Franz Beckenbauer (c. 1972) During his active years as a professional soccer player from 1965 to 1983, Franz Beckenbauer (known to fans as "Kaiser Franz") was one of West Germany's most famous and successful players. He was a member of the club FC Bayern München and also played on the German national team. In 1977, he transferred to the New York Cosmos and was thus forced to surrender his spot on the German national team, since, at that time, players employed abroad could not be on the roster. Photographer unknown.