He was a teammate, player and assistant to Beckenbauer. In the star-Interview Klaus Augenthaler tells us about his persuasive skills on the phone and evenings together at Schafskopf.
The first anniversary of Franz Beckenbauer’s death will be on January 7, 2025. This interview from January 2024 comes from our archive. We are publishing it again here.
Mr. Augenthaler, you are something like a world champion despite yourself. Franz Beckenbauer had to persuade you in 1990 to come back to the national team, from which you had said goodbye three years earlier. How was the team boss able to change your mind?
There were two phone calls. In the first he said: “Klaus, I would like to have you with me in Italy. You are my head of defense. We want to really do something at the World Cup.” I said: “Franz, that’s not possible. I have groin problems, my Achilles tendons hurt, and I also have a newborn child at home. I can’t cope.” He replied: “We’ll manage that. If you’re in pain, take a break. Then someone else will play.”
Source: Stern
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