The soccer world is paying their respects to Franz Beckenbauer, the two-time World Cup winner who died Sunday, aged 78.
Beckenbauer was one of the most celebrated players of his era, both for his style of play as well as the long list of accolades he earned. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner served as the first prominent example of a libero, a sweeping defensive approach, and also collected some of the sport’s top trophies as a player. He won the 1974 World Cup on home soil with West Germany and also had three European Cups with Bayern Munich. He also won five Bundesliga titles, four with Bayern and one with Hamburg, as well as three NASL titles during his stint in the U.S. with the New York Cosmos.
“Der Kaiser,” as he was commonly known, then went on to be a successful manager. He won the 1990 World Cup with West Germany, becoming one of only a handful of people to do that as a player and a manager, and also won the Bundesliga with Bayern and Ligue 1 with Marseille. He later went on to become an executive in world soccer, holding roles at Bayern and the German Football Association (DFB).
Beckenbauer leaves an impactful on-field legacy in the sport, and the news of his death inspired many tributes from some of soccer’s most prominent figures. Here’s an updating catalog of statements as praise pours in.
Julian Nagelsmann
As part of a series of tributes issued by the DFB, the current Germany manager highlighted Beckenbauer’s abilities as a player and said he was “grateful” to know the World Cup winner.
“For me, Franz Beckenbauer was the best footballer in German history,” he said in a statement. “His interpretation of the role of the libero has changed the game, this role and his friendship with the ball have made him a free man. Franz Beckenbauer could float over the lawn, as a footballer and later also as a coach he was sublime, he was above things. When Franz Beckenbauer entered a room, the room lit up, he rightly bore the title ‘lighting figure of German football.’ Until the end, he was surrounded by an aura that could not be shaken by the health problems and strokes of fate that he had to cope with. I am grateful and proud that I was able to get to know him, and will keep him in loving memory.”
Gary Linekar
The former England forward and current broadcaster called Beckenbauer “one of the absolute greats of our game” in a tribute to him posted on social media.
Thomas Muller
The 2014 World Cup winner paid tribute to Beckenbauer and leaned into his impact at Bayern. Muller is a Bayern academy product and has spent the entirety of his club career with the Munich-based club, where Beckenbauer was a player, manager, and executive.
One of the greatest footballers in the club’s history @FCBayern has unfortunately left us,” he wrote on social media. “Rest in peace, Emperor Franz. We will never forget what you have done for football in Germany.”
Uli Hoeness
Beckenbauer’s teammate on the 1974 World Cup team and Bayern’s honorary president, described as the club’s greatest figure.
“Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality FC Bayern has ever had,” he said in a statement issued by the club. “As a player, coach, president, person: unforgettable. Nobody will ever reach him. People can say they saw football in Franz Beckenbauer’s time. He was a friend to me, a unique companion – and a gift to all of us. Dear Franz, rest in peace!”
Jesse Marsch
The American coach and cohost of the Call It What You Want podcast, who previously served as an assistant at RB Leipzig, paid tribute to Beckenbauer by sharing his experiences with him during his time in Germany.
“The one thing I’ll say about Franz Beckenbauer is that when you go to any country, there’s history of the game and then there’s opinions around what the history of the game was and what players were like, and Franz Beckenbauer was the one person that no matter who you spoke to in Germany, [they] had nothing but glowing praise about the player that he was, about the person, about the coach, about the manager,” Marsch said on the latest episode of Call It What You Want. “He just carried himself with class, and when you were in his space you could feel his greatness.
“Obviously this is a big loss for the football world – for the German football world for sure, this will be a mourning in that country. He is somebody who is loved more than anyone else inside the game inside Deutschland. What an incredible player and person, I was honored to meet him and he will be missed – certainly in Germany but even worldwide, he was someone who played such a big role in the game, and he will be dearly missed.”
Gianni Infantino
The FIFA president noted that Beckenbauer’s legacy is “etched in history” in a statement shared by the organizations. Before he was elected the leader of world soccer’s governing body, Infantino and Beckenbauer got to know each other as members of UEFA’s executive committee.
Jamie Carragher
The Champions League winner and CBS Sports broadcaster reflected on Beckenbauer’s outsized legacy, and how his reputation for on-field excellence was something Carragher experienced growing up in Liverpool, England.
