Paul Breitner

Date of birth: 05/09/1951
Position: Defender

Never afraid to make his opinion known off the field, Breitner let his football do the talking on it. The 1972 UEFA European Championship was the competition that first brought him, his beard and frizzy hair into the public eye and the attack-minded left-back was still a regular as Helmut Schön's side won the FIFA World Cup two years later, scoring the equalising penalty in the final against the Netherlands. He left Bayern München for Real Madrid in 1974 but returned to the club in 1978, and, now a midfielder, his 48th and last cap came in the 1982 World Cup final against Italy. As in 1974 he scored, but this time it was just a consolation.