Legendary German footballer Franz Beckenbauer dies aged 78
8 January 2024, 16:34 | Updated: 8 January 2024, 17:03
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has died aged 78.
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Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and as a manager in a glittering career, is seen as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The defender played 584 times for Bayern Munich from 1963-1977, before moving to New York Cosmos for four seasons. He returned to Germany with Hamburg in the early 1980s, before another spell with New York.
He won the Bundesliga (the German league title) four times in his playing career with Bayern and once with Hamburg, and also has three European Cup winner's medals among many other trophies. Beckenbauer also won the Ballon d'Or for world's best individual player twice in his career.
Beckenbauer - nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' - played 103 times for West Germany between 1965 and 1977, winning the World Cup in 1974. He was also on the losing side when West Germany played England in the World Cup final in 1966.
He lifted the trophy as manager of West Germany in 1990. He also steered Bayern to the Bundesliga and UEFA Cup as manager in the 1990s, and won the French league as manager of Marseille.
Later in his career, Beckenbauer moved into football administration, leading Germany's bid to host the 2006 World Cup. He also worked as a football pundit and columnist in Germany.
His family said in a statement: "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 be able to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions."
Only three men have won the World Cup as a player and a manager. The first to achieve the feat, Brazil's Mario Zagallo, also died this month. France's Didier Deschamps is the third.
