German professional football player, manager, and official Franz Beckenbauer, who is known as one of the greatest football players of all time, passed away on 7 January 2024 in Salzburg, Austria, at the age of 78.
His greatest moments are being remembered by fans and friends through social media X, as those have left a permanent mark on how the game of football is played to this day.
As West Germany’s captain in 1974, Beckenbauer won the World Cup, returning to raise the trophy once more as their manager in 1990. Primarily a defender, Beckenbauer made 582 appearances for Bayern Munich and won the German championship in both his managerial and playing capacities.
Known by his nickname “Der Kaiser,” he was a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, and amongst his countless achievements, another significant example is his victory in the 1972 European Championship.
His family made an official statement to the German Press Agency (also known as DPA Deutsche Presse-Agentur), which read that with deep sadness, they are announcing that as a husband and a father, Franz Beckenbauer had passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, 7 January, while surrounded by his family.
They requested the public to allow them to grieve in silence and said that they did not want to answer questions regarding the heartbreaking announcement.
The most successful football team in Germany, FC Bayern Munich, declared that the world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be. It has become “suddenly darker, quieter, poorer” after the death of a legend.
Suddenly, our world isn’t the same as it once was — darker, quieter and worse off. The record champions are mourning the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the incomparable ‘Kaiser’ without who FC Bayern would never have become the club it is today.
Rest in peace, Kaiser.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) January 8, 2024
It was stated that “Bayern would never have become the club it is today” without Beckenbauer, who, before assuming his renowned role as a defensive sweeper, man-marked Sir Bobby Charlton while playing as a midfielder in the 1966 World Cup final, which England won 4-2.
At the age of just 20, he also won the trophy for the best young player in the tournament and scored four goals at the 1966 World Cup, after which he continued his journey and made 103 appearances for West Germany.
Beckenbauer, Mario Zagallo of Brazil, who also passed away last week at the age of 92, and Didier Deschamps of France are the only three people in the football world to have won the World Cup on the field and as a manager.
Beckenbauer captained the German powerhouses during their three European Cup victories (1974, 1975, and 1976) and won four league titles during his playing career with Bayern. In 1982, he and Hamburg won the Bundesliga as well.
Rest in peace, Franz Beckenbauer.
One of the best players this sport has seen and a natural leader. He will be deeply missed by us all. #RIP #Beckenbauer #DFBTeam
📸 Getty Images/Imago pic.twitter.com/qIxX8EJgFU— germanfootball_dfb (@DFB_Team_EN) January 8, 2024
Tributes by the Football World
Beckenbauer was called the “greatest personality the club has ever had” by Uli Hoeness, who is the honorary president of Bayern and a former teammate of the legend.
Hoeness also described Beckenbauer’s life both in the game and outside: “As a player, coach, president, person: unforgettable. Nobody will ever reach him.” He also added that people saw actual football in Franz Beckenbauer’s time, adding that he was a friend, a unique companion, and a gift to the entire world.
Julian Nagelsmann, the manager of the German football club, said that in his opinion, Franz Beckenbauer was the greatest football player in German history, and the game was altered by his new perception of the libero’s [sweeper’s] duty.
He added that, on the grass, Franz Beckenbauer appeared to levitate as he was magnificent as a football player, which also reflected in him as a coach. Beckenbauer was above everything, so much so that a room “lit up” when Franz Beckenbauer walked in.
Der Kaiser. 🇩🇪
Franz Beckenbauer, a legend of world football. ❤️
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 9, 2024
Beckenbauer Beyond the Field
Beckenbauer played for the New York Cosmos after leaving Bayern, where he was the face of the emerging North American Soccer League alongside the legendary Pele of Brazil.
After retiring in 1983, he was named manager of West Germany less than a year later despite having no prior managerial experience.
After leading his nation to the World Cup final in Mexico in 1986, Beckenbauer’s team defeated England in the semifinals and exacted revenge on the defending champions, Argentina, in the championship match four years later.
After serving as Marseille’s manager for a brief while in 1990, Beckenbauer also had two stints as Bayern’s manager before quitting the position in 1996 to work in football administration.
In addition to being president of Bayern, he also led the German committee that was awarded the right to host the 2006 World Cup and assumed the position of vice-president of the German Football Association (DFB) in 1998.
He was one of four men who were put under investigation for possible corruption related to the competition, but the trial concluded in 2020 without a verdict.
