He began his professional career at FC Bayern Munich in 1970 and until 1974 helped secure three German championship titles.
In 1974, he switched to Real Madrid and won two championship titles in three seasons. After a season at Eintracht Braunschweig, he returned to Bayern in 1978.
Here he played with Karl Heinz Rummenigge. It was a dreaded duo that went by the name Breitnigge and also had dedicated fans in Denmark.
– I must clearly admit that it was Breitnigge that made me lose my heart to Bayern Munich, says Lykke Friis, director of the Think Tank Europe and Bayern Munich fan.
– Paul Breitner could turn up some absolutely fantastic passes to Karl Heinz Rummenigge, she continues.
Breitner also had an excellent career on the West German national team.
In 1974, together with Franz Beckenbauer, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Berti Vogts, he formed the defensive line when West Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the World Cup final.
Here, Paul Breitner scored on a penalty kick he really should not have taken. It was Gerd Müller, another German football legend, who was the team’s penalty shooter.
The goal gave him the status of one of four footballers to have scored in two different finals at a World Cup.
Off the field, Paul Breitner has aroused both astonishment and indignation.
He refused to perform his military service and hid from the military police. When he was captured, he had to spend a year scrubbing toilets for the army.
He was photographed in front of a poster by the founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, and he has had President Mao’s “The Little Red” with him for training.
In addition, he has expressed his support for the front figure of the Cuban revolution, the Argentine Che Guevara, who was the leader of the communist rebel army.
However, the rebellious side of Red Paul faded a bit when he signed his contract with Real Madrid in 1974. The club at the time was strongly associated with the Spanish dictator and fascist general, Francisco Franco.
Later, he was involved in a McDonalds commercial and received around 150,000 D-marks – about 570,000 kroner – to cut his beard and use aftershave from a German cosmetics company.
In 1998, he managed to be the German national coach for 17 hours, before the German football ban – DFB – again deposed him. Paul Breitner is therefore also known as the “17 Hour Bundestrainer”.
Since then, Paul Breitner has worked as a football expert on both television and in the newspapers.