MADRID, 9 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The world of football mourned this Monday the death, at the age of 78, of the German Franz Beckenbauer, the last exponent of the considered first 'magnificent 5', a global elite group that was also formed by the Spanish-Argentine Di Stéfano, the Dutchman Johan Cruyff , the Argentine Diego Armando Maradona and the Brazilian Pelé, all of them already deceased and who left an indelible legacy in the world of football in the 20th century.
Although the doubt continues as to which of the five was the best, all of them had a notable influence on the football of their respective eras, with titles, leadership and playing styles that were as characteristic as they were relevant.
Three of them, Di Stéfano, Beckenbauer and Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or, an honor that eluded Maradona and for which Pelé was not eligible because in his time the award was only given to Europeans. Two of them, the German and the Dutch, also achieved glory on the bench, with the Spanish-Argentine trying his luck and with success especially in Valencia and the Brazilian evading that responsibility.
The first to appear and begin to stir up history was Di Stéfano, for many the best Real Madrid player of all time. The Spanish-Argentine arrived at Chamartín in 1953, when the white club had not won the League for more than two decades. 11 years later, when he left the team, the Madridistas were considered the best club in Europe, after winning 5 European Cups, 7 Leagues, an Intercontinental Cup, a Cup and 2 Latin Cups.
The 'Saeta Rubia' decisively changed the history of Real Madrid and was the star of the Merengue team's attack in the second half of the 50s and early 60s, along with Kopa, Puskas, Gento and Rial. He captivated Madrid fans with the ability to generate football from a player without a fixed position, who began the play by going down to his own area, but also defined.
A transgressive '9' ahead of his time, with two Ballon d'Ors, but who, however, did not play in any World Cup -31 caps for Spain-, after an injury prevented him from being in Chile 1962, while in 1958 Spain did not qualify for the tournament.
'O REI', A MYTH SINCE THE AGE OF 17
Of the other four, Di Stéfano only met on the field, in a friendly in 1959, with the Brazilian Edson Arantes do Nascimento, 'Pelé', who did not hesitate in his opinion of the Madrid player. “He is the greatest,” he said on the day of him being the first mythical '10', another of the 'magnificent 5' and 'king' of the World Cups. The Brazilian, who died in December 2022, became a myth at just 17 years old, when he led Brazil to its first World Cup in 1958.
The 'artist' of the ball, also a figure from Santos with whom he won 2 Libertadores Cups, scored against Wales in the quarterfinals – the youngest scorer in the tournament and still is -, scored a hat-trick against France in the semi-finals and He closed his memorable first participation in the tournament with a double against Sweden in the final to seal Brazil's first star, which thus forgot the nightmare of the 'Maracanazo' of 1950.
That was the first great work of the Tres Coraçoes player, inventor of the 'jogo bonito' with a football that was as aesthetic as it was effective – he scored 757 goals, according to FIFA -. But if he was known as 'O Rei' it is because he won 3 World Cups, the most in history. In addition to the one already mentioned at the end of the 50s, he also won the World Cup in 1962 – he only played one game due to an injury – and 1970.
A REVOLUTIONARY 'KAISER'.
Precisely in that edition he coincided with Beckenbauer, although they did not see each other, since Italy cut short the dream of several generations by beating Germany in the semifinals, while Brazil did reach a final that they finally won. Although later, in 1977 and 1980, the two footballers were able to enjoy themselves as teammates in the New York Cosmos, a team that brought together two global legends.
The former German defender, like the other four, reinvented German football by pulling out a new position in the lineups: the libero. Beckenbauer played as a center back, but with freedom and without the obligation to score alongside him. Thanks to a wide and powerful stride, his excellent start with the ball, always with his eyes high, although without neglecting a precise location, due to his enormous capacity for deployment.
And to all this he added his leadership, both in one of the best Bayern Munich in history and in the German team. And 'El Kaiser' was key in the World Cup won by West Germany in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972, in a dominant team at the time. In addition to lifting four Bundesligas, four German Cups, three European Cups in a row (1974-1976), an Intercontinental Cup and a Cup Winners' Cup with the Bavarian team.
The German became both the only one of the four to boast a World Cup and a European Cup (although Pelé did win the Libertadores) and one of the three who achieved world glory as a player and coach, as he lifted the Jules Rimet Cup on the German bench in 1990. His team was runner-up in the world in 1986 and achieved third place in the 1988 European Championship. He also coached Bayern and won the League in 1994 and won the Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976.
'EL FLACO', A STYLIST WHO CHANGED THE HISTORY OF FC BARCELONA
In the 1974 World Cup, the center back had to defend the 'magical' Johan Cruyff in the final of the tournament, who finally fell to the German side, depriving the talented Dutch midfielder and his 'Clockwork Orange' of the coveted trophy. He will be the thorn in Cruyff's career, who will always be remembered for the beauty of his football and for his unsurpassed plasticity and quality.
The mythical '14' is a legend and icon of FC Barcelona, an entity he joined in 1973 and which he turned into a winner after years of sporting suffering. With Barça, he played 184 games, scored 51 goals and won a League and a Cup. To the Catalan team, where he won his second and third Ballon d'Or, he arrived from Ajax and became the best player in the world, after winning eight Leagues. and three European Cups, all of them consecutive between 1971 and 1973.
Somewhat anarchic player who managed to implement his playing philosophy as a coach in a FC Barcelona where his seal is still present. He built the 'Dream Team', based on offensive football and total care of the ball, with which he won the Champions League in 1992, the first major continental title of an entity that has not lost since then the philosophy that 'Flaco' implemented. ', winner of the Ballon d'Or three times as a player (1971, 1973 and 1974), being the first to win it in two consecutive years.
MARADONA, THE ONLY ONE WITH AN HEIR
Maradona, who dazzled with his football less than 40 years ago, could not coincide with any of these four. Technically gifted like no other footballer of his generation, the left foot of the Lanús player seemed blessed by God, a glove that left unforgettable plays and goals, like the one he scored in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, dribbling past rivals who tried to take him the ball from the center of the field.
Precisely, that World Cup, which Argentina won against coach Beckenbauer's Germany, was the culmination of the '10', recognized for his quality, but also for his character on and off the field. His turbulent life and his addictions curtailed his career, although he made Naples champion of Italy twice, after winning a Copa del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup and a League Cup with FC Barcelona, where he did not perform as expected. . Of all of them, he is the only one who has surely had a real 'heir' and someone who can dispute his enormous talent in the figure of his compatriot Leo Messi.