German football legend and World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer has sadly passed away at the age of 78.
Beckenbauer, famously nicknamed “Der Kaiser,” is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game, having won the FIFA World Cup as both a player and manager.
Beckenbauer lifted the World Cup in 1974 as the captain of West Germany, and sixteen years later, in 1990, he led the team to another triumph, but this time as manager.
The news of his passing was made known in a statement from his family to the German news agency DPA, which read: “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 allow us to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
Beckenbauer enjoyed a very successful career, winning the European Championship as a player with West Germany in 1972, claiming the Ballon d’Or award in the same year, and another four years later in 1976.
Deployed primarily as a defender, he changed the game with his ability on the ball and eye-catching goal-scoring prowess, playing 103 times for West Germany and scoring 14 goals.
At club level, he spent most of his career with Bayern Munich, where he played 582 times and scored over 70 goals, winning 15 titles, including four Bundesliga titles, four DFB Pokals, and three European Cups.
The Bavarians, Germany’s most successful club in history, mourned the passing of their legend and one of their best-ever stars in a statement released on their official social media platforms.
It read: Suddenly, our world isn’t the same as it once was — darker, quieter and worse off. The record champions are mourning the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the incomparable ‘Kaiser’ without who FC Bayern would never have become the club it is today. Rest in peace, Kaiser.
Suddenly, our world isn’t the same as it once was — darker, quieter and worse off. The record champions are mourning the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the incomparable ‘Kaiser’ without who FC Bayern would never have become the club it is today.
Rest in peace, Kaiser.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) January 8, 2024
Beckenbauer also played for the New York Cosmos and Hamburger SV, winning four titles in total.
He led Olympique Marseille to a Ligue 1 triumph as manager in the 1990–91 season before clinching the Bundesliga and UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich in the 1993–94 and 1995–96 seasons, respectively.
