Paul Breitner

Paul Breitner (born 5 September 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and left-back. Considered one of the best full-backs 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 the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.

Breitner was capped 48 times for West Germany and was an integral part of the team that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the final.

He also scored in the final of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, making him one of only five players to have scored in two different World Cup final matches, the others being Pelé, Vavá, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé.

He was known for his partnerships with Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Berti Vogts in defence for the national team, and his midfield combination with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for Bayern Munich.

Breitner has been working as a commentator, pundit and columnist in Germany since retiring and is also an advisor to the Bayern management board.

Playing career
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 long and successful 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. In the final, he, Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Berti Vogts formed a formidable unit at the back, their resolute defense preventing the Dutch from getting many scoring chances. 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, 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 Mbappe. 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). During his spell with Bayern Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and he formed such a formidable one-two-punch that they were often called Breitnigge.

Outside the pitch, Breitner self identified as part of the 68ers (the 1968 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 the Berlin Wall. He was seen bringing Mao Zedong's "Little Red Book" to training. However, after 1974, Breitner abruptly brushed aside his leftist leanings. While his Dutch World Cup rival Johan Cruyff had publicly declared to never 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.

He boycotted the 1978 FIFA World Cup being hosted by the Argentine military, the only player to do so.

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 150,000 Deutsche 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 giants Real 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. He stated ''"When the atrocities became known, I had nothing to regret about because I never declared myself as a Maoist".

Post-retirement
In 1998, Breitner was announced as the new national team manager by DFB president Egidius Braun. However, after some steam from fellow association officials, Braun reconsidered 17 hours later, making Breitner the infamous 17 Stunden Bundestrainer ("the 17-hour coach").

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 the Bayern All-Stars in charity games, captaining the team on several occasions.

Honours
Bayern Munich
 * Bundesliga: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81
 * DFB-Pokal: 1970–71, 1981–82
 * European Cup: 1973–74; runner-up: 1981–82

Real Madrid
 * La Liga: 1974–75, 1975–76
 * Copa del Rey: 1974–75

West Germany
 * FIFA World Cup: 1974; runner-up: 1982
 * UEFA European Championship: 1972

Individual
 * kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1971–72, 1972–73, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
 * UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1972
 * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1974
 * FUWO European Team of the Season: 1972
 * World XI: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976
 * Sport Ideal European XI: 1972, 1974, 1979
 * Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1981
 * Ballon d'Or runner-up: 1981
 * Onze d'Argent: 1981
 * FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
 * FIFA 100
 * Bayern Munich All-time XI
 * Ballon d'Or Dream Team (bronze): 2020