German and World Cup soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer – broadly thought to be one of many biggest gamers of all time – has died on the age of 78.
The sublimely proficient defender gained an array of trophies and honours throughout his glittering profession, together with a World Cup with West Germany as each a participant and a supervisor, and two Ballon d’Or awards.
He was additionally famed for carving out his personal function as a sweeper – sitting barely behind his group’s line of defense and sweeping up any man or ball that broke by.
Former England striker Gary Lineker, paying tribute to Beckenbauer, described him as “one of the absolute greats of our game”.
“Very sorry to hear that Franz Beckenbauer has died. Der Kaiser was the most beautiful of footballers who won it all with grace and charm. RIP,” he wrote in a publish on X.
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Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton additionally paid tribute, writing: “Very sad to hear that the great Beckenbauer has sadly passed away.
“He was a incredible participant reaching world-class standing. RIP legend.”
Bayern Munich – Beckenbauer’s boyhood membership the place he spent a lot of his profession each on and off the pitch – additionally paid tribute.
“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be – suddenly darker, quieter, poorer,” the membership mentioned in a publish on X.
“The German record champions mourn Franz Beckenbauer, the unique Der Kaiser, without whom FC Bayern would never have become the club it is today.”
Clash of the Titans with Charlton
Across a virtually two-decade-long profession on the pitch – a lot of it spent with Bayern – Beckenbauer gained an array of trophies, together with 4 Bundesliga titles and three European Cups.
But it was performances on the worldwide stage that many soccer followers will keep in mind, together with lifting the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup with West Germany in 1974.
He narrowly missed out on the Jules Rimet Cup eight years earlier at Wembley, with England clinching an extra-time victory within the 1966 World Cup closing.
It was throughout that closing that Beckenbauer, not but on the peak of his powers, was advised to man-mark England star Sir Bobby Charlton, pitting two of the world’s biggest footballers collectively.
In the top, such have been each their skills, they cancelled one another out, and it was Geoff Hurst who starred, scoring a hat-trick to assist England to a well-known victory.
“The message he [Beckenbauer] sent out was: ‘Don’t even try it. Coming out to face me is a waste of your time,” Charlton later mentioned of their match-up.
As effectively as trophies, Beckenbauer gained an array of non-public honours, together with two European Footballer of the Year (now the Ballon d’Or) awards as a defender – a rarity on the time and nonetheless to this present day.
He stays the one defender in historical past to win the award twice.
Beckenbauer additionally completed runner-up twice and positioned third in 1966 – gained that 12 months by his World Cup closing nemesis, Charlton.
From pitch to the boardroom
After hanging up his boots for the ultimate time – following a brief second stint within the US on the New York Cosmos – Beckenbauer turned to administration, guiding West Germany to victory within the 1990 World Cup.
He was certainly one of three males, together with Brazil’s Mario Zagallo, who handed away this month, and France’s Didier Deschamps, to have gained the World Cup as each a participant and as a supervisor.
He additionally had two stints as supervisor of Bayern, successful the Bundesliga title in his first and the UEFA Cup in his second.
After stepping again from the dugout, Beckenbauer entered into punditry, together with for Sky Germany, in addition to taking on govt roles at Bayern Munich and with the Germany Football Association.
It was throughout his spearheading of Germany’s profitable 2006 World Cup bid that Beckenbauer turned embroiled in controversy, with authorities launching an investigation into allegations of fraud and cash laundering in reference to the bid.
He was accused by the Swiss Attorney General’s workplace of paying Qatari former FIFA govt Mohamed bin Hammam £8.4m earlier than the 2006 World Cup.
Beckenbauer and three different males accused within the investigation denied any wrongdoing, and it was later closed with out a verdict in 2020 because the statute of limitations expired.
Beckenbauer was later immortalised in a movie – titled Der Kaiser – made about his life in 2022.
Tributes paid to soccer legend
In an announcement saying his dying, his household mentioned: “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 household mentioned.
“We ask that you be able to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
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Scotland and Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish paid tribute on Monday evening, writing in a publish on X: “It fills me with deep sadness to hear about the passing of Franz Beckenbauer, a true icon of the game.
“It was a privilege to share certainly one of my proudest moments with him when he offered my one hundredth cap for Scotland. My ideas are with him and his household presently. RIP Der Kaiser.”
Tributes also flooded in from outside the footballing world, including from Adidas, the German athletics brand which made the iconic kits of the German national team throughout Beckenbauer’s time as a player and manager, wrote: “Franz Beckenbauer: a soccer poet, gracefully weaving his artistry into the romantic cloth of the attractive sport.”
Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, also wrote on X: “One of German soccer’s all-time greats, Franz Beckenbauer, has handed away.
“The legendary footballer, revered in Germany as “Der Kaiser”, won the World Cup as player in 1974 and again as manager in 1990. May he rest in peace.”
Source: information.sky.com”