On the field, he seemed so elegant as if he had descended directly from the armchair, and when he found himself on the grass, he shared lessons with everyone - opponents, fans, and teammates...
He was an idol to many, a model of how a player, coach and sports official should behave. That is why it is not surprising that the death of Franz Beckenbauer at the age of 79 caused reactions from all over the world.
Gary Lineker, the author of the famous sentence that soccer is a game in which 22 soccer players run for the ball for 90 minutes, and the Germans always win, said goodbye to Kaiser Franz on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
"I am very sorry to hear that Franz Beckenbauer has passed away. One of the absolute greats of our game. Kaiser was the most beautiful football player, who conquered everyone with his grace and charm. Rest in peace," wrote the famous English goalscorer.
The famous coach of Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough, once said very impressive words about him:
"I once saw Franz Beckenbauer enter a restaurant. He did it just like he looked on the field - with class and authority."
"Elves" coach Julian Nagelsman also said goodbye to Beckenbauer.
"For me, Franz Beckenbauer is the best football player in the history of Germany. His interpretation of the libero changed the game, his role and skill with the ball made him a free man. When Franz Beckenbauer entered the room, it would light up. The aura that surrounded him remained until the end, which, despite the health problems and blows of fate that he had to deal with, was not shaken. I am grateful and proud to have met him and I will keep him in my memory".
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Rudi Feller, who was coached by Kaiser Franz when they won the World Cup in Italy in 1990, had a hard time bearing the news of his death.
"I am extremely sad, the news of his death shook me. I consider it one of the great privileges of my life to have met Franz Beckenbauer. Our time together with the national team was crowned by winning the 1990 World Cup in Rome, a title that would not have been possible without his exceptional coaching contribution. Kaiser was an inspiration for many generations, he will forever be a beacon of German football. We lost the biggest personality of our football, and I lost a good friend".
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