In the early morning of January 9, Beijing time, the "German News Agency" announced that Franz Beckenbauer, a legendary German superstar, Bayern Munich legend, and known as the emperor of football, passed away at the age of 78. At this point, the "five elders of the palace" in world football have all passed away, and an era has come to an end.
Born in 1945, Beckenbauer is an iconic figure in German football and one of the greatest players in world football. Versatile and versatile, he single-handedly defined the 'Scavenger' position on the pitch and earned him the nickname "The Emperor of Football" for his outstanding leadership skills and exceptional footballing talent. If Cruyff is a free agent up front, Beckenbauer is a free man at the back, but he's just as talented in attack.
As a player, Beckenbauer led the German team to three World Cup appearances, winning the championship, second place and third place once. After retiring, he led the German team to two World Cups as a coach, and met Argentina led by football king Maradona in the 1986 Mexico World Cup and the 1990 Italy World Cup. In the first encounter, Maradona's wonderful performance helped Argentina defeat the then Federal Republic of Germany 3-2 to win the championship. But in the 1990 World Cup final, Bremer's fatal penalty gave Germany a successful revenge. Beckenbauer also became only the second man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
At the club level, Beckenbauer debuted at Bayern Munich, which was not yet the Bundesliga hegemon at that time, and their influence was even far inferior to that of their rival Munich 1860. However, under the leadership of Beckenbauer, coupled with Gerd Muller, Seppmeyer and other equally talented young people, Bayern rose rapidly, not only becoming the king of the Bundesliga, but also achieving three consecutive Champions League titles in 1974-1976.
After leading the team to win the Hercules Cup in 1990, Beckenbauer chose to retire bravely, basically no longer involved in coaching, but more in Bayern and the German Football Association to participate in management, Bayern into the Champions League financial management of the healthiest giants, and long-term vice president of the German Football Association, as the chairman of the organizing committee for the 2006 German World Cup made outstanding contributions.
After 2015, Beckenbauer rarely showed up because of his declining physical condition. Now, he has passed away, and the "five old men" of world football have all said goodbye. Prior to that, Di Stéfano died of a heart attack on July 7, 2014 at the age of 88, Pele died of colon cancer on December 29, 2022 at the age of 82, and Diego Armando Maradona died of a heart attack on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60. Johannes Cruyff died of lung cancer on March 24, 2016, at the age of 68. Let's hope the five elders can reunite in heaven and enjoy football together.