Franz Beckenbauer, World Cup-winning captain and manager, dies aged 78

Tributes have been paid to Franz Beckenbauer, widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of all time, and one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and manager, following his death at the age of 78.

Beckenbauer is an icon of German football having won 104 caps for West Germany, captaining them to glory at the 1974 World Cup before repeating the feat, as manager, in Italy 16 years later. He also won numerous other honours, including a hat-trick of European Cups with Bayern Munich in the mid-70s, when he also established his reputation as a defender of supreme talents, so much that he became widely known as Der Kaiser.

His family confirmed the news via a statement to 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,” it said. “We ask that we can be able to mourn in silence and not be disturbed by any questions.”

Lothar Matthäus, who was Beckenbauer’s captain at the 1990 World Cup as well as a close friend, told German newspaper Bild: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t feeling well. 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.”

Rudi Völler was also part of the 1990 World Cup-winning squad. Paying tribute to Beckenbauer on the German Football Association’s website, the former striker and current DFB director of the senior national team, wrote: “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 were crowned with the 1990 World Cup title in Rome, a title that would never have been possible without his outstanding coaching performance.

“With Franz Beckenbauer, German football is losing its greatest personality. I am losing a good friend.”

Gary Lineker, who was part of the England team defeated by Beckenbauer’s Germany in the 1990 semi-final, said: “Very sorry to hear that Franz Beckenbauer has died. One of the absolute greats of our game. Der Kaiser was the most beautiful of footballers who won it all with grace and charm. RIP.”

Paying his own tribute, Sir Kenny Dalglish said: “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 one of my proudest moments with him when he presented my 100th cap for Scotland. My thoughts are with him and his family at this time. RIP Der Kaiser.”

Beckenbauer was as elegant as he was dominant, and such was his assurance in possession that he came to master the modern sweeper role, or libero. More so, he is credited with creating it.

Beckenbauer’s post-playing life was marred by accusations of wrongdoing, with the then 71-year-old questioned by Swiss prosecutors in March 2017 over suspected corruption linked to the 2006 World Cup, which was held in Germany. Beckenbauer headed the initial bid in 2000 and was part of the competition’s organising committee.

If that was a dark period in Beckenbauer’s life than the rest of it was largely glorious.

Born in Giesing, a working-class district of Munich, in September 1945, Beckenbauer grew up as a fan of 1860 Munich but joined the youth setup at the then unfashionable Bayern instead. He was originally a centre-forward and made his debut for the club in 1964, when they were in West Germany’s second tier, as a left winger. He eventually moved into centre midfield and having helped Bayern achieve promotion to the Bundesliga, was made captain ahead of the 1968-69 season, leading them to the top-flight title at the first time of asking.

He became an inspirational and consistently excellent figure for Bayern, leading them to a hat-trick of domestic titles between 1972 and 74, as well as those three European titles, between 1974 and 76. At the age of 20, he also made his debut for West Germany in a World Cup qualifier away to Sweden. The youngster shone in a 2-1 victory that sealed his country’s place at the 1966 finals in England.

West Germany went on to lose to the hosts at Wembley but a golden period for the nation was just around the corner and with Beckenbauer as captain and domineering defender, they won the 1972 European Championship before clinching the world title, on home soil, two years later.

Having won further honours, including the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976, Beckenbauer retired from playing in 1984 following a spell with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. That same year, he was appointed West Germany manager despite having no previous coaching experience. It did not matter, however, as Beckenbauer led his country to the final of the 1986 World Cup and then to the trophy itself at Italia 90, joining Brazil’s Mario Zagallo in achieving world success on the touchline as well as on the pitch. France’s Didier Deschamps would go on to achieve the same feat in 2018.

There followed a brief spell in charge of Marseille in France before Beckenbauer returned to Bayern, leading the club to the Bundesliga title in 1994 and the Uefa Cup two years later. Beckenbauer also had spells as president at Bayern and vice-president of the German Football Association.

“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it was - suddenly darker, more quiet, poorer,” read a tribute from Bayern. “The German record champions are grieving for Franz Beckenbauer, the unique ‘Kaiser’ without whom FC Bayern would not have become the club it is today.”

A brilliant player and manager, Beckenbauer’s legacy has somewhat been tarnished by the aforementioned allegations of corruption – the trial against him ended without a verdict in April 2020. In 2014, he was also hit with a 90-day suspension by Fifa for failing to help an inquiry into alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. He was part of the Fifa executive committee that made the awards.

Beckenbauer’s death comes a little under three months after the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton. The pair were, completely coincidentally, given the responsibility by their respective managers of man-marking the other in the 1966 World Cup final. It led to both delivering muted displays at Wembley but, overall, there was no doubting their outstanding contributions to their countries and to football as a whole.

“Franz Beckenbauer was able to float on the lawn, as a footballer and later also as a coach he was sublime, he stood above things,” said Germany’s current head coach, Julian Nagelsmann. “An aura surrounded him until the end, which even the health problems and strokes of fate that he had to cope with could not shake it.

“I am grateful and proud that I was able to get to know him and will remember him fondly.”