FC Bayern München and the whole of Germany said their goodbyes to Franz Beckenbauer in a memorial service on Friday afternoon. The ‘Kaiser’s’ long-time friends, including Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, gathered at the Allianz Arena along with approximately 20,000 others to mourn the loss and express their gratitude towards Franz, remembering one of the greatest figures in the history of the game.
“Franz was admired, adored, and loved by people all over the world,” said Germany president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “We’re not just saying goodbye to a world-class footballer. We’re saying goodbye to an incredible person. I don’t know whether angels in heaven play sport, but if they do, then they certainly will have heard a new, Bavarian-sounding voice in the past few days, saying: Go out and play football.”
1990 World Cup winners lay wreath
As head coach of the German national team, Franz Beckenbauer said these historic words to his team as they headed onto the pitch at the World Cup final against Argentina in 1990. A few hours later, he graced the pitch of Rome’s Olympic stadium as a hero, without saying a word, just soaking in the moment. The World Cup winning team lay a wreath for their former head coach, upon which was written: “Franz – thank you for everything.”
Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz weren’t the only ones to honour Beckenbauer at the service, as many personalities from the world of sport also paid tribute to the footballing great. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, DFB General Secretary Heike Ullrich, Günter Netzer, Lothar Matthäus, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Rudi Völler and Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann were all in attendance. They were joined by Nagelsmann’s predecessors, Hansi Flick and Joachim Löw, Boris Becker, as well as Harry Kane, Thomas Müller, and the rest of FC Bayern’s current squad. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona sent delegations to the ceremony in order to bid farewell to the Kaiser.
FC Bayern’s Honorary President Uli Hoeneß delivered a touching speech to honour his old friend, in which he primarily focused on his qualities as a person. “His ability to care for others always amazed me,” said Hoeneß during Friday’s ceremony. “Whenever you had a problem, you’d go to Franz. He’d take care of it.” Hoeneß closed his speech by saying, “You’ve been gone for twelve days. I miss you a lot. Thank you.”
Beckenbauer, who was part of Germany’s 1974 World Cup winning squad, died at the age of 78 in Salzburg on 7th January. He was laid to rest alongside his parents five days later at the Perlacher Forest cemetery in Munich.
