Franz Beckenbauer, World Cup Champion as Player and Coach for Germany, Dies at 78

FILE - West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer lifts the World Cup trophy after his team defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the World Cup soccer final at Munich's Olympic stadium, in West Germany on July 7, 1974. Beckenbauer, 78, died on Jan. 7, 2024. FILE - German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer, head of Germany's organising committee for the soccer World Cup, poses with the Golden Ball for the World Cup in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on April 18, 2006. FILE - Franz Beckenbauer (6) of the New York Cosmos battles for the ball during a NASL soccer game, May 1, 1983 in East Rutherford, N.J. The German star, who died Jan. 7, 2024, played in the U.S. for four seasons beginning in 1977.

Franz Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup both as player and coach and became one of Germany's most beloved personalities with his easygoing charm, has died, news agency dpa reported Monday. He was 78.