Club mourns Beckenbauer
“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be”
January 8, 2024, 8:22 p.m
Franz Beckenbauer had a special connection with FC Bayern. He was a player, coach and president there. The German soccer record champions are deeply affected. Uli Hoeneß speaks of a “gift to all of us”.
FC Bayern reacted with great dismay to the news of Franz Beckenbauer’s death. “The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be – suddenly darker, quieter, poorer,” it said on the German record champions’ homepage. Beckenbauer was a player, coach and president of the most successful German club. Without “the unique emperor,” the Munich team continued, the club “would never have become the club it is today.”
“Franz Beckenbauer is the greatest personality that FC Bayern has ever had. As a player, coach, president, person: unforgettable,” said honorary president Uli Hoeneß, who has had a significant influence on FC Bayern himself. “No one will ever reach him,” he added, “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.”
“History of German football rewritten”
Long-time CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, like Hoeneß and Beckenbauer’s former teammate, said he was “deeply shocked”. German football is losing “the greatest personality in its history”, Beckenbauer has “rewrote the history of German football and has had a lasting impact”, and in all of his roles he has been “not only successful, but unique”. Last but not least, Rummenigge praised Beckenbauer’s “great respect for all people – because everyone was equal before Franz.”
President Herbert Hainer said that there are “no words to express how great our sadness is – and what a gap Franz Beckenbauer leaves behind. Even after his active career, he left his mark on FC Bayern and football beyond measure, and his legacy can be seen not measured by titles. Personally, I mourn the loss of a friend.”
Record national player Lothar Matthäus also cries for his friend Beckenbauer. “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t feeling well,” the record national player told the “Bild” newspaper: “His death is a loss for football and for all of Germany. He was one of the greatest as a player and Coach, but also off the pitch.”
Matthäus won the World Cup title in Rome in 1990 as team boss with Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday at the age of 78. They also won the UEFA Cup together at FC Bayern in 1996 against Girondins Bordeaux. Matthäus emphasized that Beckenbauer was “an outstanding personality, not just in football,” “he enjoyed worldwide recognition. Everyone who knew him knows what a great and generous person Franz was. A good friend has left us. He will be mine will be missed – we will all miss him!”