To celebrate Franz Beckenbauer’s 73rd birthday today, here’s a whole heap of tremendous photos plucked from the Getty archives of Der Kaiser in all his commanding 1960s and 1970s pomp…
The 20-year-old Franz Beckenbauer (fourth from left) lines up for West Germany ahead of a pre-World Cup friendly against Yugoslavia, 1966
West Germany players Bernd Patzke, Franz Beckenbauer (centre), Friedel Lutz and granite-jawed goalkeeper Sepp Maier pose at a photo call, 1966
Franz Beckenbauer (left) and West Germany room-mate Helmut Haller offer assistance in the Peak Hotel kitchen during the 1966 World Cup
Up in their room at the Peak Hotel in Peveril, Beckenbauer and Haller discuss who gets the bed by the window, 1966
Franz Beckenbauer takes a central role as West Germany train inside an empty Wembley Stadium during the 1966 World Cup
Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Charlton go haring after the ball during the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley
Franz Beckenbauer (right) marshals the situation as Bayern Munich beat Glasgow Rangers 1-0 in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final, 1967
Franz Beckenbauer prods home the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over England in front of almost 80,000 fans at Hannover’s Niedersachsenstadion, 1968
Franz Beckenbauer steals a brief chat with Eusebio ahead of a friendly between Bayern Munich and Benfica, 1972
Franz Beckenbauer in pensive pre-match mood, 1972
Franz Beckenbauer squats in his Bayern Munich colours, circa 1972
Nattily dressed to a man, the Beckenbauer family take in the sights in Jersulam while filming the documentary movie ‘Libero’, 1972
Franz Beckenbauer and wife Brigitte enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea, 1972
Franz Beckenbauer and teammates congregate in the studio to record ‘Football Is Our Life’, the West Germany squad’s 1974 World Cup anthem
Franz Beckenbauer celebrates winning the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich, 1974
Franz Beckenbauer holds the World Cup aloft after a fiercely-contested 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the 1974 final
Franz Beckenbauer celebrates his 30th birthday with Brigitte, as well as Bayern president Wilheim Neudecker and former West Germany captain Fritz Walter, 1975
Franz Beckenbauer and old adversary Bobby Moore team up with pistols, furs and chess for reasons entirely unknown, 1975
Way ahead of the curve, Franz Beckenbauer smoulders in his Adilettes while sitting on the edge of the Bayern team bath, 1975
Nestled comfortably back behind the curve, Franz Beckenbauer dons some questionable knitwear to conduct a little light admin, 1975
West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer swaps pennants with England counterpart Alan Ball ahead of a friendly between the two sides, 1975
Franz Beckenbauer lifts the European Cup after Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win over Leeds at the Parc des Princes, 1975
Franz Beckenbauer meets his bronze likeness shortly after winning the 1976 Ballon d’Or prize
Franz Beckenbauer runs out as a New York Cosmos player for the first time after moving to the NASL in 1978
Mutual respect evident as Franz Beckenbauer is reunited with the equally great Johan Cruyff at the Cosmos, 1978