Franz Beckenbauer dies, there is no "football emperor" in the world

This is reported by the German news agency dpa

A number of authoritative media confirmed

A German legend

"The Emperor of Football"

Franz Beckenbauer died

He was 78 years old

"It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband, our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep last Sunday, in the presence of his family," Beckenbauer's family said in a statement to the dpa news agency. We ask all of you to mourn in silence, and we will decline any questions for the time being. ”

There can be many kings, but there is only one emperor.

He competed with Cruyff for dominance in Europe and even the world when he was a player;

He, together with Gerd Müller, created the "golden age" of West Germany and Bayern;

He and Eusebio went toe-to-toe on the European stage;

He, playing side by side with Pele at the club.

He, as a head coach, and Maradona have repeatedly faced off against the top of the world;

He is the only person in the World Cup finals who can shoot through Yashin's ten fingers from outside the penalty area;

He is the tough guy who carried Bobby Charlton on the World Cup finals;

He, together with Facchetti, created the semi-finals of the 70-year World Cup, known as the "Battle of the Century".

He is Franz Beckenbauer.

Nowadays, these great names are gone from us, and we wonder if they are still enjoying football in heaven, and if they are still writing the legend of football.

Beckenbauer was born on 11 September 1945 and made 103 appearances for West Germany, scoring 14 goals. He played in the 1966, 1970 and 1974 World Cups, and in 1974 he led West Germany to victory on home soil. In 1986 and 1990, he led West Germany to the World Cup as head coach, reaching back-to-back finals and winning the World Cup in 1990.

At club level, during his 13 years at Bayern, Beckenbauer led the team to win four Bundesliga titles, four German Cups, and three consecutive Champions League titles in 73-75. In terms of personal data, he scored 58 goals and provided 73 assists in 545 appearances for Bayern, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or twice in 1972 and 1976.

In the history of world football, Beckenbauer is not just a legend, but also a benchmark. His "free man" style of play influenced world football, and since then, the concept of "defenders are the initiators" has taken root in the hearts of the people. In Beckenbauer's three World Cup trips, he was named in the World Cup Team of the Year three times, and being named World Cup of the Year once is the best praise for him.

Beckenbauer made his World Cup debut in 1966 at the age of 21 before scoring twice on his World Cup debut. Beckenbauer scored a goal against the Soviet Union and became the only player in World Cup history to score a long-range shot past legendary Soviet goalkeeper "Black Spider" Yashin. In the final at Wembley, facing the host England team, Beckenbauer carried England legend Bobby Charlton, but in the end, he was unfortunately defeated by the England team's goal-line suspense and missed the championship.

Speaking after the fight, Dr Charlton commented on the pressure Beckenbauer gave him: "From the very beginning of the fight, his [Beckenbauer's] performance and aura showed me a phrase – 'don't try to break me, that's just a waste of your time'. “

On July 25, 1966, West Germany vs the Soviet Union, Beckenbauer's long-range shot went past the Soviet goalkeeper Yashin and into the net.

In 1970, Beckenbauer made a comeback with West Germany's revenge on England in the quarter-finals, followed by a match against 1968 European Cup winners Italy, who led from the eighth minute to near the end of the game, but in the 90th minute, West Germany equalised at the whistle. Muller's goal gave West Germany the lead shortly after extra time began, but it was only a few minutes before Italy took the lead. In the 110th minute, Muller scored another goal to equalize for West Germany, but only one minute later, Rivera's goal plunged West Germany into the abyss...... The two teams scored 5 goals in 17 minutes of extra time, and such ups and downs made this game the only "battle of the century" in the history of the World Cup.

Even more haunting is the classic scene of Beckenbauer playing the game with a bandage. Beckenbauer was brought down in the 67th minute of the second half, resulting in a dislocated right shoulder, and because there were only two substitutions for each team per game, and West Germany had already used up this place, Beckenbauer could only grit his teeth and persist, and finally played the whole game with a bandage on his right shoulder.

On June 17, 1970, West Germany vs Italy, Beckenbauer was treated for a dislocated right shoulder.

In the 1974 World Cup in Germany, Beckenbauer finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish and led the team to the final against Cruyff's Netherlands as the captain of West Germany. In those days, Beckenbauer and Cruyff dominated European football, leading Bayern Munich and Ajax to three consecutive Champions League titles, and the duo teamed up to win the first six Champions League trophies in the 70s.

But in the World Cup, Beckenbauer had the last laugh in the duel with Cruyff, the Netherlands knocked on West Germany's goal with a penalty kick less than 1 minute after the opening of the final, but the Germans did not mess up, West Germany also equalized through a penalty kick in the 25th minute, before the end of the first half, Beckenbauer personally broke the ball from Cruyff's feet, sent a long pass to instigate a counterattack, and achieved a reversal, and Cruyff faced the united West Germany in the second half with a heart but powerlessness, and saw the opponent win the Hercules Cup, and the World Cup has become Cruyff's eternal pain。

7 July 1974, West Germany vs Netherlands, Cruyff and Beckenbauer.

In 1977, Beckenbauer, who had already made a name for himself, joined MLS side New York Universe, where he became teammates with Pele. In the past year, Messi has dominated the MLS and become the focus of the world, but let's not forget that it was Pele and Beckenbauer who really sowed the first black and white seeds in the football desert of the United States.

In the 1984 European Championship, the West German team lost the group stage, and Beckenbauer came out again when he was in danger and picked up the coaching whip of the national team. Two years later, in the World Cup in Mexico, West Germany entered the final to face Maradona's Argentina, and in the end, Beckenbauer on the sidelines was difficult to defeat Maradona on the field, and West Germany lost 2-3.

In 1990, West Germany and Argentina met again in the final, and towards the end of the game, Worrall won a penalty, and Bremer sent Beckenbauer's side to the top of the world, making Beckenbauer only the second player and manager after Zagallo to win the World Cup, and it was not until 2018 that Deschamps became the third person in history to win the award.

The Si people are gone, great and immortal