World Cup Cult Heroes: Paul Breitner

Illustration by Mathew Kurian / The National

In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, The National’s Gary Meenaghan looks back at the figures of World Cups past who, while not necessarily the greatest the game has ever seen, were among football’s most interesting characters.

PAUL BREITNER

Be it his socialist stance or his dismissive remarks about Bayern Munich (while employed by them), Paul Breitner’s undeniable talent on the pitch likely saved him from suffering off it. By the age of 24, he had won every major title available to him.

The Left-wing Left-back

Sporting a large head of dark curls, Breitner was nicknamed “Der Afro” and was – at his request – once photographed in his living room with posters of Che Guevara and Mao Zedong. Having joined Bayern Munich when he was 18, he hid in a coal cellar to avoid national military service and, when threatened with an arrest warrant, cleaned toilets while his teammates played Bundesliga matches.

Red Rebel

At the end of a triumphant 1973 season, Breitner celebrated by dancing naked around a swimming pool. When Bayern officials criticised and fined him, he replied: “This club can’t even celebrate properly.” The following year, he again won the Bundesliga and added the World Cup before announcing he was joining Real Madrid and quitting international football. He labelled Bayern a “nouveau riche money-based aristocracy” and later said: “I don’t feel German at all.”

Vava, Pele, Zidane and …

Breitner is one of only four players to score in the final of two World Cups. In 1974, on home soil and playing as left-back, he started his campaign with two thunderous strikes from distance against Chile and Yugoslavia. In the final, and trailing 1-0 to Holland, he netted a penalty that he said “activated a turbo in our team” as Germany went on to win 2-1. In 1982, he netted in the final again, this time a consolation from central midfield.

Cashing in on Capitalism

Despite his leftist leanings, in 1982 he shaved off his famously thick beard for a German cosmetics company. In 2010, he starred in a McDonald’s advert, saying: “I can really identify myself with this campaign. I was born for this commercial.” He also returned to the Bundesliga, after three years in Spain, and to Bayern in 1978, for the final five seasons of his career.

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