Franz Beckenbauer, one of three people to win the World Cup as both a player and coach, died Sunday. He was 78.
“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,” his family said in a statement.
“We ask that you allow us to grieve in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
Beckenbauer, a defender, won 103 caps for Germany. He was an integral part of his country’s 1972 European Championship-winning and 1974 World Cup-winning squads. He took home the 1972 and 1976 Ballon d’Or awards.
Der Kaiser, as he was known, scored 14 goals in international play, and a total of 79 for his clubs: Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos, and Hamburger SV.
Beckenbauer managed both Germany — who won the 1990 World Cup — and Bayern Munich.
“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it used to be — suddenly darker, quieter, poorer,” the club wrote in a statement.
Mário Zagallo (Brazil), who died earlier this month, and Didier Deschamps (France) are the others who won the World Cup as both a player and coach.
