 Breitner in 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 September 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kolbermoor, Bavaria, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left-back, midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1961 | SV-DJK Kolbermoor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1970 | ESV Freilassing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970–1974 | Bayern Munich | 109 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1977 | Real Madrid | 84 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Eintracht Braunschweig | 30 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1983 | Bayern Munich | 146 | (66) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 369 | (103) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968–1970 | West Germany Youth | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971 | West Germany U-23 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1982 | West Germany | 48 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paul Breitner (German pronunciation: [ˈpaʊ̯l ˈbʁaɪ̯tnɐ]; born 5 September 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and left-back.[2] Considered one of the best full-backs of all time, and one of the best players of his era, Breitner was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. In 2004 he was named one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.[3]
Breitner was capped 48 times for West Germany and was an integral part of the team that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring in the final.
He also scored in the final of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, making him one of only five players to have scored in two different World Cup final matches, the others being Pelé, Vavá, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé.
He was known for his partnerships with Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Berti Vogts in defence for the national team, and his midfield combination with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for Bayern Munich.
Breitner has been working as a commentator, pundit and columnist in Germany since retiring and is also an advisor to the Bayern management board.
- ^ "Paul Breitner". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Breitner, Paul" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 15 June 2013.