Wild boy

A stalwart member of the the great West German sides of the 1970s and early 1980s, Paul Breitner will be remembered as an extremely versatile player who was not afraid to challenge the establishment.

With his distinctive afro haircut he was always an option for the German national team after joining Bayern Munich at just 19.

His meteoric rise continued when, just months later, he was selected for the national side.

West German defender Paul Breitner ties the score at 1 on a penalty kick as he beats Dutch goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed, 07 July 1974 in Munich, during the World Cup soccer final. Host West Germany beat The Netherlands 2-1 to earn its second World Cup title, twenty years after its first win over Hungary (3-2), 04 July 1954 in Bern. AFP PHOTO

Breitner was a vital cog in the German machine that triumphed in the 1972 European Nations Cup.

He won three German league titles in a row with Bayern between 1972 and 1974, and then completed a wonderful period in that year with a European Cup triumph with Bayern against Atletico Madrid (4-0).

This was followed by a 1974 World Cup winner's medal in a titanic struggle with Holland (2-1), in which Breitner coolly brought the scores level with a penalty after Holland had taken an early lead.

Spanish holiday

Breitner's strong personality caused friction within the German set-up and especially with that other colossus of the German game, Franz Beckenbauer, at that time Bayern Munich's captain.

Often criticised for being provocative, Breitner did not go out of his way to calm troubled waters and it was no surprise that he chose to move to Spain and Real Madrid for a change of air.

His stormy relations with the German coaches kept him out of the team for seven years.

Madrid accorded him his wish to move from defence into midfield but Real, despite several national titles, did not win a European title with Breitner in the team, losing in the semi-finals in 1976, ironically, against Breitner's old club, Bayern.

In 1977 he returned to Germany, spending a year at Brunswick in the north of the country before moving back south to Bayern, now without Beckenbauer who had moved on.

More Bavarian success

Breitner soon became the power behind the throne at the club, thriving without the shadow of Beckenbauer over him, and Bayern continued to dominate the German league, winning it in 1980 and 1981.

West German defender Paul Breitner (R) tries to control the ball under pressure from Algerian midfiedler Mustapha Dahleb during the World Cup first round soccer match between West Germany and Algeria 16 June 1982 in Gijon. Algeria upset West Germany 2-1. AFP PHOTO

The Bavarian club's success put the spotlight back on Breitner and he received the call-up for the German national squad for the 1982 World Cup.

Italian forward Marco Tardelli (L) and West German defender Paul Breitner run after the ball during the World Cup final between Italy and West Germany 11 July 1982 in Madrid. Italy beat West Germany 3-1, with Tardelli scoring one goal, to earn its third World title after 1934 and 1938. AFP PHOTO

After a shock first round defeat to Algeria, Germany went on to reach the final where they were beaten by rampant Italy, but Breitner could at least enjoy his status as one of only three players (with Brazilians Vava and Pele) to have scored in two different World Cup finals.

Breitner retired in 1983, having played a total of 309 Bundesliga and European Cup matches, scoring 98 goals