The Emperor is dead!
The news was officially announced on Monday at 5:12 p.m.: Franz Beckenbauer died on Sunday at the age of 78.
The family shares: “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 mourn in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
Germany says goodbye to its greatest footballer. World champion as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. The creator of the summer fairy tale in 2006. Champion and European Cup winner with FC Bayern.
Lothar Matthäus (62), Franz Beckenbauer’s 1990 World Cup captain and close friend, to 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 left us. I will miss him – we will all miss him!”
Franz Beckenbauer had withdrawn from the public for a long time.
The death of his son Stephan († 46) in 2015 and the rumors about the 2006 World Cup took a toll on him.
Since then, his health has also declined. Eye infarction, heart operations, plus Parkinson’s disease with associated dementia. The emperor has suffered greatly recently.
He has now passed away surrounded by his family.
Hello, Franz!