Franz Beckenbauer should get a statue in front of the arena in Fröttmaning. In memory of the German football legend, who died on January 7th of this year, the “Kaiser” is to be cast in bronze on a base in the shape of the Bavarian diamond, 1.5 times life size, in an elegant pose as the conductor of the game. This was announced on Sunday by the Kurt Landauer Foundation, which had also promoted a statue for the former world-class striker Gerd Müller.
The “bomber of the nation” died on August 15, 2021, and in September last year the Munich club icon was honored with a bronze on the arena’s esplanade.
Visitors stand in front of the Gerd Müller statue in front of the arena in Fröttmaning.
(Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa)
Thanks to previous experience, those responsible expect the Beckenbauer project to take around 18 months to implement. “The elegant captain Franz and his friend Gerd Müller will then cast their positive shadows on today and the awareness of our great club history will be passed on to the next generations and firmly anchored,” explained Christian Kröll from the Kurt Landauer Foundation.
Bayern Munich’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said at the end of January: “If you look at the monument in honor of Gerd on the esplanade in front of the Allianz Arena: Franz fits in well there.” Beckenbauer died at the age of 78. He won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. Beckenbauer became an icon at FC Bayern and in the national team.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Beckenbauer family and FC Bayern Munich for their trust and support in this new project! Let’s tackle it together again – for the Kaiser, for rooting history in front of our stadium ” said Kröll, who at the same time called for donations for the Beckenbauer statue.