropriate and an introduction to him.
Where this nickname comes from has long been a separation of views. Some say that Beckenbauer was asked to pose next to the half- body statue of a real emperor.
Others aimed for an action on the pitch, when he easily defeated the German opponent known as the King.
In any case, Beckenbauer always has something of a chinhcian, whether as a player, coach or manager.
He seems to be cut from a fabric different from most football players, despite coming from a modest working class in Munich devastated by war.
Certainly, Beckenbauer's nickname has given him more sympathy than Eric Cantona's mockery of "The Water Carrier" targeted Didier Deschamps, before his French name became the third World Cup winner as both a coach and player.
Zagallo is sometimes called the "Profesor", sometimes the "Old Wolf" (a Chinese wordplay), but even that lacks the majesty of Der Kaiser.
glorious achievements
Of the three, Zagallo's World Cup record is perhaps most notable, having won two tournaments as a player (1958 and 1962), one as a coach (1970) and one as an assistant coach in 1994.
However, Beckenbauer is not too far behind. He was runner-up as a player in 1966 and coach in 1986.
He won the championship as captain in 1974 and coach in 1990, before entering the field of sports politics to bring the 2006 World Cup to Germany in the race for the title with England.
Famous scandal
Perhaps it is not surprising that Beckenbauer cannot escape his relationship with FIFA with a complete reputation.
Fake declarations and money laundering were among the allegations when criminal proceedings were opened against him in 2016, mostly amounting to 6.7 million Euros that no one involved in the 2006 bidding could explain.
Swiss federal investigators raided his home in Salzburg for evidence. Beckenbauer is determined to be innocent but is starting to step away from the public, while pointing out that health problems are real.
No conclusions have been reached. The Beckenbauer corruption trial ended without a verdict in April 2020.
And now there may never be such a conclusion.
The best person
In his career, if Johan Cruyff had not turned around - but now people call him Cruyff turn - perhaps Beckenbauer is better than anyone else in choosing the right time to handle it perfectly. When the 60s entered the 70s, he was a completely modern football player, always trying to stay ahead of the times.
Although the World Cup has brought Beckenbauer much of his global fame, in Germany he is often considered Mr. Bayern Munich, a figure that means remarkable success for that club despite growing up as a fan of 1860 Munich - the more successful club in Bavaria at that time.
At club level, Beckenbauer has re-determined the role of a full-back to make the most of his attacking and defensive abilities. With Bayern dominating Germany and the European Cup.
In fact, in terms of achievements, very little of his football career can compare with what Beckenbauer has shown. Although there may be better players - not many - Der Kaiser has achieved outstanding results in a reliable way.
