Paul Breitner

Lore & Background

Breitner's football career lasted from 1970 until 1983, mainly playing for Bayern Munich (1970–74 and 1978–83) and Real Madrid (1974–77), with one season playing for Eintracht Braunschweig. 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 career was at age 21 in 1972 as part of the winning German European Championship team. Two years later he won the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The final was played in Munich against the Netherlands, and Breitner scored the first German goal on a penalty kick. He moved to Real Madrid for a fee of over 1 million Deutsche Marks following the World Cup and withdrew from the West German squad, missing the 1978 World Cup, and remaining off the side until enticed to return by Jupp Derwall in 1981. Breitner is one of only five footballers to have achieved the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches, sharing that honour with Pelé, Vavá, Zinedine Zidane, and Kylian Mbappé. He achieved this in 1974 against the Netherlands and in 1982 against Italy. During his club career, Breitner won seven National Championships with Bayern Munich (1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981) and Real Madrid (1975, 1976), the Champions' Cup (1974) as well as the German (1971, 1982) and Spanish cups (1975). Off the pitch, Breitner self-identified as part of the 68ers. He was often decried for his radicalism and 'revolutionary' attitude, and was seen bringing Mao Zedong's 'Little Red Book' to training. After 1974, he brushed aside his leftist leanings. Before the 1982 World Cup he caused an uproar when he accepted an offer by Pitralon to shave off his beard and advertise their aftershave for 150,000 Deutsche Mark. He retired as a player in 1983.

In Their Own Story

Munich, July 1974. The Olympic Stadium is a cauldron of white and black, the air thick with the smell of cut grass and ten thousand cigarettes. Breitner lines up on the right, his boots scuffed, his jaw set. The Netherlands press high, their orange shirts a blur of movement. He feels the ball arrive at his feet, turns, and for a heartbeat the entire stadium holds its breath. He drives forward, shoulder-checking a defender who stumbles, and the crowd noise swells into a single, roaring chord. Then the cross, the scramble, and the ball is at his feet in the box. One touch. One strike. The net ripples. He does not celebrate. He simply turns, walks back to his position, and waits for the fourth official's signal. Around him, the world is on fire. He has done what was asked. The trophy will come. It always does, when he plays like this.

Reader's Guide

Breitner is considered one of Germany and Bayern Munich's finest players. After initially starting out as a forward, in the early part of his career he was deployed as an attacking full-back or wing-back on the left flank, where he excelled in defending as well as making surging offensive runs, providing crosses, and scoring from long-range shots. Under Real Madrid coach Miljan Miljanić, Breitner was converted into a central box-to-box midfielder. In his second stint with Bayern, he became the brain of the team by creating chances for forwards Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Dieter Hoeneß; his partnership with Rummenigge led to the duo being nicknamed Breitnigge. Breitner was also renowned for his leadership, stamina, reactions, tackling, powerful long-range shots with his right foot, and strong character. He was an expert penalty taker. After retiring, he worked 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 the Bayern All-Stars in charity games.

Did You Know?

• Breitner scored in both the 1974 and 1982 World Cup finals, one of only five players to do so.
• He was nicknamed 'Breitnigge' alongside Karl-Heinz Rummenigge at Bayern Munich.
• Before the 1982 World Cup, he shaved off his beard for a 150,000 Deutsche Mark aftershave advertisement.
• In 1998, he was briefly named national team manager for only 17 hours, becoming known as the '17-hour coach'.