I’m not paying him a million to play defence’.

‘Most players would beat me in a race from A to B’, – the words of the late great ‘der Kaiser’ who shook off this mortal coil today – ‘but the thing is, I never start from A’. As we all know the much decorated Beckenbauer won it all including the 74 World Cup where an inferior Germany outmanoeuvred the fancied Netherlands. His club side Munich would beat Leeds in the 75 European cup which even the Germans admit was a travesty of justice which saw a goal for Leeds chalked off for no reason known to man. When the Leeds fans kicked off afterwards beckenbauer quipped, ‘Leeds and their fans deserve each other’.

But his achievements spoke for themselves and he was so good he started a World Cup semi final with his arm in a sling. In 66 his manager used him to do no more that put Charlton out of the game which he largely did but a waste all the same. In 74 it was widely assumed that he was picking the team as well as captain and the manager (Schoen) was only a token figure. Whatever about that, he finished up in america playing for New York where the the billionaire who signed him was horrified to see him playing in the back four. ‘Tell the kraut to play offence he screamed at the manager, I’m not paying him a million to play defence’. As ever the Americans get the last word and as ever it’s always the wrong one.⚽️