The team qualified as group winners for the quarter-finals and there faced the favorites England of all people. Since several regular players dropped out, Schön had to put together an “emergency elf”. Morale was correspondingly subdued, which was also evident in the first few minutes. But the liberation came in the 26th minute: Uli Hoeness took the lead.

Netzer and Beckenbauer pushed the game forward again and again, but another goal was missed for a long time. In the 77th minute, the English managed to equalize. However, the brief shock was quickly overcome: A little later, Netzer converted a penalty that he had won himself. In the 88th minute, Gerd Müller made the decision with a score of 3:1. The victory went down in history as the “miracle of Wembley.” Franz was the tactical heart of this game: While Netzer initiated the offensive actions, he was the cool architect in the background: He intercepted attacks, prevented counterattacks and brought peace and structure to the German game with precise passes. BILD wrote enthusiastically about the “Ramba-Zamba soccer” by the duo Netzer and Beckenbauer.

In the semi-final against hosts Belgium, the team once again showed their class. Müller scored two goals, but it was Beckenbauer who laid the foundation for the game setup with overview and elegance. Belgium pushed hard at times, but the defensive held up. The Belgians' late goal didn't change anything anymore — Germany moved into the final against the Soviet Union.

The final was held in Brussels. Netzer conducted midfield, Müller scored twice, and Franz dominated the action from deep down. He pushed forward again and again, calmly resolved pressure situations and played passes that the Soviet pressing effortlessly outplayed. After just 57 minutes, it was 3:0 — confident, dominant, almost perfect. Germany had won the European Championships for the first time, with a team that played better than ever before.

Franz Beckenbauer was the pacemaker, the conductor, the man who set the rhythm. When the opponents put pressure on, he played calmly and clearly. When speed was required, he opened the field with clever advances. It was therefore only logical that he was also named Europe's Footballer of the Year in 1972.

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