Franz Beckenbauer trophies won: World Cup, Ballon d'Or records and titles of Germany legend who died in 2024

2024-06-14
6 min read
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Franz Beckenbauer, who died aged 78 at the start of 2024, was one of the finest footballers of all time and a trailblazer who will be remembered as Germany's greatest ever player.

His death was mourned by former teammates, opponents and the footballing world, alongside his family as Germany remembered a pioneer on and off the pitch.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner won titles in three countries as a manager and player, as well as the FIFA World Cup from the dugout. As a player, the 'Libero' position will be something he'll always be remembered for creating.

The Sporting News takes a look at the trophies Beckenbauer won in an extraordinary career spanning six decades in the sport.

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Franz Beckenbauer trophies with clubs: What did he win as a player?

Beckenbauer won 18 major trophies in all as a player, 16 of which came with his clubs. A total of 12 were for German giants Bayern Munich, who he joined as a youth player in 1959 and made his senior debut for in 1964.

Bayern won UEFA Champions League predecessor the European Cup in three successive campaigns with Beckenbauer. The first of those came in the same season when the player known as 'Der Kaiser' made it three Bundesliga titles in a row, winning the last of his German league titles with the club.

The first major trophy Beckenbauer won with Bayern was German cup competition the DFB-Pokal in 1966 – the same year in which he reached the World Cup final for the first time, losing 4-2 to England at Wembley Stadium with West Germany.

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Three of his trophies were with US team the New York Cosmos, winning annual championship game the Soccer Bowl in three of the five seasons he spent there between 1977 and 1980 and for a single season in 1983.

In between, he returned to Germany to add to his haul of Bundesliga titles by winning the top flight again with Hamburg in 1982.

Beckenbauer had also won second tier the Regionalliga Sud – now known as the 2. Bundesliga – with Bayern in 1964/65, as well as the 1976 edition of the Intercontinental Cup, which was a competition contested between European and South American clubs between 1980 and 2004.

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Bayern Munich

Trophy Seasons
Bundesliga 1968/69, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1973/74
DFB-Pokal 1965/66, 1966/67, 1968/69, 1970/71
European Cup 1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76
European Cup Winners' Cup 1966/67

New York Cosmos

Trophy Seasons
North American Soccer League 1977, 1978, 1980

Hamburg

Trophy Seasons
Bundesliga 1981/82
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Franz Beckenbauer Germany record: World Cup, Euro wins as player

A year after the first of his 50 appearances as Germany captain, Beckenbauer lifted the first of his two major titles with his country at Euro 1972.

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Then known as West Germany, the nation also reached the 1976 final of the competition, losing on penalties to Czechoslovakia, a year before Beckenbauer's retirement from international football.

Inspired by Beckenbauer, West Germany's 1974 World Cup triumph on home soil made them the first European country to hold the Jules Rimet trophy and the European Championship at the same time.

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Franz Beckenbauer managerial record: Which trophies did he win?

Beckenbauer won an additional four major trophies as a manager, starting with the 1990 World Cup in Italy as West Germany manager and ending with the UEFA Cup – now known as the Europa League – in 1996 with Bayern Munich.

A year after winning the World Cup, he won a league title in a new country by guiding Marseille to glory in France in 1991.

His final stint as Bayern boss was in 1996, but he remained hugely influential in the game, serving as the club's president between 1994 and 2009 and leading Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

MORE: Players to win World Cup, European Cup and Ballon d'Or

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West Germany

Trophy Year
World Cup 1990

Marseille

Trophy Seasons
Ligue 1 1990/91

Bayern

Trophy Seasons
Bundesliga 1993/94
UEFA Cup 1995/96
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Franz Beckenbauer Ballon d'Or wins: Which defenders have won it?

Beckenbauer was the first defender to win the most prestigious individual award in football and is the only player in his position to have won it twice, taking the honour in 1972 and 1976.

If that suggests a special level of achievement is required for a defender to prevail, Beckenbauer managed it in game-changing style.

The Libero role saw him operate as the bold deepest defender – frequently in a back five – and set the pace of the game, often through visionary passing and a beguiling mix of composure, control and technique.

Germany sweeper Matthias Sammer collected the trophy in 1996. Italy's Fabio Cannavaro is the only other defender to have won it, in 2006.