1974 world champion footballer Franz Beckenbauer died (4 photos + 1 video)
The legendary German athlete won the German championship four times, won the European Champions Cup three times and won the World Cup. 
Franz Beckenbauer is considered one of the greatest players in football.
Born in post-war Germany, Beckenbauer dreamed of becoming a famous football player and playing for the Munich 1860 team, but by chance he ended up in Bayern, where he remained for many years. Beckenbauer is said to have lived three lives with the team: as a player in the 1960s and 1970s, a second as a coach in the latter half of the 1980s, and a third as president in the 1990s and 2000s.
It was with Bayern that Beckenbauer played more than 400 matches, became the German champion four times and twice won the Golden Ball for the best football player in Europe.
Franz Beckenbauer won the 1974 World Championship
It is interesting that Beckenbauer won the main World Cup trophy both as a football player and as a coach - besides him, only two other people in the world achieved these successes: Zagallo and the Frenchman Didier Deschamps, who won the World Cup as a player (in 1974) and head coach in (1990).
For his services, Beckenbauer received the nickname Der Kaiser - Kaiser (Emperor) - under this name he appeared in the press and in football circles.
At the end of his coaching career, Beckenbauer served as head of the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup. His name is associated with the scandal that occurred in 2006, when, as a result of negotiations, the Malta Football Association received 250 thousand dollars in bribe for the “correct” choice of the host country for the 2006 World Cup. It was thanks to Beckenbauer, as many football officials still believe, that the 2006 World Cup was held in Germany.
The corruption case was investigated until 2020, after which it was closed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Beckenbauer was generally made a witness and not an accused, taking into account the German’s venerable age. (at that time he was 74 years old).
Beckenbauer's son died in 2015, and since then Kaiser's health has rapidly deteriorated. He battled Parkinson's disease, dementia and also had heart surgery. On January 2, the brother of the football legend reported that his condition had worsened, and last Sunday Beckenbauer died in his sleep, surrounded by members of his family. The famous football player was 78 years old.
