One year ago, the footballing world stood still as the news of Franz Beckenbauer’s passing came out of Germany. The greatest ever player to wear the federal eagle and the red of Bayern Munich had traveled into the heavens.
Beckenbauer left behind a legacy that no other could match, both on and off the pitch. His achievements as a player are second to very few, as he captained both Bayern and Germany to the pinnacles of their respective histories, including a European Cup three-peat and three consecutive major finals, two of which Germany won. Of course, one could argue that Bayern’s most successful period actually came in the 2010s to 2020s, with the Bundesliga eleven-peat and twin trebles, but regardless, Kaiser Franz retired with a trophy cabinet that would give every metal detector on the planet a hissy fit.
Afterwards, Beckenbauer had a successful coaching career, leading West Germany to two consecutive World Cup finals and winning one of them. He also won a couple of titles as interim manager for his beloved Bayern. Not only was he an excellent coach, though, but he was also a very influential figure in the footballing world overall, acting as president of Bayern Munich for quite some time and successfully bringing the World Cup tournament to Germany in 2006.
A year on from his passing, Bayern have done pretty much everything they can do to honor their biggest legend. For one, the Allianz Arena’s address has now officially been changed to Franz-Beckenbauer-Platz 5, and his number 5 has been permanently retired by the club. Not only that, but both Bayern and Germany made sure he was sent off to the heavens in the best way possible with a couple of beautiful ceremonies followed by memorable games.
What else has happened since Franz passed on? Well, for starters, one of his favorite competitions, the European Cup, has changed its format once again, this time in quite a confusing way that probably still has people scratching their heads. Before that happened, though, Bayern marched to the semifinals of the last campaign, their highest finish since they won the tournament in 2020. As for the Bundesliga, Bayern failed to win it for the first time in eleven years, but still finished a respectable (?) third place.
It was a pity that Franz was not there to see the resurgence of the Germany national team. Under the watchful eye of Julian Nagelsmann, Germany stormed to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 on home soil, and booked a place in the Nations League knockout stage for the first time. But he definitely was looking down on the progress of his successors with a proud smile on his face. He may have had a slightly disgruntled look after watching Thomas Tuchel mess his Bayern up, though.
Beckenbauer may not be with us anymore, but the impact that he has had on the beautiful game will live on forever. How that beautiful game will change, and how well Bayern and Germany will fare in the ever changing sport, remains to be seen. One can only hope that both teams make the Kaiser proud with a trophy cabinet that rivals his own, if not surpasses it.
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