Franz Beckenbauer, German legend of Bayern Munich and world football, dies; Won two Ballon d’Ors

German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, world champion as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990, died on Sunday at the age of 78, the German federation (DFB) announced to AFP subsidiary SID press agency on Monday. .

A former captain of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) team in the 1970s, coach of Mannschaft from 1984 to 1990 and manager of Bayern Munich in the 1990s, Beckenbauer retired from public activities in recent years due to health problems.

“Franz Beckenauer was certainly the greatest German footballer of all time, and a formidable figure at the top,” DFB vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.

Beckenbauer retired for years in Salzburg (Austria), near his native Bavaria. His precarious health greatly limited his public appearances.

When he turned 75, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Beckenbauer spoke about death and his future death in a documentary on German public television ARD, admitting that the impending prospect caused him anxiety.

“Uncertainty worries me,” he said later, noting the lack of knowledge of what happens after death.

His ill health also meant that in January 2023 he was unable to travel to Brazil for the funeral of ‘O Rey’ Pele, with whom he played for one season at the New York Cosmos. In August of the same year, he was also absent from the traditional annual meeting of the 1990 German world champions.

All these spread rumors about his condition. He had to undergo several operations and lost the sight in his right eye a few months ago.

The last time he was seen in public was at the Allianz Arena stadium to watch ‘his’ Bayern Munich game. It was in late August 2022, in a Bundesliga duel against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

A few weeks earlier she had traveled through Herzogenaurach (Northern Bavaria) to support the German internationals, who were preparing for the 2022 Women’s Euro Cup there.

Franz BeckenbauerGerman football legend who died on Sunday, January 7, 2024, in brief:

Last Name: Beckenbauer
Name: Franz
Nickname: Kaiser
birth date: September 11, 1945 (age 78)
Place of Birth: Munich, Germany)
Height: 1.81 m
Sports/Status: Footballer/Libero

Successive Clubs: Bayern Munich (1964-1977), New York Cosmos (1977-1980), Hamburg SV (1980-1982), New York Cosmos (1982-1983)

Club achievements
European Cup (3): 1974, 1975, 1976
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1976
Cup Winners Cup (1): 1967
Bundesliga (5): 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1982
German Cup (4): 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971
United States Championship (3): 1977, 1978, 1980

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) national team: 103 games, 50 as captain (14 goals)

First cap: 09/26/1965, Sweden-RFA, 1966 World Cup qualifier (1-2)

Last selection: 02/22/1977, France-RFA, friendly (1-0)

First goal: 03/23/1966, Netherlands-FRG, friendly (2-4)

Honors with the National Team:
World champion in 1974
World runner-up in 1966
European Champion in 1972

Individual Awards:
Ballon d’Or (2): 1972, 1976
FRG Player of the Year (4): 1966, 1968, 1974, 1976

Successive Clubs: Marseille (September to December 1990, then as sporting director until June 1991), Bayern Munich (December 1993 to June 1994; April to June 1996)

Club achievements
UEFA Cup (1): 1996
Bundesliga (1): 1994

RFA coach from 1984 to 1990, 66 games
First match: 09/12/1984, friendly against Argentina (3-1 loss)
Last Match: 07/08/1990, World Cup Final RFA-Argentina (1-0)

German National Team Winners:
World champion in 1990
World runner-up in 1986

– Vice President of Bayern Munich from November 1991 to June 1994

– President of Bayern Munich from July 1994 to November 2009

– Chairman of Bayern’s Supervisory Board from February 2002 to November 2009

– Honorary President of Bayern Munich from November 2009 until his death

-Vice President of FIFA from January 2007 to March 2011

-Vice President of the German Football Federation (DFB) from 1998 to 2010

-Chairman of the Nomination Committee and later Chairman of the Organization Committee of the 2006 World Cup in Germany