A tale of two Kaisers: Ballack and Beckenbauer, and the battle for legacy

Abstract

While there are a number of ways a player can be remembered after his career ends, much attention is paid to two different areas: the player’s successes and failures and any scandals by which the player may have been tainted. Which of these ultimately matters more? Does scandal outweigh what happens on the pitch? Or does failure speak louder than scandal? When considering the legacy of Michael Ballack, we find ourselves asking: will he be remembered for never winning the biggest trophies or for the scandals that dogged his last few years as a player? By looking at the legacy of Franz Beckenbauer, another world-class German player and former captain of the (West) German National Team whose career was repeatedly touched by scandals but whose legacy is largely positive, due to the fact that he experienced tremendous success on the pitch, we will perhaps be able to imagine how Ballack will be remembered. After considering two major scandals, and a few minor ones, that came at the end of Ballack’s career and looking towards the future of his legacy, the career and legacy of Franz Beckenbauer, the only player to have won four German Player of the Year awards, will be examined to see what clues it can offer us in regards to Ballack’s legacy. Given that Ballack’s nickname of ‘der kleine Kaiser’ links him directly to Beckenbauer, ‘der Kaiser’, there are many connections that enable us to ask questions about Ballack’s legacy.