Northern Ireland v Belarus (15/11/2024)

It was a World Cup warm-up for the Germans and a consolation prize for the lads in green who had narrowly failed to qualify for the tournament being played right next door to us in England. George Best was absent. Was he downhearted at missing the biggest stage on which to show off his talents? Beckenbauer was just 21 and a newcomer to the West Germany team, having made his debut the previous year. I don’t recall that he dominated that game as he would others later in his career. But I do remember taking note of the name and thinking that this tall, assured youngster would make an impact in the coming tournament. The match was hardly memorable. Without Bestie our lads lacked the spark to make things happen. Derek Dougan and Sammy Wilson up front got no change from an uncompromising German defence. The visitors seemed to conserve energy on such a hot day and strolled to a 2-0 win. Uwe Seeler and Alfred Heiss made Pat Jennings pick the ball out of the net. One interesting statistic was the appearance in our defence of John Napier of Bolton Wanderers. He was a raw youngster drafted into the team when Jim Nicholson withdrew injured. John Napier never won a second cap for Northern Ireland, but at least he could claim for the rest of his life that he had played against Beckenbauer, one of the all-time greats.

He was nicknamed Der Kaiser (The Emperor) by fans and reporters. On the pitch he was indeed an imperial presence. Tall, commanding and in full control of the ball, he made a dominating impression on the field. As team captain he marshalled his teammates like a great general. Everything about him said ‘here is a world class player’. It is no surprise that he won the World Cup as both player and manager. On the pitch he captained Bayern Munich when they won the European Cup three years running. He played for the West Germany team beaten by England in the 1966 World Cup final. In 1970 he inspired a team two goals down against England in the quarter-finals to come back and win 3-2. The West Germany victory in the 1974 World Cup final in Munich’s Olympic Stadium was remarkable because the Germans faced Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands, rated as the world’s best (by far) at that time. He ended his career in the star-studded New York Cosmos team which included Pele. Beckenbauer began as a conventional wing half or midfielder, but eventually developed into what the Italians call a libero, playing in front of the defence, covering his defenders but with the freedom to link with midfielders and set up attacks. It was in this role that he most resembled an emperor. As a manager Der Kaiser led the Germans to victory in the World Cup final of 1990. At club level he led Marseille to become French champions and European Cup finalists. Returning to Munich he won the league with Bayern and then the UEFA Cup. I was in the Windsor Park crowd on a sweltering hot day in early May 1966 when Beckenbauer strode on to the pitch.

IRISHFA.COM

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