As soon as the news of Franz Beckenbauer’s death spread, all the ambivalence and obscurity that had surrounded him in his final years fell off the man’s public image like an old coat. What is now heard when people speak about him are words of gratitude and admiration. The beauty of his playing, the elegance of his movements, the effortlessness of his performance are incomparable! And best of all: this shine, it seemed, also fell on us.
We Germans are rather reluctant to remember events that occurred a little further back than the early 1950s. However, we think with joy of the four world championships and three European championship titles that “we” have won since then.
