Franz Beckenbauer, or the “Kaiser” of world football, passed away.

He died on Sunday night aged 78 in his sleep and is going to heaven to meet old team-mates and rivals such as Gerd Miller, Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and George Best.

The football world bowed before the world’s best defender, the captain of Bayern Munich and West Germany, but also the coach who in 1990 led his country’s national team to win another World Cup.

Franz Beckenbauer was close friends with big figures in world football, whom he admired and spoke highly of young athletes such as Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan.

With Pele, Beckenbauer were opponents in West Germany’s games with Brazil and teammates on the New York Cosmos team, which Kaiser joined in 1977.

“Pele is the best player of all time. He reigned for 20 years. All others, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, are ranked below him. There is no one who compares to Pele”, said Kaiser on the occasion of Pele’s death.

Of their time together in New York he noted: “I used to pass the ball to Pele and watch him play, he was like Mozart. “That year, playing with him was absolutely amazing.”

Diego Maradona played in the post-Beckenbauer era, but Kaiser faced him as coach in two World Cup finals. In 1986 in Mexico Maradona’s Argentina won and in 1990 in Italy Kaiser’s Germany won.

On the occasion of Maradona’s death, Kaiser said: “He was always good, always friendly, when we met. I liked. In the two World Cup finals against Argentina [1986 and 1990] Diego was my biggest problem. In Mexico in 1986 he was at his peak and unstoppable.

Pele won the World Cup three times. But for me Maradona comes right after him. He was more than a player, he was an artist. He was a genius who had obviously lost control of his life in recent years.”

“Messi is a divine player”

Of the younger players, he loved to watch Lionel Messi. He had not made it clear if he saw him as higher than Diego Maradona but he had admired him several times.

He called the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner a genius, but also a divine player. “Messi is a genius”, he had said during his years playing in Barcelona, ​​while in a more recent statement he had underlined: “We should not compare people with God, but Messi is a divine player”.

About what exactly he liked about Messi, he clarified: “He has everything. When I look at him, I see a player who is very, very skilled, very intelligent and his left foot is like Diego Maradona’s.”

“The best European footballer”

He had opponents with Johan Cruyff in the 1974 World Cup final between West Germany and the Netherlands and had also met him in the American championship.

There was respect between them and the German considered him the best player in Europe.

“He was not only a very good friend, but also a brother to me,” he said of Cruyff when he died. His best line about the Dutchman was as follows: “He was undoubtedly the best footballer Europe has produced. When players like Bale and Ronaldo are worth around 100 million euros, Johan would be worth billions!”

About the great George Best, whom he met in Europe but also in the USA, he emphasized: “George Best was one of the most talented players of all time and probably the best footballer who never played in the World Cup.

For his teammate at Bayern Munich and the West German national team, the great goalscorer, Gerd Müller, he had a wonderful saying: “What Bayern has become is thanks to Gerd Müller.”

He said about Zinedine Zidane: “Zidane is unique.” The ball rolls with it. He looks more like a dancer than a football player.” He did not fail to talk about Jordan, with whom he shared his love for golf: “For example, Michael Jordan earns 100 million dollars a year, but he continues to play basketball and remains a modest person.

Franz Beckenbauer was once asked if he would go to play for Real Madrid and he replied: “I would probably say yes to Real Madrid, … They are a legendary team that stands above all others and it is the aim of to all players”.Of the 1966 World Cup final and England’s battle with Germany, he noted: “I was told to watch out for the best player at the time – Bobby Charlton. Bobby told me later that (England manager) Alf Ramsey had told him to keep an eye on this young, handsome German lad.”

👁️[WPPV-TOTAL-VIEWS]