"Back then, a half-a-century ago, the situation was totally different. Economically, we were practically on our knees, and politically, we were still excluded from the community of nations. Today, in this respect, we have a totally different and much more stable basis"
About this Quote
Beckenbauer is doing something athletes rarely get credit for: narrating national transformation without sounding like a politician. The line is built on a blunt then/now contrast, and the simplicity is the point. “On our knees” is not a statistic; it’s an image of humiliation that lands in the body. He pairs economic collapse with political exclusion, reminding listeners that postwar Germany wasn’t just broke, it was suspect - a country forced to re-apply for adulthood.
The subtext is rehabilitation. Beckenbauer’s “we” isn’t the royal we of a head of state; it’s the locker-room we, the collective identity forged through sport and spectacle. When he says “community of nations,” he’s invoking a long arc: from pariah to partner, from shame to a seat at the table. That’s why the second sentence matters less for its content than its tone. “Stable basis” is careful phrasing, almost technocratic, a deliberate refusal of triumphalism. It suggests a Germany that has learned to take legitimacy seriously, to treat stability as an achievement earned through restraint.
Contextually, it reads like a soft defense of modern German confidence - the kind expressed through hosting tournaments, projecting competence, and letting football stand in for flag-waving. Beckenbauer isn’t bragging; he’s normalizing. He’s arguing, quietly, that pride is permissible now because the conditions have changed: prosperity, acceptance, and the hard-won ability to be seen as ordinary.
The subtext is rehabilitation. Beckenbauer’s “we” isn’t the royal we of a head of state; it’s the locker-room we, the collective identity forged through sport and spectacle. When he says “community of nations,” he’s invoking a long arc: from pariah to partner, from shame to a seat at the table. That’s why the second sentence matters less for its content than its tone. “Stable basis” is careful phrasing, almost technocratic, a deliberate refusal of triumphalism. It suggests a Germany that has learned to take legitimacy seriously, to treat stability as an achievement earned through restraint.
Contextually, it reads like a soft defense of modern German confidence - the kind expressed through hosting tournaments, projecting competence, and letting football stand in for flag-waving. Beckenbauer isn’t bragging; he’s normalizing. He’s arguing, quietly, that pride is permissible now because the conditions have changed: prosperity, acceptance, and the hard-won ability to be seen as ordinary.
Quote Details
| Topic | New Beginnings |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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