Franz Beckenbauer is dead. The greatest German football legend died on Sunday at the age of 78, as his family announced to the German Press Agency on Monday. Beckenbauer was also one of the greatest in football worldwide, he became world champion as a player and coach and brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany. He was the much-praised figure of light. “It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family,” the family said. “We ask that you be able to mourn in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
Shortly after the news of his death, Olaf Scholz (SPD) paid tribute to the football legend. “World champion as a player and coach: Franz Beckenbauer was one of the greatest footballers in Germany and for many ‘the emperor’ – also because he inspired enthusiasm for German football for generations. We will miss him. My thoughts are with his family and friends,” the Chancellor wrote to X.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described Beckenbauer as an “exceptional phenomenon”. In a letter of condolence to Beckenbauer’s widow Heidrun Beckenbauer published by the Federal President’s Office on Monday, Steinmeier wrote: “Probably no one has had such an impact on German football as Franz Beckenbauer. As a player, team leader and coach, he made football history.” The word libero in all its meaning seems to have been invented for Beckenbauer, wrote the Federal President. “His elegance on the ball, his eye for the game, his lightness, but also his always team-friendly game have thrilled football fans all over the world.”
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Franz Beckenbauer is dead
Beckenbauer came to FC Bayern as a junior player and quickly rose to become a top performer for the Munich team. The boy from the Giesing district won, among other things, four national championship titles, was three times winner of the European Cup and World Cup winner. With his elegance and lightness on the field, he redefined the role of the libero and crowned his career by winning the home World Cup in 1974. Two years earlier he had already led the German European Championship winning team.
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After a few years in the USA with Cosmos New York, where Beckenbauer played in a legendary team with Pelé, he returned to Germany and won another championship title with Hamburger SV in 1982. After the preliminary round exit at the 1984 European Championships, he became team boss at the DFB even without a coaching license and led the national team straight into the 1986 World Cup final against Argentina (2:3). Four years later, they took revenge against Diego Maradona & Co. with the World Cup triumph in Rome.
Reactions to the death of Franz Beckenbauer
“The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t feeling well. His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole,” Lothar Matthäus told “Bild”. “He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the field. Franz was an outstanding personality not only in football, and he enjoyed worldwide recognition. Everyone who knew him knows what a great and generous person Franz was. A good friend left us. I will miss him – we will all miss him.”
1990: Beckenbauer (l.), Lothar Matthäus (m.) and Andreas Brehme present the World Cup trophy on the plane from Rome to Frankfurt
Source: dpa/Wolfgang Eilmes
Matthäus’ former teammate Andreas Brehme also commented on the death of his former coach to “Bild”. “We became world champions thanks to Franz. He had the whole squad under control and we had a huge amount of respect for him, for what he had achieved as a player,” said the winning goalscorer in the 1990 final. “We all have a lot to thank him for. “
Rudi Völler, DFB director, is deeply saddened by Beckenbauer’s death. “I am incredibly sad, the news of his death affects me very much,” said the former national team striker. “I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to have known and experienced Franz Beckenbauer,” added Völler: “Our time together with the national team was crowned with the 1990 World Cup title in Rome, a title that would have been achieved without his outstanding Coaching performance would never have been possible. The ‘Kaiser’ was an inspiration for more than one generation, he will forever remain the shining light of German football.”
After the World Cup victory in Italy, Beckenbauer resigned as national coach – not without leaving his successor Berti Vogts with a heavy burden of invincibility. Beckenbauer returned to FC Bayern as a coach when his Munich team was in crisis in the mid-1990s.
Accusations about summer fairy tales
The DFB used his charisma and polyglot brilliance in its bid for the 2006 World Cup. The summer fairy tale was Beckenbauer’s highlight as an official – and at the same time difficult for him personally. There were allegations when dubious payments became public. Former top German politicians defended Beckenbauer in the scandal surrounding the 2006 World Cup.
The accusations surrounding the awarding of the World Cup with dubious payments of millions are leaving a late aftertaste for Beckenbauer’s impressive life’s work. In the summer of 2019, the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office separated the proceedings against him from those of his co-accused on suspicion of fraud. Ultimately, like the case against three close companions from the summer fairy tale era, it came under the statute of limitations.
Clemens Tönnies, long-time CEO of FC Schalke, told WELT: “Franz Beckenbauer set standards worldwide as a player, coach and official and he shaped German football like no other. “In addition, he was an extremely sensitive, intelligent and noble person who particularly worked for the weaker people in our country,” says Tönnies. “I had a close friendship with Franz that went beyond sport. My thoughts are with his wife Heidi and his children. German football has lost an outstanding personality and I have lost a close friend. We will miss him.”
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Hans-Joachim Watzke also praised Beckenbauer’s achievements. “Franz Beckenbauer was definitely the greatest German footballer of all time and, on top of that, one of the greatest people I have ever met,” said the head of the supervisory board of the German Football League (DFL) and the managing director of Borussia Dortmund on Monday. “Every single experience I personally had with Franz was wonderful. I can still remember that I had goosebumps all over my body when he offered me the first name after our German championship in 2010/2011,” Watzke continued. “You can really only bow down to what Franz Beckenbauer has achieved for Germany and German football.”
National coach Julian Nagelsmann agreed with Watzke’s words: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t feeling well. His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole. He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the field. Franz was an outstanding personality, not just in football, and he enjoyed worldwide recognition.”
Condolences from England
Thomas Müller, FC Bayern’s figurehead, also joined the expressions of mourning. “Unfortunately, one of the greatest footballers in FC Bayern’s club history has left us. Rest in peace, Emperor Franz,” the Munich resident wrote on the short message service X, formerly Twitter. “We will never forget what you have done for football in Germany.”
Former England football star Gary Lineker also expressed his condolences via X: “I am very sorry to hear that Franz Beckenbauer has died. He was one of the greats of our sport. The Kaiser was the most beautiful of all footballers, who won everything with grace and charm. Rest in peace.”
