New Delhi: Bayern Munich will retire the iconic No. 5 shirt as a mark of respect towards late club legend Franz Beckenbauer, the German football giants announced on Sunday.
Beckenbauer, who led Germany to World Cup triumph in 1974, passed away in January aged 78, having won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967 and three successive European Cups from 1974 to 1976 with Bayern.
Fondly called Der Kaiser (The Emperor), the versatile defender was also part of four Bundesliga winning Bayern sides in a 14-year spell from 1964, in which he made 396 league appearances, scoring 44 goals.
Wearing the famous red of the Bavarian club, Beckenbauer, won the DFB Cup four times apart from lifting the Intercontinental Cup.
Unique figure in world football
Credited to have invented the psoition of libero (modern sweeper), Beckenbauer is only one of three men, the others being Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and France’s Didier Deschamps, to have lifted the World Cup as a player and manager, having coached Germany to success in 1990.
It made him an unique figure in football, and Bayern said Beckenbauer represented them with on-field elegance and leadership “all the while helping the teams in which he played for consistently win major honours”.
Bayern announced the decision at club’s annual general meeting, with president Herbert Hainer paying an emotional tribute to Beckenbauer.
“Dearest Franz, you made this club what it is today, a byword for the greatest possible success, a unique style and profound humanity, as a player, coach, president and companion,” Bayern’s president said.
“You gave FC Bayern the charisma that continues to have an impact today. Franz, we miss you. What’s left and what binds us is the memory of you.
“Franz Beckenbauer will remain untouchable, he will forever be our Kaiser. The No.5 will be reserved for a unique legacy because our club and its history are simply unthinkable without Franz,” Hainer added.
Beckenbauer, who led Germany to World Cup triumph in 1974, passed away in January aged 78, having won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967 and three successive European Cups from 1974 to 1976 with Bayern Munich. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
