Paul Breitner (German pronunciation:[ˈpaʊlˈbʁaɪtnɐ]; born 5 September 1951) is a German former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder andleft-back.[2] Considered one of the best full-backs and midfielders of all time, and one of the best players of his era, Breitner was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. In 2004 he was named one of theTop 125 greatest living footballers as part ofFIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.[3][4]
Breitner wascapped 48 times for West Germany and was an integral part of the team that won the1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring in thefinal.
Breitner's football career lasted from 1970 until 1983, mainly playing forBayern Munich (1970–74 and 1978–83) andReal Madrid (1974–77), with one season playing forEintracht Braunschweig.[5] His early success was as a free roaming left back, as likely to score from the right midfield as to stop an attacker in his own penalty area. Later in his career he moved to midfield and became one of the top midfielders through the early 1980s.
The early peak of Breitner's long and successful career was at age 21 in 1972 as part of the winning GermanEuropean Championship team. Two years later he won the1974 FIFA World Cup.[6] The final was played inMunich against theNetherlands, and Breitner scored the first German goal on a penalty kick. In the final, he,Franz Beckenbauer,Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck andBerti Vogts formed a formidable unit at the back, their resolute defense preventing the Dutch from getting many scoring chances. He moved toReal Madrid for a fee of over 1 millionDeutsche Marks[7] following the World Cup and withdrew from theWest German squad, remaining off the side until enticed to return byJupp Derwall in 1981. Breitner is one of only five footballers to have achieved the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches,[8] sharing that honour withPelé,Vavá,Zinedine Zidane, andKylian Mbappé. He achieved this in 1974 against theNetherlands and in1982 againstItaly.[9]
During his club career, Breitner won seven National Championships withBayern Munich (1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981) and Real Madrid (1975, 1976), theChampions' Cup (1974)[10] as well as theGerman (1971, 1982) andSpanish cups (1975). During his spell with Bayern Munich,Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and he formed such a formidable one-two-punch that they were often calledBreitnigge.[11]
Off the pitch, Breitner self-identified as part of the68ers (the1968 protest movement in West Germany and elsewhere). He was often decried by the more traditional or conservative football fans for his radicalism and "revolutionary" attitude, as well as his tendency for voicing strong opinions on major political and social issues, especially during a time when Germany was still divided by theBerlin Wall. He was seen bringingMao Zedong's "Little Red Book" to training. However, after 1974, Breitner abruptly brushed aside his leftist leanings. While his Dutch World Cup rivalJohan Cruyff had publicly declared never to play for a club associated with "fascist"General Franco, Breitner yearned to play for Real Madrid and signed the transfer documents in 1974. Subsequently, he gained notoriety for spending lavishly on houses and cars, as well as participating in lucrative commercials.
Before the 1982 World Cup in Spain he caused a major uproar in West Germany when he accepted an offer by Pitralon, a German cosmetics company, to pay him the – what many Germans regarded at that time as a "scandalously high" – sum of 150,000Deutsche Mark if he shaved off his fluffy full beard, used their aftershave and advertised for the company. In the previous years his long hair had been perceived as a show of rebellion. Breitner had previously infuriated many fans with his move to Spanish club giantsReal Madrid. He returned to West Germany after the successful spell in Madrid and retired as a player in 1983. About the aftershave incident, Breitner said that he was mistakenly labelled as Maoist after, talking with a journalist about communism, the Soviet Union and France, mentioning that he had Mao Zedong's Little Red Book.[12] He stated"When the atrocities became known, I had nothing to regret about because I never declared myself as a Maoist".[12]
In 1998, Breitner was announced as the newnational team manager byDFB presidentEgidius Braun. However, after reactions from fellow association officials, Braun reconsidered 17 hours later, making Breitner the infamous17 Stunden Bundestrainer ("the 17-hour coach").[13]
Today, Breitner mainly works as a TV pundit and newspaper columnist. In March 2007, he entered into a contract with Bayern Munich and acts as an advisor on various issues. He occasionally still plays for theBayern All-Stars in charity games,captaining the team on several occasions.
