Beckenbauer's triumph as coach - Germany

After being eliminated in the first round of Euro 84, Franz Beckenbauer returned to the national team and replaced Derwall as coach. In the 1986 World Cup, West Germany finished as runners-up for the second consecutive time, after again beating France 2-0 in the semi-finals, but losing to the Diego Maradona-led Argentina 3-2 in the final. In Euro 88, West Germany's hopes of winning the tournament on home soil were spoiled by the Netherlands, as the Dutch gained revenge of their loss in 1974 by beating them 2-1 in the semi-final.

In the 1990 World Cup, West Germany finally won their third World Cup title after two consecutive second-place finishes. Captained by Lothar Matthäus, they were worthy champions as they defeated Yugoslavia (4-1), UAE (5-1), the Netherlands (2-1), Czechoslovakia (1-0), and England (1-1, 4-3 on penalty kicks) on the way to a final rematch against Argentina. In a dull match, West Germany won 1-0 with the only goal being a penalty scored in the 85th minute by Andreas Brehme. Beckenbauer, who won the title as captain in 1974, thus became the second person (after Mário Zagallo) to have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach, and the first as both a captain and a coach.