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irca 1979 Franz Beckenbauer New York Cosmos Game Worn Jersey
"Der Kaiser" (The Emperor) was his nickname, and for a time, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer was more than an emperor of any one country; instead, he was the Emperor of the Soccer World, and one of the best players of all time. Presented is a game worn Franz Beckenbauer jersey, circa 1979, when Franz played for the Cosmos (formerly called the New York Cosmos) when the Cosmos had some of the biggest stars in history shining in their constellation. Beckenbauer began his professional first-team career with West Germany's Bayern Munich team in 1963. He was named captain in 1971, and he was a part of three European Championships and four national titles with Bayern Munich. He essentially reinvented the sweeper position, making it not only the last line of defense, but the first line of offense, as Franz, like the best of American quarterbacks, could pass 40 yards with ease, placing the ball so the recipient could receive the pass without breaking stride. In 1971, Frank was named the captain of the West German National Team, and he led it to the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup Championship. When Franz joined the New York Cosmos in 1977, the famous Pele, whom many consider the soccer GOAT, was still on the team, as was Italy's prolific goal scorer, Georgio Chinaglia. The Cosmos were darlings of many New York based celebrities and attending games at crowded Giants Stadium became the "in" thing to do. When Beckenbauer left the Cosmos after the 1980 season, he played for two seasons with Germany's Hamburg Club, and then played his final two seasons, back at sweeper, for the Cosmos in 1983-84. Beckenbauer helped the Cosmos win three North American Soccer League championships in four years, from 1977-80. In his career, Franz played in 572 club football (soccer) matches, scoring 83 goals. On his national team, he played in 103 matches, scoring 14 goals. But statistics never tell the whole story for any artist. If Pele were Michelangelo on the football pitch, then Beckenbauer was Van Gogh, settling a pass so quickly that he had extra time to survey the field. His head always up, crafted the portrait in his mind of what could be and let fly a beautiful pass to paint the path to the goal. "You'd have to say he was the perfect player," said former Bayern Munich star striker Karl-Heinz, Rummenigge. The away jersey is in navy, with yellow trim. Ralph Lauren designed this new away uniform for the Cosmos in time for the 1979 campaign, switching the predominant jersey color from green to navy. The jersey has "6" in yellow on the right chest and the Cosmos logo on the left chest. The right sleeve has a "6," also in yellow. The collar has yellow and white trim. On the back is "Beckenbauer: and "6," both in yellow. The jersey has no size tag, but it is most likely a large size. The attractive jersey shows light use, and it is in excellent condition. <span style="font-size: 13px;">Beckenbauer truly was The Kaiser, but his only wars were things of beauty, fought on the soccer pitch. This jersey is quite a valuable prize. </span>It is a game worn jersey of the only person to have captained a World Cup winner and later (1990 German team) managed another World Cup champion.
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