Uli Hoeneß’s speech on Friday, which was peppered with anecdotes, was a very special tribute to his long-time companion, who died in Salzburg on January 7th at the age of 78. “Now you’ll be dead for twelve days, Franz. To be honest, I miss you a lot,” said Hoeneß in front of around 30,000 visitors.
Beckenbauer made his masterpiece “when he brought the World Cup to us. He worked his ass off for years to get the votes for Germany,” recalled the honorary president of FC Bayern, for whom as a player “it was the highest thing.” , with whom Franz plays. The 72-year-old would like to have the atmosphere of the 2006 World Cup back in Germany – but “I don’t want the AfD there,” emphasized Hoeneß. There was spontaneous applause throughout the arena.
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Picture gallery: Beckenbauer: Emotional funeral service in Munich
(Photo: Kay Nietfeld (dpa)) Bild 1/19
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Funeral speeches, music, silence, applause and many images from Beckenbauer’s eventful life on the video walls created special moments when the greatest German footballer was honored. Pure emotion – also for Beckenbauer’s wife Heidi, who was present in the stadium, and his brother Walter.
Kaiser weather on the day of farewell
Just in time for the memorial service, the winter sky over Munich opened up: imperial weather on the day of the football “emperor”‘s farewell – that fit into the overall picture. Beckenbauer won everything in football, became rich and famous because of it and enchanted fans all over the world with his elegance and lightness.
Numerous political figures around Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well as close football companions came to the arena. Everyone wanted to say “Thank you Franz”. These two words have characterized the days of mourning in Munich since Beckenbauer’s death. There was a banner on the center circle on the lawn that showed Beckenbauer wearing the number 5 jersey. Commemorative wreaths were lined up next to it, including from other football clubs such as FC Barcelona and Liverpool.
“Let’s go out and play football”
“I don’t know whether the angels in heaven play sports. But if they do, then they will have certainly heard this new, somewhat Bavarian-sounding voice in the last few days: ‘Let’s go out and play football,'” said Steinmeier as keynote speaker. “A voice that we all know and that we will miss forever. The voice of the Emperor. The voice of Franz Beckenbauer,” the Federal President continued.
- Video: Franz Beckenbauer memorial service
A week following Beckenbauer’s funeral in the immediate family circle in his birthplace of Munich, the life’s work of a man who was considered a lucky child until the far too early death of his son Stephan in 2015 and the final years of his life marked by illness was honored. Beckenbauer supposedly succeeded in everything, he also allowed himself the freedom of the libero on the football field in life. “Let’s take a look,” was Beckenbauer’s leitmotif.
He shaped German football
He shaped German football like no other: world champion as a player (1974) and as a coach (1990) – as well as being the OC boss of the 2006 World Cup summer fairy tale, which years later was also cast in a shadow because of dubious millions in payments surrounding the awarding of the tournament. With FC Bayern, Beckenbauer won title following title. He played a key role in the steep rise of the club, of which he was president from 1994 to 2009.
The Munich-born star tenor and Bayern fan Jonas Kaufmann sang “Time to Say Goodbye” in the Italian version “Con te partiro” at the beginning. Eleven German football greats, including Günter Netzer, Berti Vogts, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Lothar Matthäus, walked onto the pitch with flowers. The guest of honor area was full of celebrities, primarily from football. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin and the German national coach Julian Nagelsmann as well as his predecessors Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick were there.
