Franz Beckenbauer, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and one of only three people to win the World Cup as both player and coach, has died aged 78.
Beckenbauer's death was announced by his family on Monday. He died on Sunday after health problems that plagued him in recent years.
"It is with deep sadness that we inform you that our husband and father Franz Beckenbauer passed away yesterday, peacefully and surrounded by his family. We ask that you be able to mourn in silence and refrain from any questions," Beckenbauer's family said in a statement.
Beckenbauer is a German football icon who has recorded 104 appearances for West Germany. As captain of West Germany, Beckenbauer led the team to glory in 1974 by winning the World Cup. The same success, but as a coach, Beckenbauer repeated 16 years later, in the tournament held in Italy. Only Mario Zagallo, who died on Sunday, and Didier Deschamps, along with Beckenbauer, have enjoyed World Cup success as player and coach. Beckenbauer won many more titles, including a hat-trick of European Cups with Bayern Munich in the mid-1970s, when he also established a reputation as an exceptional defender. Nicknamed "Der Kaiser", Beckenbauer was as elegant as he was dominant in his game. Such was his confidence with the ball that he mastered the modern role of center back, now known as libero. Moreover, this created role is mainly due to Beckenbauer.
Beckenbauer's life after retiring from football entirely was marred by allegations of corruption with the then 71-year-old questioned by Swiss prosecutors in March 2017 over suspected corruption related to the 2006 World Cup, which was held in Germany. . Beckenbauer chaired Germany's initial bid in 2000 and was part of the tournament's Organizing Committee. This was the dark period in Beckenbauer's life, as the rest of it was mostly glorious.
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Born in Giesling, a working-class district of Munich, in September 1945, Beckenbauer grew up as a fan of the Munich 1860 team, but instead joined the unpopular Bayern Munich youth team. . He was originally a center forward and made his debut for the club in 1964, when the team was in the second tier of West Germany. He started as a left winger. He eventually moved into central defense and after helping Bayern achieve promotion to the Bundesliga, he was made captain ahead of the 1968/69 campaign, leading the team to the league title. He became an inspirational figure for Bayern, helping them win three more domestic titles between 1972 and 1974, as well as European trophies (1974-1976). At the age of 20, Beckenbauer made his debut for West Germany in a World Cup qualifier against Sweden. The youngster shone in the 2:1 victory in Sweden that sealed West Germany's participation in the 1966 tournament in England. West Germany lost to the hosts at Wembley Stadium, but a golden era for the country was in the offing and with Beckenbauer as captain and dominant defender, the Germans won the 1972 European Championship before winning the world title on home soil two years later. Later.
Winning other awards, including the Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976, Beckenbauer retired from active soccer in 1984 after a stint with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. In the same year he was appointed coach of West Germany, despite having no previous experience in the job. Beckenbauer led his country to the 1986 World Cup final before winning the tournament four years later in Italy. This was followed by a brief spell in charge of Olympique Marseillet in France before Beckenbauer returned to Bayern, leading the club to the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup two years later.
Beckenbauer has also been president of Bayern Munich and vice president of the German Football Association (DFB).
A brilliant player and manager, Beckenbauer's legacy has been somewhat tarnished by the aforementioned corruption allegations. In 2014 he was also hit with a 90-day suspension by FIFA for failing to assist an investigation into alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
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Beckenbauer also experienced the death of his son, Stephan, in 2015. Since then, he has had constant problems with his health. He had eye disease, a heart attack and Parkinson's disease.
"Der Kaiser" has suffered a lot in recent years, but he will always be remembered as a legend of German football and an icon of world football.
