Legendary German Footballer Franz Beckenbauer Passes Away at the Age of 78

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German Footballer Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer, who was a player and coach for West Germany and was considered to be one of the best players of all time, passed away at the age of 78. Beckenbauer won the World Cup with West Germany under his leadership.

According to a statement released by the family, the German news agency DPA announced that Beckenbauer had passed away.

The family announced yesterday that Franz Beckenbauer died away quietly in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his loved ones. We are deeply saddened by this news. Please give us space to grieve without interruption and inquiries, the family said.

Beckenbauer, who was born in Munich, was a player, coach, and official in German football over the course of his career. It was because of his grace and leadership abilities on the field that he was given the nickname “Der Kaiser,” which literally translates to “The Emperor.” He played for Bayern Munich and for his country. It was Pelé who referred to him as “one of the best I ever saw play.”

In addition to being awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976, he was also recognized as Germany’s Footballer of the Century in the year 2000. Four years ago, in 2004, he was honored with the FIFA Centennial Player and Football Personality Award.

The role of the Libero, who is the free player behind the defensive lines and is responsible for setting the pace of the game, was identified by Beckenbauer.

Between September 1965 and February 1977, he won 103 caps for Germany. During that time, he guided Germany’s “golden generation” to victory in the European Championship in 1972 and at the World Cup in 1974, which was held on German soil.

Mário Zagallo of Brazil and Didier Deschamps of France are the other two individuals who have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach. Beckenbauer is one of the three persons who have accomplished this feat.

With Bayern Munich and Hamburg, he won four German cups, three European Cups, and a European Cup Winners’ Cup during his time as a club player in Germany. He also won five Bundesliga crowns and three European Cups.

“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be — suddenly darker, quieter, and poorer,” Bayern stated in a statement following the release of the statement.

“Germany’s record champions mourn the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the unique ‘Kaiser,’ without whom Bayern would never have become the club it is today.”

Additionally, Uli Hoeness, the honorary president of Bayern, who played alongside Franz Beckenbauer for both the club and the country, stated that “Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality FC Bayern has ever had with him.” Incredible in every way: as a player, a coach, a president, and a person. Nobody will ever be able to stop him.

It was in 1977 when Beckenbauer made the transition from playing for Bayern to playing for New York Cosmos. This move to the United States marked the conclusion of his career on the international stage.

In the United States, he was a member of the team that won three trophies in the North American Soccer League alongside Pelé.

Beckenbauer made his way back to Germany in 1980, when he won his last trophy as a player with Hamburg. After another brief stint with the Cosmos, Beckenbauer retired from professional football in 1983, one day after he turned 38 years old.

After taking over as Germany’s head coach the next year, Beckenbauer led the team to two World Cup finals and led them to a 1-0 triumph over Argentina in the final of the 1990 event, which was held in Italy.

“I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to have known and experienced Franz Beckenbauer,” said Rudi Voller, who is the director of the senior national team for the German Football Association (DFB) and was also a striker on the team that won the World Cup in 1990.

During the period that we spent working together with the national team, we were able to win the World Cup in Rome in 1990. This victory would not have been attainable without his remarkable coaching performance.

“In Franz Beckenbauer, German football is losing its greatest personality — I am losing a good friend.”

In spite of the fact that I was aware that Franz was not in good health, the captain of that team from 1990, Lothar Matthaus, expressed his profound amazement. His passing is a tragedy for the sport of football as well as for Germany as a whole. In addition to being one of the best players and coaches, he was also one of the best off the field.

On X, which was formerly known as Twitter, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, paid tribute to Beckenbauer by praising him as one of the best footballers in the history of Germany and stating that he had been an inspiration to German football for many generations.

As a coach for Marseille the next year, Beckenbauer was able to win the French league championship. Later in the decade, he returned to Bayern Munich for two separate periods and won two additional titles during those experiences.

He served as the president of Bayern until 2009, when he resigned from his position. In his capacity as an official, he was instrumental in Germany’s victory to host the World Cup in 2006. He traveled throughout the country in a helicopter to see 46 of the 64 matches that were played.

According to accusations that a slush fund with a total value of £4.8 million ($6.1 million) had been used to obtain votes for Germany during the bidding process for the 2006 tournament, Beckenbauer refuted during the year 2015 that votes had been purchased throughout the process.

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