Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho de Assis Moreira was born on 21st March, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

He helped Brazil win the World under-17 Championship in Egypt. During the competition he was scouted by local club Gremio and signed his first professional contract.
In 1999, after hitting 15 goals in 14 games for Gremio, Ronaldinho won his first senior cap for Brazil against Latvia. After shining in that match he made Brazil's Copa America squad and scored an incredible goal against Venezuela as Brazil won the trophy.

Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Brazil against Saudi Arabia in the Confederations Cup semi-finals later that year.
In 2001 he left Gremio for Paris St. Germain (PSG) but was unable to make his debut because of contract rows, until 3 months later when FIFA stepped in.
In 2002 Ronaldinho was voted France's player of the month for January after hitting 6 goals in 7 games for PSG.
In June of that year he scored the famous free-kick against David Seaman in Brazil's World Cup Quarter Finals match against England (but was it a cross?), however later in that match he got a red card. After being suspended in the semis Ronaldinho won the World Cup with Brazil, playing in the final against Germany.
In the 2003 summer transfer market he rejected Manchester United to join Spanish side Barcelona for £21m.
After playing well for Barca Ronaldinho was named as one of the 11 greatest living footballers, announced by FIFA and chosen by Brazil legend Pele.
Then, Ronaldinho scored 15 league goals to inspire an improved Barcelona to 2nd place in La Liga. Soon after he suffered the first major injury of his career and missed Brazil's Copa America campaign.
Ronaldinho pleased Barcelona fans by turning down Chelsea and agreeing a new contract. In December he was named best player in the world for 2004 by FIFA beating Shevchenko and Henry to first place.
Six months later Ronaldinho helped Barcelona to win La Liga 2005 easily outdoing rivals Real Madrid.
In September 2005 Ronaldinho added to his bulging trophy cabinet when he won the FIFPro's World Player of the Year in a poll of 38,000 professional football players in 40 countries. Wayne Rooney won the young player award.
In November 2005 Ronaldinho was named 2005 European Footballer of the Year - the award known as the Ballon D'Or is voted for by European football journalists selected by French magazine France Football.
The 2005/2006 season ended in excellent fashion for Barca and Ronaldinho after they won both La Liga and the Champions League.
Ronaldinho played in the Brazilian World Cup 2006 squad, however Brazil did not shine and went out in the quarter-finals.
In July 2008, AC Milan and Barcelona reached an agreement over the transfer of Ronaldinho.
On 11 May 2010, Ronaldinho was left out of Brazil's World Cup squad of 23. 

Ruud Gullit

Name :              Ruud Gullit                     
Date of birth :    September 1,  1962
Place of birth:    Amsterdam


Ruud Gullit (September 1, 1962, Amsterdam) was a Dutch star football player of the 80s and 90s. He was European Footballer of the Year in 1987, and World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987.

Gullit was born as Rudd Dil in Amsterdam, and his career started with Haarlem before moving to Feyenoord and then PSV Eindhoven. He was taken to Italy by Silvio Berlusconi, who paid the then record fee of �6 million for him. Playing for the great A.C. Milan team of the late 1980s, which starred, among others, fellow countrymen Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, Italian world class players Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi, he helped Milan capture three Serie A titles and two European Cups (1989, 1990) during Milan's amazing five year reign from 1988-1992. He was well known for his heading and jumping ability, among his other creative talents as an outstanding offensive midfielder. Widely agreed to be one of the best and most creative players from the Netherlands, he was also one of the core group of players that led the Netherlands to the Euro 88 title, to date, the
only international title the Netherlands has achieved.

In July 1995 he signed for Chelsea on a free transfer. Initially played as sweeper by manager Glenn Hoddle, with limited success, Gullit was moved to his more familiar role in midfield, where he scored six goals. In the summer of 1996, Hoddle left to become manager of the England national team and Gullit was appointed player-manager.

He made a promising start to his managerial career. In his first season as player-manager, Gullit guided Chelsea to an FA Cup win in 1997, the club's first major trophy for 26 years and in doing so became the first overseas manager to win that trophy. He also guided the team to a credible sixth place finish in the Premiership in the same year. The following season appeared to be going well, with Chelsea second in the Premiership and in the quarter-finals of two cup competitions, when he was sacked, allegedly after a disagreement with the club's board over pay.

He was appointed manager of Newcastle United in 1998 where success was initially promised, with an FA Cup Final appearance in his first season. The following season, however, results and fans began to turn against him, and a well-publicised contretemps with star striker and local hero Alan Shearer did his survival prospects no favours. He also fell out with Newcastle captain Robert Lee. Ruud Gullit resigned as manager of Newcastle United only 5 games into the 1999-2000 season, following a home defeat to local rivals Sunderland. Popular opinion had it that he resigned as manager before he was pushed out. He spent several years limited to occasional football punditry. Gullit became manager of Feyenoord before the start of the 2004/2005 season. However, he resigned at the end of the same season without winning any trophies. 

www.netglimse.com

Pele

 

 Name        Edson Arantes do Nascimento

 Born          23 october 1940 (Sao Paolo, Brazil)

 Position     Stiker

 Caps         91(77 goals)

 Clubs        Santos, New York Cosmos

 Trophies    Brazil

                  3x World Champion (1958,1962,1970)

                  Santos

                  2x Intercontinental Cup (1962,1963)

                  2x Copa Libertadores (1962,1963)

                  6x Brazilian Champion (1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,

                  1968)

                  Nes York Cosmos

                  1x U.S. Champion (1977)

 Honors      1x IFFHS Player of the Century

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more widely admired by the world as "Pelé", was born on October 23, 1940, in a small village in Brasil called Três Corações in the Brasilian state of Minas Gerais. He was baptized in the municipal church called Igreja da Sagrada Família de Jesus, Maria e José. His father, João Ramos do Nascimento, or Dondinho, as he was known in the soccer world, was also a professional player. He was well-known as one of the best-heading players in his time. He was a center forward for Fluminense until an injury kept him from playing professional division one soccer. His mother Celeste gave Pelé and the rest of his family attention to their needs and a lot of love. When he was a child, Pelé and his family moved to Baurú, in the interior of the Brasilian state of São Paulo, where he learned to master the art of futebol. One day he himself confessed that he "tinha três corações [had three hearts]", referring to the city where he was born, Três Corações, and to Baurú and Santos.

Pelé's Career

Pelé's first job was shining shoes. But he had always dreamed of playing soccer.

Pelé's soccer career started early. After playing in a few amateur teams like Baquinho and Sete Setembro, at the age of 11, while playing for an uncoached team called Ameriquinha, he was discovered by a former Brasilian World Cup player named Waldemar de Brito. De Brito recognized Pelé's skills and invited him to join the team he was organizing (Clube Atlético Baurú?). When Pelé was fifteen, in 1956, de Brito took him to the city of São Paulo to try out for the professional club called Santos Futebol Clube (SFC). That day, de Brito told the team directors that "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world."

Pelé's first show came on September 7, 1956, when he played in place of the center forward Del Vecchio. He came into the game to score the sixth of the seven goals in the 7-1 Santos victory. He scored his goal on the 36th minute, in a play between Raimundinho and Tite. The ball was given to Pelé in the box, and even though he was surrounded by defenders, he shot on goal and the ball went under goalkeeper Zaluar's body. Zaluar became famous as the first goalkeeper to take a goal from the great Pelé. From there, the trip to the summit was fast. In his first league game with Santos, he scored four goals. The next season, he was a regular starter and came out score leader of the São Paulo state league, with 32 goals.

Frustration for Corinthians

For 10 years, while Pelé played in Santos, Corinthians do Parque de São Jorge didn't win a single game against the team. The scores are as follows:

14 September 1958 - Santos 1-0, goal by Pelé
07 December 1958 - Santos 6-1, four goals by Pelé
30 April 1959 - Santos 3-2, one goal by Pelé
26 August 1959 - Santos 3-2, one goal by Pelé
27 December 1959 - Santos 4-1, two goals by Pelé
31 July 1960 - Tied score of 1-1, goal by Pelé
30 November 1960 - Santos 6-1, one goal by Pelé
03 December 1960 - Tied score of 1-1
23 September 1962 - Santos 5-2, one goal by Pelé
03 November 1962 - Santos 2-1, one goal by Pelé
03 March 1963 - Santos 2-0, two goals by Pelé
21 September 1963 - Santos 3-1, three goals by Pelé
14 December 1963 - Tied score of 2-2, Pelé did not play
18 March 1964 - Santos 3-0, one goal by Pelé
30 September 1964 - Tied score of 1-1, goal by Pelé
06 December 1964 - Santos 7-4, four goals by Pelé
15 April 1965 - Tied score of 4-4, four goals by Pelé
29 August 1965 - Santos 4-3, two goals by Pelé
14 November 1965 - Santos 4-2, one goal by Pelé
08 October 1966 - Santos 3-0
17 December 1966 - Tied score of 1-1, Pelé did not play
13 May 1967 - Tied score of 1-1, goal by Pelé
10 September 1967 - Santos 2-1, Pelé did not play
10 December 1967 - Santos 2-1, one goal by Pelé

The first game Corinthians won after this period was on March 6, 1968, by a score of 2-0.

Not long after Pelé's first season with SFC, Sylvio Pirilo, Brasil's national coach at the time, called Pelé to his squad. When Pelé was sixteen, on July 7th, 1957, he played for the first time for the Brasilian national team against Argentina's squad, and scored the one goal for Brasil in their 2-1 loss. And then the World Cup of 1958 came, and the world got to know the Black Pearl. His dazzling speed and rocketing shots made the jaws of many drop to the floor. All he had to do was walk onto the grass and the crowd would explode into wild batucadas and resonating chants. The nickname "The King" was given to Pelé by the French press in 1961 after he played a few matches with SFC in Europe.

Pelé in the World Cup

Pelé played in four World Cups: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, England 1966, and Mexico 1970. He scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches.

Sweden 1958

The first game Pelé played in in this world cup was Brasil's third, versus the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). He was put in the game by request of the leaders of the team, who spoke to Vicente Feola about putting Pelé and Garrincha on the field after winning their first game versus Austria 3-0 and drawing against England 0-0. In that game against the USSR, Pelé did not score, but Brasil won 2-0 with two goals by Vavá. In the next game, Pelé scored the only goal. In the semi-finals against France, which Brasil won 5-2, Pelé had a hat trick, and Vavá and Didi each scored one goal. In the final against Sweden, Pelé scored two goals (see goal video), Vavá scored twice, and Zagalo scored once to prevail over the Swedes 5-2.

Chile 1962

Right on in the first Brasilian game, versus Mexico, Pelé scored one goal, and Brasil won the game. Unfortunately, this cup, even though it was to be Pelé's cup, ended early for the great star. After ten minutes into the game against Czechoslovakia, he pulled a muscle and was out of the tournament. The cup then became Mané Garrincha's cup, while Amarildo substituted for Pelé.

England 1966

Everything seemed to have gone wrong for Brasil in this cup. Somehow, 43 players were called to the squad, and when the team went to Europe, two of their best players, goalkeeper Valdir and forward Servílio, were cut out. In the first game, Brasil beat Bulgaria by a score of 2-0, with one goal by Pelé and the other by Garrincha. Then the team lost against Hungary 3-1, and in the next game, Pelé was violently forced out of the match because of injuries inflicted by the Portuguese twice before he was kept out of the game for its remainder.

Mexico 1970

This was the Cup that let Brasil take the Jules Rimet home to stay. In the first game, they triumphed over Czechoslovakia 4-1, with two goals by Jairzinho, one by Pelé, and one by Rivelino. Following in the Checks' footsteps, England was beaten 1-0, with a goal by Jairzinho. Another victory came versus Romania, which Brasil won 3-2 with two goals by Pelé and one by Jairzinho. Brasil then beat Peru by a score of 4-2. In the semifinal against Uruguay, Brasil came over the top with a score of 3-1. The final game was against Italy, which Brasil won 4-1 with goals from Pelé (see goal video), Gérson, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto. In this cup Pelé had the 3 best "almost goals" in history, and gave the English goalkeeper Banks fame for the best save in the history of the world cup when Banks stopped one of Pelé's headers.

Three Seasons with the New York Cosmos

"It all started in 1971 when I was with Santos FC in Kingston, Jamaica, and received a visit from Mr. Clive Toye, general manager of a new team in New York called Cosmos; Phill Woosnam, who later would become a member of the NASL; and Kurt Lamm, general secretary of the US Soccer Ferderation. They wanted to know if I wanted to play in the United States for the Cosmos when I retired from Santos. When professor Mazzei translated their intentions, I said, 'Professor, tell them they're crazy! I will never play for anyone else after Santos!' Three years later, after my last game for Santos, Clive Toye called me from New York and said that the Cosmos wanted to talk to me about a possible contract. And after six months of meetings all over the world, messages, telegrams, phone calls, I decided to accept the proposition from Warner Communications, owner of the New York Cosmos, to return to the professional life for three more seasons."

-Pelé
Peles Homepage.

The Unforgettable Pelé

Pelé was a man who could move masses. In the late 1960's, when he and his team, Santos, went to Nigeria to play a few friendly matches, the ongoing civil war stopped for the duration of his visit. When he came to the United States to play for the New York Cosmos he brought thousands to the stadium all by himself. Pelé was and still is an idol to billions of people. His name is said throughout the world with a lot of respect in the air.

Many famous names have attributed famous quotes about Pelé:

"'How do you spell Pelé?' G-O-D."
The Sunday Times, London newspaper.

"If Pelé hadn't been born a man, he would have been born a ball."
Armando Nogueira, Brasilian journalist.

"Scoring 1,000 goals like Pelé is not that difficult, but scoring one goal like Pelé is."
Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Brasilian poet.

"After the fifth goal I wanted to applaud him."
Sigge Parling, Swedish defender that was marking Pelé throughout the final of the 1958 World Cup.

"I thought: he is made of flesh and bone like me. I was wrong."
Tarciso Burnigch, Italian defender that was marking Pelé throughout the final of the 1970 World Cup.

"Wow, man, you're popular!"
Robert Redford after seeing Pelé give dozens of autographs in New York while he was not asked for one.

"Pelé will never die."
Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Pelé.

 

In 1993, Pelé was inducted to the United States Soccer Hall of Fame. After a trip to Lima, Peru, to play a game, an inscription was placed on the stadium wall: "Here played Pelé". Once he even stopped a war in Nigeria: A 48-hour armistice was signed with Biafra so that both sides could go watch Pelé play a round of exhibition matches. When he left the national team on July 18, 1971, 200,000 people grieved in the monumental Maracanã, and he gave his historic number 10 jersey to a ten-year-old boy.

Pelé is the only person to have won three world cups as a player (1958, 1962, and 1970), and scored 1,281 (or 1284) goals in 1,363 professional games, which is probably the all-time record in soccer. That's a lifetime goal average of 0.93 goals per game. In 1959 he established the Paulist (São Paulo) league goal-scoring record for one season - 126 goals. On November 21, 1964, he scored eight goals in one game against Botafogo of Rio de Janeiro. On November 19, 1969, he scored his famous 1,000th goal from a penalty kick on the 34th minute of the game against Vasco da Gama and dedicated it "...para as criancinhas pobres do Brasil...." (to the poor little children of Brasil) and to the elderly and suffering peoples of Brasil. Pelé also participated in what is known to be the "Golden Age" of the Libertadores Cup from 1960 to 1963, during which the great Uruguayan team Peñarol faced the legendary Santos for the final games. Peñarol won in 1960 and 61, while Santos took the championship the other two years.

Pelé defined the role of the playmaker/midfielder type. He led some of the greatest Brasilian players of all time - Vavá, Didi, Garrincha, and others. Many said Pelé would have been the best in any position he played. Pelé once insisted to the manager of Santos that he play goalkeeper. On January 19, 1964, he substituted Santos goalkeepr Gilmar, who had been ejected, in the semi-final game of the Brasil Cup. For five minutes, after scoring three goals, Pelé played with the number one jersey and made two spectacular saves that saved Santos the spot in the finals.

The Farewell from Santos

Pelé played his last 21 minutes for Santos Futebol Clube in a game on October 3, 1974, starting at 9:08 PM. Santos won the game 2-0 against Ponte Preta, with a goal by Cláudio Adão and an own goal by Geraldo. But the game had ended to the fans when

"Aos 21 minutos de jogo, quando Pelé, inesperadamente, pegou a bola com as mãos, ajoelhou-se no meio do gramado e ergueu os braços, a torcida que estava em Vila Belmiro não pôde negar-se a um momento de surpresa. Mas, foi apenas um momento. Logo, ela compreendeu que Pelé estava determinando o final de sua carreira de maior jogador de futebol de todos os tempos."

[At the 21st minute, when Pelé unexpectedly picked the ball up with both hands, kneeled in the middle of the field, and raised his arms, the crowd at Vila Belmiro had a minute of surprise. But, it was only a minute. Soon the crowd understood that Pelé was determining the end of his career as the best soccer player of all time.]

This was the end of Pelé's career with the striped Santos jersey. After that the great Pelé was brought to the United States by the New York Cosmos in an attempt to popularize the sport in the country. And one thing Pelé could do perfectly was popularize anything he wanted with his grandness, talent, and universal image.

Diego Maradona

One of the age-old debates in soccer centers on who is the best player of all time: Pele or Maradona?

The argument is multifaceted, but if one of the deciding factors were controversy, Diego Armando Maradona would win hands down.

From his infamous 'Hand of God' goal to the firing of a compressed air rifle at reporters outside his house, Maradona's past is checkered, but his genius never questioned.

His technique was sublime and left-foot magical. His strength, dribbling skills and close control combined to take him past defenders, the end result often a goal or an assist for a teammate.

In his autobiography, Maradona appears to harbor resentment against many in the game, those he believes have wronged him over the years. He is nothing if not honest about his feelings, and his outspoken views continue to cause a stir in in the game, long after retiring as a player in 1997.

Quick Facts:

* Name: Diego Arman do Maradona
* Nationality: Argentinean
* Date and Place of Birth: October 30, 1960 in Lanus, Argentina
* Position: Attacking Midfielder/Second Striker
* Clubs: Argentinos Juniors (1976-1981), Boca Juniors (1981-1982), Barcelona (1982-1984), Napoli (1984-1991), Sevilla (1992-93), Newell's Old Boys (1993), Boca Juniors (1995-1997)
* International Career: 1977-1994 (91 caps, 34 goals)

The Early Years:

Maradona was raised in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires. One of six children in a poor family, he says in his autobiography that his father never allowed him to go without a meal, but that he had to work in a factory from 4 am each day to do so.

El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Boy) made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors against Talleres de Córdoba on October 20, 1976, just 10 days short of his 16th birthday. He scored in excess of 100 goals for the club, but despite his mesmerizing form, a call-up from Cesar Luis Menotti for the 1978 World Cup was not forthcoming.

Maradona joined Boca Juniors in 1981, although it was only a fleeting stay. He helped them win the championship before moving to Barcelona.
Controversy in Barcelona:

His transfer fee was a world record but Maradona found the temptations of the city too much to resist, and it was in 1983 that he allegedly started using cocaine.

The city holds few pleasant memories for Maradona. He rowed with directors, suffered a bout of hepatitis, had his leg broken by the "Butcher of Bilbao" Andoni Goikoetxea, while failing to win a league or European title. He did win a Spanish Cup and the now defunct League Cup, but it was a period of underachievement.

A move to Napoli would re-ignite his career.
Napoli's Favorite Son:

El Diego came to be idolized by the Napoli fans as he led the club to Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990. This was an astounding feat, and a proud era for the south of Italy in their quest to compete with the north and such powerhouse clubs as Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Maradona's characteristics matched those of the city and its people; defiant, unapologetic and passionate. The tifosi (fans) adored him and he paid them back with a string of beautiful goals and a genuine affinity for the club. Napoli also won the 1987 Coppa Italia and the 1989 Uefa Cup as Maradona's presence ushered in an era of unprecedented success at the Stadio San Paolo.

But his drug addiction continued, and a 15-month suspension after failing a drug test for cocaine saw him leave the country in disgrace. Links with the city's Mafia - the Camorra - also did little to enhance his reputation and he left for Spain in 1992.

A move to Sevilla didn't work out and after a brief stint at Newell's Old Boys, he finished his career at his beloved Boca Juniors.
International Career:

One of Maradona's fondest memories is playing for his country in the 1979 World Youth Championship in Japan. He inspired his team-mates to victory, in the process putting behind him the disappointment of not traveling to the World Cup the year before.

Spectators at the 1982 World Cup did not see the best of Diego, although he did score twice against Hungary. His tournament ended in controversy, as he was sent-off against Brazil after getting frustrated with the tight marking of the Selecao defenders.

Four years later in Mexico, the captain brought his 'A' game, scoring five times, including that famous double against England. The first was his 'Hand of God' effort as he punched the ball over goalkeeper Peter Shilton and into the net. His second was sublime as he beat every player in his path and rounded the goalkeeper. Another brace against Italy carried his side into the final, where they beat West Germany 3-2.

Maradona also helped Argentina progress to the final in Italy four years later, but his contribution was hindered by an ankle injury. None of his determination had been diminished, however, but he could do nothing to stop a 1-0 defeat to West Germany in the final.

El Pibe was sent home in disgrace from the 1994 World Cup in the USA after two matches. He scored against Greece but after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping, FIFA expelled him from the tournament.

Thirty-four goals in 91 internationals makes Maradona Argentina's second highest scorer after Gabriel Batistuta, but it was more than just goals he brought to the table during one of soccer’s most controversial careers.





-worldsoccer.about.com-

Franz Beckenbauer

Nicknamed Der Kaiser ("The Emperor"), Franz Beckenbauer is the only person who has captained and coached a World Cup winning side.

The German was grace personified, the way be carried the ball out of defense as a libero. Indeed, in any conversation about the position of sweeper, Beckenbauer is the name that invariably comes to mind.

Still strongly involved in the game today, and one of the main protagonists in bringing the World Cup to Germany in 2006, Beckenbauer must look back with relish on a club career that garnered eight league titles in Germany and the USA.

Quick Facts:

• Name: Franz Anton Beckenbauer
• Nationality: German
• Date and Place of Birth: September 11, 1945 in Munich, Germany
• Position: Sweeper
• Clubs: Bayern Munich (1964-1977), New York Cosmos (1977-1980), Hamburg (1980-1982), New York Cosmos (1980)
• International Career: 1965-1977 (103 caps, 14 goals)

The Bayern Munich Years:

Beckenbauer began his career at the age of nine in the youth team of SC Munchen 06. Despite harboring dreams of playing for 1860 Munich, the team he supported, Der Kaiser joined Bayern in 1958 and in his first season in the regional league, the team won promotion to the recently formed Bundesliga.

With the likes of Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier in the line-up, Bayern soon became a force, winning the German Cup and European Cup Winners Cup in 1967.

Beckenbauer became captain for the 1968-69 season and led the club to their first league title. It was around this time that he started experimenting with the sweeper role, and emerged as a major weapon for his team on the counterattack. From his starting position behind the central defenders, Beckenbauer was able to act as a last line of defense while also pushing forward to attack whenever possible.

He won three more league titles and three European Cups in a row from 1974 to 1976 as Bayern swiftly emerged as a genuine superpower in the world game.

Twice selected European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer played 427 matches for Bayern, scoring 60 goals, before moving to New York Cosmos at the age of 32.

Pastures New:

Beckenbauer joined the Cosmos at a time when the game was becoming more popular in the States, although it could hardly be claimed he developed as a player after the move. But he performed well, winning three Soccer Bowls and two Trans-Atlantic Championships, playing in a Ralph Lauren-designed kit in front of club record crowds. He also teamed up in defense with fellow World Cup winner Carlos Alberto.

In 1980 he joined Hamburg, staying for two seasons and winning one Bundesliga title. He would spend one final year with the Cosmos in 1983 and it is fair to say his time in New York boosted the game stateside.

International Career:

After making his debut for West Germany at 20, Beckenbauer went on to play in three World Cups.

He scored two goals against Switzerland at the 1966 World Cup held in England, but could not prevent his side losing to the hosts in the final.

Four years later Beckenbauer was again involved as West Germany reached the semi-finals, before losing 4-3 to Italy. Der Kaiser played the match with a dislocated shoulder, but looks back fondly on a colorful tournament in Mexico.

Beckenbauer was in his pomp in 1974, playing in his favored position as a libero. Alongside the likes of Muller, Maier and Paul Breitner, West Germany triumphed on home turf, beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final.

He won 103 caps for his country, becoming the first player to go past the 100 mark.

Also a European Champion with West Germany in 1972, Beckenbauer's glittering career was laden with trophies. His achievement of winning the World Cup as a coach in 1990 and leading the country's bid to host the event in 2006 make him one of the most influential figures the game has ever seen.