Franz Beckenbauer, football legend and 1974 World Cup champion, dies at 78

Franz Beckenbauer, former Germany player and football legend, dies aged 78

Former German football player Franz Beckenbauer died at the age of 78 this Sunday (7), reported DPA, a news agency in the country.

The family confirmed the death in a statement this Monday. Beckenbauer died peacefully in his sleep, according to the statement.

The former athlete had been facing health problems in recent months. At the end of December, his brother spoke to the German newspaper “Der Spiegel” and confirmed that his health was quite unstable.

According to the report, he underwent two heart surgeries and had lost vision in one of his eyes.

Champion team captain

Beckenbauer was one of the greatest players of all time. Known as the “kaiser” (an expression derived from the Latin word “caesar”), he was captain of the 1974 World Cup-winning German team and again as coach in 1990.

The club he is most identified with is Bayern Munich. With Bayern, he was champion of the Champions League on 3 occasions (1973-74, 1974-75 and 1975-76).

After leaving the German club, he went to play alongside Pelé at the New York Cosmos, in the United States. He stopped playing in 1984.

Shortly after retiring as a player, he became coach of the German national team. As a coach, he reached the 1986 World Cup final and won the 1990 tournament.

from Olympique de Marseille and Bayern Munich. He has also held positions at the German Federation and FIFA.

Beckenbauer was one of three in the world to win a Cup as a player and coach (in the German Cup in 1974 and Italy in 1990). The other two are:

• Zagallo, who died last Friday (6), won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups as a player, the 1970 World Cup as a coach and was coordinator in 1994.
• Didier Deschamps (1998, in France, and 2018 in Russia).

Research in Switzerland

Beckenbauer was part of the group that filed Germany’s candidacy for the 2006 World Cup and, later, was on the tournament’s organizing committee.

In 2017, the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into whether Germany purchased the right to host the 2006 World Cup. Beckenbauer was investigated by prosecutors. The case expired before reaching a conclusion.

Furthermore, in 2014, he was suspended from FIFA for 90 days because he did not cooperate with investigations into the selection of venues for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

1 of 6 Archive photo shows Franz Beckenbauer lifting the 1974 World Cup trophy — Photo: Associated Press 2 of 6 Franz Beckenbauer in image from 2013 — Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters 3 of 6 Franz Beckenbauer in photo from 2010, during the world Cup. The former player and former coach died at the age of 78 this Sunday (7) — Photo: Carl Recine/File Photo/Reuters 4 of 6 Franz Beckenbauer positioned at the side of the field during the 1990 World Cup final against Argentina — Photo: Action Images/File photo 5 of 6 File photo shows Franz Beckenbauer lifting the 1974 World Cup trophy — Photo: Associated Press 6 of 6

He was world champion as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990.

2024-01-08 16:24:41
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