First he became world champion in 1974, then as team boss he led Germany to the title in 1990. Franz Beckenbauer looked back on a successful career.
World and European champion, European Cup winner, pop icon: Franz Beckenbauer was one of Germany’s greatest football idols. In recent years, however, he has repeatedly struggled with health problems. This is also why the 77-year-old recently lived in seclusion in Salzburg. He died on January 7, 2024 surrounded by his family.
Recently he missed several meetings, such as the farewells to the late Uwe Seeler and Pélé or the Bundesliga farewell to Rudi Völler in May 2022. He was unable to personally pay his last respects to both former football icons due to his health. In Seeler’s case, he instead wrote an emotional, open letter as a farewell.
In July 2023, Beckenbauer was unable to take part in the meeting of the 1990 world champions. His wife Heidi explained his absence with the words: “Unfortunately Franz cannot be there for health reasons. It would simply be too much for him.”
The former physiotherapist of the German national team, Klaus Eder, once said in an interview with t-online: “We all know that Franz was no longer the fittest, now we hope that he can recover in peace.”
But the suffering increased. You can see what Beckenbauer has experienced in all his years in the photo show above or here.
