During his playing days, Franz Beckenbauer made 104 appearances for the Federal Republic of Germany, helping the team win the World Cup 2014. After that, when he became the head coach of the "Tanker", he became the world champion in Italy 16 years later. In a club shirt, Beckenbauer had a hat-trick to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich in the 1970s of the 20th century.
Throughout his career, the German football legend has been known by the nickname " Der Kaiser". In German, this nickname refers to elegant and dominating people. When he was playing, he was also famous for playing just like his nickname in the defensive position as a full-back. Beckenbauer is also remembered as the inventor of the libero position in football, opening a revolution in innovating the playing style for modern teams and clubs in the future.
After receiving news of Franz Beckenbauer's passing, Lothar Matthaus - another German football legend told Bild that the passing of the "imperial King" left a big loss for the football world. The captain of Die Mannschaft in the 1990 World Cup shared that Beckenbauer is one of the greatest players in history in both player and coaching positions.
Rudi Voller was also a member of the 1990 World Cup winning squad and is currently the Director of the national team of the German Football Confederation (DFB). He said that Die Mannschaft would not have been able to become world champions in Italy without the contribution of Franz Beckenbauer.
In addition to the two German players, past opponents who were defeated by Beckenbauer such as Gary Lineker and Kenny Dalglish also left condolences for the legendary. Everyone believes that, when he was playing, Beckenbauer was one of the greatest players, having won titles in his own way thanks to his elegance.
"It's a pity to hear the news of Franz Beckenbauer's passing. He is one of the best things in football. Der Kaiser is the most elegant player, a player who has won every title with the most charm on the pitch" - Gary Lineker commented.
"I am deeply saddened by the departure of Franz Beckenbauer, he is a great symbol of the sport. It is an honor that in my 100th cap for the Scotland national team, I had the opportunity to compete against Beckenbauer. Take a break, Der Kaiser!" - Kenny Dalglish shared.
The comments of teammates, students and even opponents showed the great stature of Franz Beckenbauer. The " Emperor"'s career is not only great on the pitch, it also lies in professional work related to football in the future. In 2006, the World Cup was held in Germany, which was a tournament where "The tank" finished in 3rd place overall.
That year, Beckenbauer was a member of the organizing committee. He was the one who made a great contribution in bringing the World Cup to his hometown. It was also the first time since the beginning of the 21st century that the World Cup has been held in Germany.
In his glorious career, Franz Beckenbauer has only had one low point, which was the scandal involving former FIFA and UEFA officials in 2017.
The 71-year-old was caught up in allegations of corruption and bribery during the 2006 World Cup bidding in his home country. In March 2017, he was questioned by Swiss prosecutors and was previously opened by the German Football Confederation for an independent investigation.
In 2000, Beckenbauer was the leader of the group that campaigned for Germany's right to host the 2006 World Cup. He is suspected of setting up a black fund with a number of other former officials, thereby spending money to former FIFA President - Sepp Blatter and some related people to help Germany qualify for the World Cup.
Since this scandal, Beckenbauer has not appeared as a representative of DFB at any major event. After that, he suffered from many diseases and retired behind the scenes.
