The death of the legendary defender of Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos and the national team of Germany, one of the best players of the XX century, the creator of the "libero" position Franz Beckenbauer was announced on January 8.
The Beckenbauer family reported the death of the football legend to the DPA agency. The causes of death are not reported. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner in 1974 and 1976 was 78 years old.
Recall that "Kaiser Franz" (Bekkenbauer's nickname) won the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972 together with the German national team, won four FRG championship (1968/1969, 1971/1972, 1972/1973, 1973/1974) and three European Cups (1973/1974, 1974/1975, 1975/1976) with Bayern; as well as MLS wins (1977, 1978, 1980) with the New York Cosmos.
Back on August 23, 2023, the record holder for the number of matches for the German national team, former midfielder Lothar Matthäus reported that Beckenbauer's health had deteriorated.