Ask Franz Beckenbauer, a German legend and one of the most respected figures in the history of football, what gave him the greater pleasure: captaining a World Cup-winning team or coaching one? The answer is surprising. Neither.
"Winning the World Cup is the highest achievement that you can have in football and it means the same as a captain or a coach," he said.
"But you get the chance to win the World Cup every four years, so I would rather regard my greatest achievement as bringing the World Cup to Germany in 2006 [Beckenbauer headed the country's bid]. That is something that you can perhaps do only once in your lifetime."
Germany did not capitalise on those hosting rights when they failed to win the trophy four years ago - unlike in 1974, when Beckenbauer orchestrated a triumphant campaign for West Germany in his ground-breaking role of "libero", a versatile defensive role that gave him the licence to start and join in attacks from the back. But they still managed to claim a creditable third place in 2006 to enhance an overall record of three wins and three runners-up places in football's showpiece event.
Beckenbauer, 64, known as as "Der Kaiser" all over the football world, first caught the football bug as an eight-year-old schoolboy when watching his 1954 predecessors win the original Jules Rimet trophy for the first time.
He is expecting another respectable performance from the German class of 2010 under the guidance of Joachim Loew, their coach, who must initially plot a Group D qualification route past Australia, Serbia and Ghana.
"Germany are always involved in the closing stages of World Cups so you automatically make them one of the favourites when you look at the contenders," Beckenbauer said during his recent visit to Abu Dhabi for the Laureus Sports Awards.
Beckenbauer, whose beloved Bayern Munich were recently deprived of Champions League glory by Inter Milan, said he believes the decision to take the finals to South Africa represents the best chance yet of success for a European nation outside of Europe.
Italy, the holders, were the nearest to breaking that non-winning streak when they lost on penalties to Brazil when the tournament was staged in the United States in 1994.
"We have some great teams in Europe," Beckenbauer said. "Spain are European champions and they have an excellent chance to win the World Cup for Europe along with England, France and Germany. It would be nice if a European team could win outside Europe for the first time."
While Beckenbauer is expecting his countrymen to eliminate Ghana from the World Cup reckoning, he believes there is a decent chance of an African nation reaching the quarter-finals to emulate Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002. "I hope it happens and it could do because it looks an open race this year," he said.
Germans have been complaining for 44 years about what they consider to be the officiating injustice that led to their 1966 final defeat at the hands of England. The statesmanlike Beckenbauer, who first emerged on the global scene at that tournament, is not one of them.
He refused to add his powerful voice to the lobby contending that the second of Geoff Hurst's three goals in the 4-2 extra-time triumph at London's Wembley Stadium should not have been allowed because the West Ham forward's shot did not cross the line.
He said: "It would have been good to have an extra official on the goal-line that day. But if we had used technology then nobody would be talking about 1966 today. Football is an emotional game so let's have that emotion."
Beckenbauer has been an interested observer as the game he has served so well has moved with the times.
"It is always difficult to compare players from 30 or 40 years ago with those from today," he said. "It is a totally different game. The reaction of the players was different. So was the preparation of the squad, different food, etc.
"Even the television makes it different. When I played in the 1966 final there was only one camera. Now there are so many it looks completely different. It is much more attractive to watch than in my day.
"I actually watched the 1966 final again recently - the first time for such a long while. Both teams had liberos but they were 20 or 30 yards behind.
"The pitch seemed much bigger than today. Nowadays the players try to keep the game tight and challenge their opponents to make mistakes. In our day you could stop the ball, put your foot on it and have a look around before deciding what to do. I reckon it was much easier for me to play than it is for those currently in international football."
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EDate%20started%3A%20January%202022%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Omar%20Abu%20Innab%2C%20Silvia%20Eldawi%2C%20Walid%20Shihabi%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20PropTech%20%2F%20investment%3Cbr%3EEmployees%3A%2040%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Multiple%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
The view from The National
