German football legend and one of the greatest players of all time, Franz Beckenbauer has passed away at the age of 78, as Sky Sports reported.
Beckenbauer, nicknamed ‘Der Kaiser’, clinched the World Cup as a player for West Germany in 1974 and as a manager in 1990, and he is regarded as a Bayern Munich icon. He twice won the Ballon d’Or as a player.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Franz Beckenbauer, one of football’s greatest ever players
A World Cup winner as both player and manager, ‘Der Kaiser’ was as elegant as he was dominant
He will forever be remembered pic.twitter.com/dJDF4eAuod
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 8, 2024
He remains largely recognised as one of the greatest football players of all time, and he is one of only three persons to have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager. Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and France’s Didier Deschamps also accomplished it.
“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. We ask that you be able to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions,” a family statement read, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Beckenbauer began his career as a midfielder but rose to prominence as a central defender, becoming one of the first ball-players capable of both defending and moving the ball accurately.
The former Bayern Munich player won the European Cup three times with the Bavarian powerhouse. He also won the Bundesliga four times as a player and once as coach, and he led Bayern to the UEFA Cup in 1996.
Beckenbauer also received numerous personal accolades, including two European Footballer of the Year titles as a defender, which was unusual at the time and continues to be so today.
