Franz Beckenbauer received the award as the "Genius of World Football 2006", handed out by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), on Monday, January 8. The price is handed out annually and recognizes the outstanding personality in the world of football.
The former President of the Organising Committee 2006 FIFA World Cup has received numerous prices throughout these past months, most notably the award as the world's greatest sports personality, topping IOC President Jacques Rogge and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, who finished second and third in the voting. He also won the prestigious "Public Relations" award in Germany and the international Fair Play Price. Beckenbauer accepted the "Genius" award at a Gala dinner in Salzburg on Monday evening.
For the third year in a row, Italy's national goalie Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin) was honoured as the world's best keeper, while Germany's Jens Lehmann (Arsenal London) finished second. Marcello Lippi, who led the squadra azzura to their 4th World Cup triumph, won coach of the year. Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (Argentina) headed the table for all referees. Elizondo refereed the World Cup championship game between Italy and France, where he red-carded Zinedine Zidane for a brutal foul shortly before the end of extratime.
Three Germans finished in the top ten for the category "Best Forward", with Miroslav Klose taking third place and fellow national players Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger finishing 4th and 7th. Chile's Humberto Andrés Suazo and England's Peter Crouch were voted the top two forwards in the world.
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Franz Beckenbauer received the award as the "Genius of World Football 2006", handed out by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), on Monday, January 8. The price is handed out annually and recognizes the outstanding personality in the world of football.
The former President of the Organising Committee 2006 FIFA World Cup has received numerous prices throughout these past months, most notably the award as the world's greatest sports personality, topping IOC President Jacques Rogge and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, who finished second and third in the voting. He also won the prestigious "Public Relations" award in Germany and the international Fair Play Price. Beckenbauer accepted the "Genius" award at a Gala dinner in Salzburg on Monday evening.
For the third year in a row, Italy's national goalie Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin) was honoured as the world's best keeper, while Germany's Jens Lehmann (Arsenal London) finished second. Marcello Lippi, who led the squadra azzura to their 4th World Cup triumph, won coach of the year. Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (Argentina) headed the table for all referees. Elizondo refereed the World Cup championship game between Italy and France, where he red-carded Zinedine Zidane for a brutal foul shortly before the end of extratime.
Three Germans finished in the top ten for the category "Best Forward", with Miroslav Klose taking third place and fellow national players Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger finishing 4th and 7th. Chile's Humberto Andrés Suazo and England's Peter Crouch were voted the top two forwards in the world.
