German football legend and World Cup hero Franz Beckenbauer dies at 78

German football great Franz Beckenbauer died at the age of 78 in his sleep on Monday, January 8. Beckenbauer, one of the three men to win the FIFA World Cup as a player and as a coach as well, was a towering figure on the football field for West Germany and Bayern Munich in the 1960s and 70s. Beckenbauer went on to win the World Cup in 1974 while leading West Germany and won the elusive trophy for his country once again as a coach in 1990.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep



yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family. We ask that you be able to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions," Beckenbauer's family said in a statement. 

Nicknamed Der Kaiser ("the emperor"), Beckenbaur had been dealing with health problems for quite some time now and breathed his last three days after the first man to win World Cup as a coach and a player, Brazil's Mario Zagallo passed away. Didier Deschamps of France is the third one on the list. Tributes poured in from all around the world for Beckenbauer, who appeared for West Germany in 103 matches.