As the world stands at the cusp of remembering Franz Beckenbauer one year after his passing, football enthusiasts, fans, and admirers reflected on the impact of the man known as Der Kaiser. Beckenbauer's passing at the age of 78 in Salzburg, surrounded by his family, sent ripples throughout the global football community.
At the 2024 Allianz Arena memorial service about 30,000 people gathered. Beckenbauer's number 5 jersey, iconic during his time at FC Bayern, will never again be worn by another player at the club. T-Online reported Bayern Munich President Herbert Hainer confirmed, "The number 5 remains reserved for a unique legacy."
The Allianz Arena's address has been changed to Franz-Beckenbauer-Platz 5, immortalizing his legendary jersey number, according to Stern. Dieter Reiter, the Mayor of Munich, described the renaming as "the highest honor the city of Munich can bestow posthumously," as mentioned in the Berliner Zeitung.
The German football community, including the DFB and DFL, moved to honor Beckenbauer's legacy by renaming the Supercup after him.
"Our whole family is very happy that Franz's memory is being honored in this special way," said his widow, Heidi Beckenbauer, according to T-Online.
"No one will ever reach him," Uli Hoeneß, a long-time companion and former Bayern Munich boss, said in tears at the memorial service,
Beckenbauer won the World Cup both as a player and a coach—a feat shared with only a few like Mario Zagallo and Didier Deschamps. He also championed the bid to bring the 2006 World Cup to Germany.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq