Bayern Munich, Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer dies aged 78،
Franz Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany as a player and coach and considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has died aged 78.
German news agency DPA said the family had confirmed Beckenbauer's death in a statement.
“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 allow us to grieve in silence and refrain from asking questions.”
Beckenbauer, born in Munich, shaped German football as a player, coach and official. His elegance and leadership qualities on the pitch with Bayern Munich and his country earned him the nickname “The Kaiser“, which translates to “The Emperor.” Pelé called him “one of the best I have ever seen play.”
He won the Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976 and was named German Footballer of the Century in 2000. He received the FIFA Player of the Centenary and Football Personality awards in 2004.
Beckenbauer defined the role of Liberothe free player behind the defensive lines who set the rhythm of the match.
With 103 caps for Germany between September 1965 and February 1977, he led Germany's “golden generation” to the 1972 European Championship and triumphed on home soil at the 1974 World Cup.
Beckenbauer is one of three people to have won the World Cup as a player and coach, alongside Mário Zagallo with Brazil and Didier Deschamps with France.
At German club level, he won three European Cups, one European Cup Winners' Cup, five Bundesliga titles and four German Cups with Bayern Munich and Hamburg.
In a statement, Bayern wrote: “The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be: suddenly darker, calmer, poorer.
“The German champions mourn the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the only 'Kaiser', without whom Bayern would never have become the club it is today.”
Uli Hoeness, Bayern's honorary president who played with Beckenbauer for club and country, added: “Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality FC Bayern has ever had. As a player, coach, president, person: unforgettable. No one will ever equal him.”
After playing for Bayern, Beckenbauer joined the New York Cosmos in 1977, with his move to the United States marking the end of his international career.
He won three North American Soccer League trophies alongside Pelé while playing in the United States.
Beckenbauer returned to Germany in 1980, winning his final trophy as a player with Hamburg and, after another brief stint with the Cosmos, retired from professional football a day after his 38th birthday in 1983.
The following year, Beckenbauer took over as Germany head coach, reaching two World Cup finals and masterminding a 1–0 victory over Argentina in the final of the 1990 tournament in Italy.
Rudi Völler, director of the senior national team of the German Football Association (DFB) and striker of the triumphant 1990 World Cup team, said: “I consider it one of the great privileges of my life of having known and experienced Franz Beckenbauer.
“Our collaboration with the national team was crowned by the 1990 World Cup title in Rome, a title which would never have been possible without his exceptional performance as a coach.
“With Franz Beckenbauer, German football loses its greatest personality: I lose a good friend.”
Lothar Matthäus, captain of the 1990 team, said: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz was not well. His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole. He was one of the greatest players in football. player and coach, but also off the field.”
Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, paid tribute to Beckenbauer onformerly Twitter, describing him as one of the greatest German footballers of all time who inspired German football for generations.
Beckenbauer won the French league title as Marseille coach the following year and added two more trophies during two spells at Bayern later in the decade.
He was president of Bayern, leaving the post in 2009, and helped Germany win the right to host the 2006 World Cup, flying across the country by helicopter to attend 46 of the 64 matches played.
In 2015, Beckenbauer denied that votes were bought during the bidding process for the 2006 tournament after reports claimed a £4.8 million ($6.1 million) slush fund had was used to get votes for Germany.
