Liverpool’s German manager Jürgen Klopp has paid tribute to his compatriot, German football legend Franz Beckenbauer, after his passing at the age of 78.
Beckenbauer died of natural causes in Salzburg, Austria, on 7 January 2024 as announced by his family. Nicknamed Der Kaiser for his incredible leadership and command of the backline for the teams he represented in his playing career.
His contributions to modern-day football are immense. He is credited as being the defender who first introduced the concept of “sweeping” in football (ball-focused defending).
The versatile defender is one of nine people to have won the individual treble of the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League (known as the European Champions Cup at the time) and the Ballon d’Or. He is also one of only two defenders to have won the Ballon d’Or.
He delved into management after hanging up his boots and also changed the game from the dugout, leading Bayern Munich and Germany to multiple successes.
Klopp, who started as a centreback and later moved into management, said in his tribute statement that Der Kaiser was his personal and career inspiration.
“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the world will be really a different place without him, at least for me”, Klopp told Liverpool’s website. “I got the privilege to get to know him a little bit better around the World Cup in 2006 and already in 2005 [with] the Confederations Cup.”
“The way he did it, light-hearted, friendly, laughing, serious in the right moments, this was really inspirational. He never pretended to be better than he was, he knew always that he needed help, especially as a manager.”
“He taught me something that I didn’t know at that time that I will need in my life: that you can be famous, you can be a lot in the media, everybody is talking about you and you still can be absolutely yourself”, Klopp added.
“A few months ago we had a phone call and he was alright, but you realised he was not in a top shape and he is now in a better place.”
The football world is in mourning over Der Kaiser’s passing. Beckenbauer’s is the third most prominent passing among football legends after Diego Maradona and Pele in the last few years.
Klopp, meanwhile, will be worried about losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury as the season heats up. The Englishman joins his Scottish teammate on the sidelines, leaving Klopp’s side thin in fullback options.
Alexander-Arnold will be out for three weeks.
