The President of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomes, recalled this Monday the “unique legacy” left by the former German footballer and coach Franz Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday at the age of 78.
“He leaves a unique legacy marked by his outstanding quality as a player, coach, manager and person. On behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express my deepest condolences to the German Football Federation, his family and the entire global football family,” can be read in a message from Fernando Gomez, available on the official FPF website.
The director believes the former libero and midfielder was “one of the most remarkable and complete players” he has seen, highlighting his qualities as a “leader on and off the field”, a complete and elegant defender with an “exemplary” ball. control that was “immortalized as the ‘Kaiser'”.
Fernando Gomez also mentions his role in creating the defensive libero role, as well as his leadership of West Germany in the 1970s and the promotion of Bayern Munich, of which he became president.
Humberto Coelho was also a world-class defender and contemporary of Beckenbauer, remembered today as vice-president of the FPF as one of the “best in the world”.
“Today is a sad day for world football. (…) I had the opportunity to play against him, but also with him – in the United States, in a European team against the rest of the world – and he was a unique personality, with the status of a great gentleman and a great professional,” he recalled.
Former German footballer and coach Franz Beckenbauer died on Sunday at the age of 78, the Kaiser’s family said on Monday.
Beckenbauer won the World Manshaft Championship title as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. This feat was also achieved by Mario Zagallo (who died on Friday) for Brazil and Didier Deschamps for Brazil. France.
A former defender and midfielder, he won the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and 1976 and won three European Cups with Bayern Munich, the club he managed from 1994 to 2009.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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