“He was sublime, he was above everything”… The world of football pays tribute to the “Kaiser” – Libération

From Michel Platini to Olaf Scholz, the tributes and reverences to the glory of the legendary German defender, who died Monday January 8 at the age of 78, are multiplying.

Laurel wreaths for the football emperor. Shortly after the death of Franz Beckenbauer was made official on Monday January 8, tributes poured in from the world of football, and well beyond. Almost none of them fail to attach the nickname “Kaiser”, a form of supreme recognition for the man many observers consider to be one of the “greatest defenders” of modern football.

A worthy successor to the double Golden Ball on the bench of the Mannschaft, the current German coach Julian Nagelsmann recognizes in Beckenbauer “the best footballer in the history of Germany”, insisting on “his interpretation of the role of libero” which “changed the game”. “This role and his friendship with the ball made him a free man. As a footballer and coach, he was sublime, he was above everything. Another ex-football glory from across the Rhine, converted sports director of the Mannschaft, Rudi Voller mourns a “great friend”: “I am infinitely sad, the news of his death affects me a lot. I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to have known and lived with Franz Beckenbauer,” says the ex-striker.

The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be – suddenly darker, quieter, poorer: The German record champions mourn Franz Beckenbauer, the unique “Emperor”, without whom FC Bayern would never have become the club it was Today is.

Rest in peace.

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayern) January 8, 2024

His club Bayern Munich, with whom he won everything and of which he was one of the emblematic leaders, also joined in the chorus of sobs: “The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be: suddenly darker, calmer, poorer. The club mourns the passing of Franz Beckenbauer, the only ‘Kaiser’, without whom FC Bayern would never have become the club it is today,” the club published in a press release.

A sign that the player’s aura goes beyond the simple national framework, several other big world football teams such as Real Madrid or FC Barcelona have also published their press release in praise of the Bavarian. French football has also increased its reverences. Former opponent of the German in the twilight of his playing career, Michel Platini defines him on RMC as “a creator, an organizer but behind. He was the first player to make 40-yard passes from behind. He knew how to score goals, he created the offensive defender,” believes Platoche.

“It was class, it was talent,” praises former left-back Eric Di Meco, who had Beckenbauer as coach at Marseille during the 1990-1991 financial year. “Hello, Emperor! Rest in peace!”, says Franck Ribéry, himself a former Bayern Munich glory, when Luis Fernandez, who “grew up with him and Cruyff as an example”, deplores an “immense loss for football”. Across the Channel, English legend Gary Lineker regrets “one of the greatest of our sport […] the most handsome footballer, winning everything with grace and charm.

“The classiest defender in history”

Beyond the fields, tributes to the attention of the “Kapitän” of the FRG are multiplying. In Germany, where the shock wave is considerable, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a word for the “world champion as a player and coach […] one of Germany’s greatest footballers”, one of the greatest sportsmen in the country’s history who “inspired enthusiasm for German football for generations”.

The French political class, although shaken by the resignation of Elisabeth Borne almost at the same time, also had words for the football legend. “With Franz Beckenbauer, a giant of football is leaving us. A style. A record. A symbol. That of a certain era of West German football, which as French supporters, we inevitably hated, but which we have, deep down, always admired,” greets rebellious elected official Bastien Lachaud. “Attacker, midfielder then defender and more precisely: libero. Franz Beckenbauer was football, at the very least he was its ‘Kaiser’,” adds his Renaissance counterpart, Sacha Houlié. The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, praises the legacy left by the footballer: “The ‘Kaiser’ was him. The culture of winning was him. The “classiest” defender in history was him.”