German football legend and World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer dies at age 78
Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, Beckenbauer enjoyed great success both as a manager and player and was the only defender in history to win the Ballon d'Or on two occasions (1972, 1976)
Football
Football great Franz Beckenbauer has died at age 78.
The news was confirmed in a statement from his family released by the German press agency DPA.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, surrounded by his family,” the statement read. “We ask that we can be able to mourn in silence and not be disturbed by any questions.”
The former West Germany and Bayern Munich player, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, enjoyed a stellar playing career which included 104 caps for West Germany and 427 appearances for German club side Bayern Munich.
Playing as a centre-back, Beckenbauer revolutionised the world of football with his creative approach to defending and is often regarded as the originator of the role of the “modern sweeper”.
West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer celebrates winning the 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands
A footballing legend with an insatiable thirst for winning
Beckenbauer began his career in 1964 as a central midfielder in the youth system of Bayern Munich before moving into the defensive role in which he made his name.
Over the next 13 years, he enjoyed a glittering career with the club, becoming the only defender in football history to win the Ballon d’Or on two occasions (1972, 1976). He was also named on the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998 and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002.
Perhaps the crowning moment of Beckenbauer’s playing career came in 1974 when he played an integral role in the West Germany team that lifted the World Cup following a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the final over Johan Cruyff's Netherlands side. His list of titles also includes the 1972 European Championship with West Germany and three European Cup triumphs with Bayern Munich.
After a time spent playing in the USA with New York Cosmos, Beckenbauer retired from playing football in 1983 and embarked upon a successful management career that included two stints in charge of Bayern Munich and a six-year tenure as manager of the German national team that won the World Cup in Italy in 1990.
He is one of only three footballers to have won the World Cup as both a footballer and a manager, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo (1958, 1970), who passed away just days before Beckenbauer on 5 January, and France's Didier Deschamps (1998, 2018).
Beckenbauer's death follows the passing of another footballing legend Bobby Charlton in October 2023, with the two icons sharing the field during a memorable World Cup final in 1966.
IOC President Thomas Bach was among the first to pay tribute to Beckenbauer, saying: "It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Franz Beckenbauer. He was a sporting legend far beyond football. For me personally, he was a close and loyal friend for more than four decades, someone you could always rely on."
Lothar Matthäus, who captained the German side under Beckenbauer during their successful 1990 World Cup campaign, was among many others to pay homage to the Barvarian: "The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t feeling well,” he told German newspaper Bild. “His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole. He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the field. Franz was an outstanding personality – not only in football – and he enjoyed worldwide recognition. Everyone who knew him knows what a great and generous person Franz was. A good friend has left us. I will miss him – we will all miss him.”