Franz Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany as a player and coach who was considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has died at the age of 78.
The German News Agency (dpa) said that the family confirmed Beckenbauer’s death through a statement.
The family said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, died 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.”
Beckenbauer, born in Munich, helped shape German football as a player, coach and official. “His elegance and leadership qualities on the field with Bayern Munich and his country’s national team earned him the title.”Der Kaiser“, which translates to “Emperor.” Pele described him as “one of the best players I have ever seen.”
Beckenbauer won the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976, and was named German Footballer of the Year in 2000. He was also awarded the FIFA Centenary Award for Best Player and Football Personality in 2004.
Beckenbauer defined a role Liberothe free player behind the defensive lines who sets the pace of the match.
He played 103 international matches for Germany between September 1965 and February 1977, leading Germany’s “golden generation” to the 1972 European Championship and victory on home soil in the 1974 World Cup.
Beckenbauer is one of three people to have won the World Cup as a player and coach, along with Mario Zagallo with Brazil and Didier Deschamps with France.
At club level in Germany, he won three European Cups, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, five Bundesliga titles and four German Cups with Bayern Munich and Hamburg.
The German League said in a statement, “The German League family is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Franz Beckenbauer. A true icon then, now and always. Rest in peace, Der Kaiser.”
After playing for Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer moved to the New York Cosmos in 1977 and his move to the United States marked the end of his international career.
He won three North American Soccer League titles alongside Pelé while playing in the United States
Beckenbauer returned to Germany in 1980, won his final trophy as a player with Hamburg, and after another short spell with the Cosmos, he retired from professional football one day after his 38th birthday in 1983.
The following year, Beckenbauer took over as coach of the German national team, reaching two World Cup finals and leading a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the 1990 tournament final in Italy.
Beckenbauer won the French League title as coach of Marseille the following year and added two more titles during two spells at Bayern later in the decade.
He served as Bayern’s president, leaving in 2009, and as an administrator helped Germany win the right to host the 2006 World Cup, crisscrossing the country by helicopter to watch 46 of the 64 matches played.
