German football legend passes away
Franz Beckenbauer, the German and Bayern Munich football legend, bid farewell to the mortal world today at the age of 78, leaving German football to lose one of its greatest icons.
Beckenbauer, who had been dealing with heart and hip surgeries in recent years, made his name in football history by winning the World Cup as a captain in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. In 103 appearances for Germany, he scored 14 goals.
Having also played for New York Cosmos and Hamburg, Beckenbauer took to the field 754 times in his professional football career, with 584 of those appearances in a Germany jersey. He won the Bundesliga title 5 times, the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) 4 times, the European Cup (now Champions League) 3 times, the European Cup Winners’ Cup once, and the Intercontinental Cup once, all with Bayern Munich. He also won the North American Soccer League title 3 times with New York Cosmos. Beckenbauer’s honors as a player also include winning the Bundesliga with Hamburg.