By Andrew Lord

8 January 2024

Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup with West Germany as a player and coach, has died at the age of 78. Known as “Der Kaiser”, Beckenbauer captained West Germany to World Cup triumph in 1974 and won the cup again in 1990, this time as the trainer of the national team.

Beckenbauer’s family confirmed his death via a statement issued through the German news agency DPA:

“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.”

Bayern Munich issued the following statement: “The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be – suddenly darker, quieter, poorer.

“Germany’s record champions mourn the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the unique ‘Kaiser,’ without whom Bayern would never have become the club it is today.”

Beckenbauer’s major honours include the World Cup in 1974, the 1972 European Championship, three European Champions’ Cup victories, four Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and one with Hamburg. He was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1972 and 1976. 

Re-interpreting the libero role

German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann explained how Beckenbauer had reinvented the role of the libero: “For me Franz Beckenbauer was the best soccer player in German history. His interpretation of the libero role changed the game, this role and his friendship with the ball set him free. Franz Beckenbauer could float across the grass. As a player and later as a coach, he was sublime. When Franz Beckenbauer entered a room, the room lit up. He rightfully carried the name ‘Beacon of German soccer.’ Even the health problems and blows of fate could not shake the aura he carried to the end. I’m grateful and proud that I was able to get to know him and will remember him fondly.”

In 1977, Beckenbauer joined New York Cosmos, playing alongside Pele. He won the North American Soccer League three times.

In 1980, he returned to the Bundesliga to play for Hamburg, winning the Bundesliga title in 1982. Hamburg remained his second favourite club, as demonstrated when he was the subject of a German documentary in 2017. As Beckenbauer watched Bayern Munich dismantle Hamburg in an 8-0 victory, he became more agitated as the goals rolled in. As the fans around him celebrated with glee, he was visibly upset to observe Hamburg’s humiliation.

Beckenbauer returned to New York Cosmos in 1983 and announced his retirement the same year at the age of 38.

In 1984, Beckenbauer was announced as the new trainer of the German national team. He guided Germany to the 1986 World Cup final in Mexico, despite some disparaging remarks about the quality of the players at his disposal which were revealed in Toni Schumacher’s controversial autobiography. Ultimately, Germany lost the final 3-2 against Argentina.

A World Cup winner as a player and coach

In 1990, he went one better as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final by virtue of an Andy Brehme penalty. The World Cup win meant that Beckenbauer is one of just three to win the World Cup as a player and trainer, an honour shared with Mario Zagallo of Brazil and Didier Deschamps of France.

Midfield general Lothar Matthäus, who played under Beckenbauer for Bayern Munich and was the captain of the 1990 World Cup winning side, paid tribute to his close friend:

“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 left us. I will miss him – we will all miss him.”

Rudi Völler, who was an integral part of the German national side which won the World Cup under Beckenbauer in 1990, said:

“I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to have known and experienced Franz Beckenbauer.

“Our time together with the national team was crowned with the 1990 World Cup title in Rome, a title that would never have been possible without his outstanding coaching performance.

“The ‘Kaiser’ was an inspiration for more than one generation, he will forever remain the shining light of German football. With Franz Beckenbauer, German football is losing its greatest personality, I am losing a good friend.”

After guiding Olympique Marseille to the French Championship in 1991, he returned to Bayern Munich as trainer, winning the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the UEFA Cup in 1996.

Former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Jan Åge Fjørtoft expressed fond memories from his time working alongside Beckenbauer in their roles as TV experts:

“He is one of the greatest and I had the privilege of working with him for three years with Sky Germany.

“They say you should never meet your favourites and your legends but he was one of the most charming men you will ever meet. He was humble, he shared his knowledge.”

Respected despite his flaws

Former Bayern Munich teammate Paul Breitner once explained the popularity of Beckenbauer thus: “He did everything that a German is not supposed to do,” his former teammate Paul Breitner once said. “He got divorced, he left his children, took off with his girlfriend, got into trouble with tax collectors, left his girlfriend again. But he is forgiven for everything because he’s got a good heart, he’s a positive person, and he’s always ready to help. He doesn’t conceal his weaknesses, doesn’t sweep his mistakes under the carpet.”

In 2005, he admitted his shortcomings when he told Johannes B. Kerner: “I was a bad father because I was never there.”

Beckenbauer was the figurehead for the 2006 World Cup organising committee, which saw the tournament held in Germany that year, but he later faced a five-year trial following allegations of corruption related to payments made to a FIFA executive. However, the trial ended without a verdict due to a statute of limitations expiring in the Swiss court.

In recent years, Beckenbauer had suffered several health setbacks, including Parkinson’s disease. His son Stephan died from a brain tumour aged 46 in 2015 and it was three years before he spoke publicly about his loss: “I don’t know if it’s ever possible to come to terms with it.”

© Andrew Lord 2024