Media on the death of the emperor
“Beckenbauer was the German who doesn’t actually exist”
January 9, 2024, 9:46 a.m
Franz Beckenbauer is dead. The emperor played his way into the hearts of viewers, and not just in Germany. He is part of the grand narrative of football. And so the international media bows down to the man who was a perfect player, winning coach and so much more.
Great Britain:
“The Telegraph”: “Franz Beckenbauer: A groundbreaking central defender and football’s greatest thinker. With the death of the great West German captain, football loses the last representative of a generation of players who became global TV superstars.”
“The Guardian”: “Franz Beckenbauer was the consummate footballer and a winning coach (…) He had one of the best and most distinctive nicknames of all time, and like his contemporary, Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx in cycling, his nickname ‘The Emperor’ was fitting perfect for him and served to introduce him in advance.”
“The Sun”: “THE EMPEROR Franz Beckenbauer was a German football machine whose eyesore off the field could not overshadow his greatness on it.”
“Daily Mail”: “Most who knew him well will remember his excellence on the field, his outstanding footballing intelligence, the elegance with which he moved, the joys of his company and the invaluable knowledge we gained from conversations with him from him.”
Spain:
“AS”: “He was a footballer who kicked the ball with ease and looked almost provocatively elegant. The game from the back started with him and he made it socially acceptable, with Bayern and Germany leaving everyone behind in the first half of the 1970s . Later he celebrated triumphs as a coach. He was world champion not only on the pitch, but also outside in a suit like Zagallo and the Frenchman Deschamps.”
“Marca”: “There has never been another like him, neither before nor since. The figure of the Eternal Emperor is incomparable.”
“World Sports”: “‘The Emperor’, a cross-border idol of several generations and a footballer who everyone wanted to emulate.”
“Le Parisien”: “Franz Beckenbauer will forever belong in the category of immortal sports personalities.”
Italy:
“La Republic”: “Farewell to Franz Beckenbauer, one of the few players from the past who wouldn’t be out of place in today’s football.”
“The Gazzetta dello Sport”: “He was probably the best libero in the history of football, having started his career as a midfielder.”
Austria:
“Crown Newspaper”: “The German football legend, who became world champion as a player and coach, got his nickname in Vienna! It happened in 1971: As part of a friendly match between Bayern and Austria, Beckenbauer was photographed next to the bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I been.”
“Courier”: “Franz Beckenbauer is dead: football has lost its emperor.”
Switzerland:
“View”: “A shock for friends, acquaintances and fans.”
“Tages-Anzeiger”: “He brought success and elegance to the Germans. With every heroic story in the lead role: Franz Beckenbauer managed everything with ease. In his lightness, he was the German that doesn’t actually exist.”