Legendary Germany defender Franz Beckenbauer has died at the age of 78, his family have confirmed.
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner - who was nicknamed 'Der Kaiser' and is one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and manager - passed away following an illness on Sunday.
A statement from Beckenbauer's family released to the German news agency dpa read: "It is with deep sadness that we announce that husband and father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family. We ask that you be able to mourn in silence and refrain from asking any questions."
The Munich-born centre-back left a lasting legacy as one of the greatest defenders to ever grace the field and played every minute of West Germany's triumphant World Cup 1974 campaign, captaining his nation to victory over the Netherlands in the final.
Originally starting out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer transitioned to a defensive role in the 1970s and achieved remarkable success in the sweeper position, making a total of 103 appearances for Germany and recording 14 goals and 10 assists.
Alongside clinching World Cup glory with Germany in 1974, Beckenbauer was a runner-up at the 1966 edition - where Germany lost to England in the final - and also took home a bronze medal from the 1970 tournament.
Beckenbauer also captained Germany to Euro 1972 glory and won his first Ballon d'Or that same year, before also being bestowed with the prestigious individual accolade in 1976, and he was named Germany's Footballer of the Year on four occasions.
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A product of the Bayern Munich youth academy, Beckenbauer spent 13 years as a senior player with the Bavarian giants between 1964 and 1977, during which he won three European Cups, four Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals and one Intercontinental Cup, amassing 74 goals and 75 assists in 582 matches for the club.
Beckenbauer left Bayern in 1977 to join New York Cosmos in the United States, winning the North American Soccer League in each of his first three seasons with the club before returning to Germany with Hamburger SV on a free transfer.
The Germany icon won another Bundesliga crown with Hamburg in the 1981-82 season and returned to the NY Cosmos for one final season before hanging up his boots in 1983, after which he transitioned into coaching and became Germany manager just one year after ending his glittering playing career.
Just two years into his reign, Beckenbauer led West Germany to the final of the 1986 World Cup - where they lost to Argentina - before gleaning revenge on the South Americans by masterminding a 1-0 win over Argentina in the 1990 final.
West Germany's 1990 triumph saw Beckenbauer become just the second man to win the World Cup as a player and manager after Brazil's Mario Zagallo - who died on Friday - and France's Didier Deschamps has since joined that exclusive club.
After leaving the German setup in 1990, Beckenbauer served as both manager and technical director at Marseille - winning one Ligue 1 title - before returning to Bayern in 1991, where he won one Bundesliga crown and one UEFA Cup in two separate stints in the hotseat.
The late defender served as the Reds' president for 15 years between 1994 and 2009, after which he was named Bayern's honorary president, while he was also the vice-president of the German national team and a board member of FIFA.
Beckenbauer still holds the record of playing the most consecutive matches for the Germany men's team - featuring in 60 games on the bounce from 1970 to 1977 - and his individual achievements also include three FIFA World Cup All-Star team nominations, the FIFA Order of Merit in 1984, and a Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
In his later life, Beckenbauer was embroiled in a fraud and money laundering scandal in connection with the 2006 World Cup, although that FIFA probe closed in 2021 without a verdict as the statute of limitations expired.
Ben Knapton
