International press reaction to death of Franz Beckenbauer

The world bows to the "Kaiser" ("emperor"). In Italy they spoke of the "best libero in the history of football" and in Spain they wrote about a "border-crossing idol of multiple generations". fcbayern.com has compiled an overview of the international press reaction following the death of Franz Beckenbauer. 

Great Britain

The Telegraph: "Franz Beckenbauer: A groundbreaking centre-half and football’s finest thinker. With the great West Germany captain’s death, the game has lost the last of a generation of players who became global TV superstars."

The Guardian: "Franz Beckenbauer was the complete footballer and a triumphant coach. Der Kaiser was effortlessly ahead of his time on the pitch with Bayern and West Germany."

The Sun: "R.I.P Der Kaiser. Forever a legend. The German is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Franz Beckenbauer was a German football machine."

Daily Mail: “Most who knew him well will remember his excellence on the field, his outstanding footballing intelligence, the elegance with which he moved, the joys of his company and the invaluable knowledge we gleaned from conversations with him.”

Spain

AS: "He was a footballer who kicked the ball with ease and looked almost irritatingly elegant. The play from the back began with him and he made it socially acceptable, with Bayern and Germany, who left everyone behind in the first half of the 1970s. He later celebrated triumphs as a coach. He was a world champion not only on the pitch, but also off it in a suit like Zagallo and the Frenchman Deschamps."

Marca: "There has never been another like him, neither before nor since. The figure of the Eternal Kaiser is incomparable. With Beckenbauer's death, Germany has not only lost its greatest footballer but also one of its outstanding personalities of recent decades."

El Mundo Deportivo: "'Der Kaiser', a border-crossing idol of multiple generations and a footballer who everyone wanted to emulate. Franz Beckenbauer leaves a great void in Germany and in world football."

ABC: "'Der Kaiser' was one of the few footballers with a star on his chest as both a player and coach. Today is a very sad day not just for German football but for the whole football world."

France

L'Equipe: "Der Kaiser is dead. The greatest player in the history of German football has passed away. The FC Bayern legend, who also played in Hamburg and New York, won the Ballon d'Or twice, in 1972 and 1976."

Le Parisien: “Franz Beckenbauer will forever belong in the category of immortal sports personalities.”

Le Figaro: "The German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has died. He won everything in every role - World Cup winner, European Championship winner, two-time winner of the Ballon d'Or."

Libération: "Almost exactly a year after the death of Pelé, another football legend has left us. On the pitch, Beckenbauer revolutionised football in the 70s and popularised the libero position."

Italy

La Repubblica: "Franz Beckenbauer was like an orchestra conductor with his teams, producing the best out of his musicians. One of the few players from the past who wouldn't look out of place in modern football."

La Gazzetta dello Sport: "He was probably the best libero in the history of football, having started his career as a midfielder. The world has lost its football Kaiser. To explain his legendary status, they say in Germany that Beckenbauer is below God but above the Chancellor. The Kaiser's charm was so boundless, like his influence on German football and society."

Corriere dello Sport: "World football mourns the greatest defender of all time. Beckenbauer was a revolutionary on the pitch and a talented coach."

Corriere della Sera: "The football gods had given Kaiser Beckenbauer a tremendous class. He seemed to glide across the pitch, and every move showed polished technique. As the son of war-ravaged Germany, he had found the instrument of his rise in football."

Tuttosport: "In Franz Beckenbauer the world has lost one of the greatest players in the history of football. An icon and German hero."

Austria

Kronen Zeitung: "Incidentally, the German football legend, who became world champion as a player and coach, got his nickname in Vienna! It happened in 1971: Beckenbauer was photographed next to the bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I during a friendly match between Bayern and Austria."

Kurier: "Football has lost its Kaiser. In Franz Beckenbauer the football world has lost part of its history."

Switzerland

Tagesanzeiger: “He brought the Germans success and elegance. In the lead role in every heroic story: Franz Beckenbauer managed everything with ease. In his lightness, he was the German that doesn’t actually exist."

Netherlands

De Volkskrant: "Franz Beckenbauer's nickname says everything about his status: Der Kaiser. Der Kaiser, because he was the boss, the leader."

De Telegraaf: "This class, combined with the respect he always showed others, also made Beckenbauer the most popular German footballer in the Netherlands after the Second World War. Added to this were his achievements as a coach."

Brazil

ESPN Brasil: "Beckenbauer: one of the all-time greats is dead."