As team boss of the national team, Franz Beckenbauer led Germany to the World Cup final in 1986 and finally to the title in Italy in 1990. A triumph that finally made him a legend.
On June 20, 1984, the German national team lost 0-1 to Spain in the preliminary round of the European Championships and was eliminated from the tournament. There was no longer any support for national coach Jupp Derwall; he had to submit his resignation. This was the start of the search for a successor.
In his column at BILD, Franz himself analyzed who could take over the office. That's when his journalist colleagues came up with the idea: “Franz, why don't you do it yourself? “That's how team boss Franz Beckenbauer came up with the idea.
DFB President Hermann Neuberger liked the proposal and offered Franz a contract. On June 27, 1984, it was clear that Franz would be responsible for the German national team. Officially, however, he did not have the title of “national trainer”, but “team boss.” The reason: He did not have a coaching license. In order to comply with the regulations, he was assisted by fellow trainers with full licenses: First Horst Köppel, later Berti Vogts.
Public enthusiasm quickly sparked. For many fans, the return of the “Kaiser” was a signal for a real new start. Franz himself took on the task with a mix of composure and determination. He was not a man for long tactical training courses, but pragmatically relied on clear instructions, psychological instinct and let the players play what they did best.
The first games were moderate, causing the initial euphoria to abate somewhat. But miracles were not to be expected: “Many thought that within half a year, you would be able to get out of a valley back to the top of the world. That won't work. It took ten years, from 1974 to 1984, to reach this bottom. ”
The first major test was qualifying for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which succeeded confidently. Highlights included a 5-1 against Czechoslovakia and a 2-0 against Sweden. The 1986 World Cup finally went better than expected by Franz and many experts. Although the team played a different, less aesthetic style than Beckenbauer and Netzer had once shaped it, the German team reached the final and became runner-up world champion. This marked the start of an extremely successful phase: the 1988 European championship semi-final and finally the 1990 World Cup title.
Looking back, the fact that Franz took over as team boss despite not having a license proved to be one of the bravest and most momentous steps in the history of the DFB.
