Refined and The Kaiser's Three Lives

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Franz Beckenbauer, undoubtedly Germany's greatest football player and one of the game's all-time iconic figures, has led a truly remarkable life. As a World Cup winner both as a player and a manager, Beckenbauer's story is now told in the first English-language account, "The Three Lives of The Kaiser."

Universally known as 'the Kaiser,' Beckenbauer's compatriots even dubbed him 'the Shining Light.' However, his life has been anything but a smooth journey; it has been an emotional rollercoaster with both stunning highs and bitter lows. Rising to fame at the 1966 World Cup in England, the British press marveled at the grace of this "beaten but proud Prussian officer" following the final defeat.

Contrary to this perception, Beckenbauer was far from a Prussian; he was a Bavarian boy who often flouted authority, disregarded rules, and viewed the traditional German work ethic with disdain, as if everything came naturally to him. Beckenbauer's meteoric rise transformed him into one of the game's first truly global stars, transcending the boundaries of sport. He was painted by Andy Warhol and engaged in discussions about the merits of Wagner with the Aga Khan's wife at the Bayreuth Festival. He gracefully fended off overtures from Rudolf Nureyev and danced with Mick Jagger at Studio 54 in New York.

Back home, however, people often struggled to comprehend this most famous German athlete who seemed so un-German. It took his countrymen three decades to fully embrace Franz Beckenbauer, but the recent controversies surrounding his greatest off-the-field triumph – bringing the 2006 World Cup to Germany – have once again made him a divisive figure.

In this definitive insight into the life of a sporting icon, author Uli Hesse assesses Beckenbauer's remarkable achievements and his complex legacy.

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