This has never happened before with the record champions
Emotional moment: Bavaria honors Beckenbauer with a historic gesture
Updated on December 8, 2024 – 12:24 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
FC Bayern’s annual general meeting is dedicated to club legend Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January. An emotional moment occurs.
FC Bayern’s annual general meeting on Sunday is dedicated to Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January at the age of 78. At the beginning of the event, President Herbert Hainer asked the members of the German record champions to rise from their seats in the hall. The lights were dimmed and pictures and names of those who had died since the last general meeting were shown on the video screen.
Above all, the picture of Germany’s football legend Franz Beckenbauer. The names of him and Andi Brehme were the first to be seen on the screen behind the stage, along with black and white portraits of the two. Brehme died almost a month after Beckenbauer in February at the age of just 63.
Widow Heidi Beckenbauer and son Joel experienced the moving moment on the second Advent in the front row right next to Honorary President Uli Hoeneß. Hainer said their visit was a “great honor” when he welcomed them: “It is a great honor for us that you are with us today.” Images of Beckenbauer could be seen on the video wall even before his first words on stage.
After Hainer’s opening speech, the emotional climax of the general meeting came. A homage to Beckenbauer was shown in a clip on the video screen. The entire hall rose and there was applause for several minutes. This moment moved Hoeneß so much that he had tears in his eyes and struggled to keep his composure. Heidi Beckenbauer was crying right next to him.
Hainer then wanted to “suggest something unique that has never existed in the history of our club.” Beckenbauer’s shirt number “5” should never be given out again. The members agreed with great applause. Heidi and Joel Beckenbauer also came on stage to announce this historic honor, which was bestowed on Franz Beckenbauer as the first former Bayern player ever, and were visibly moved.
“Would FC Bayern be possible without Franz Beckenbauer?” Hainer asked. “No, you can imagine that.” Beckenbauer made the club what it is today. Hainer addressed the deceased directly. “When the history of FC Bayern began, you already wrote the foreword,” said Hainer. “Our club lost the greatest personality in its history this year.” The president continued: “Dear Franz, we miss you. But what remains with us and unites us is the memory of you.”
Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as a team manager in 1990, died on January 7th of this year at the age of 78 and was buried in his hometown of Munich. Beckenbauer was the “lighting figure”, the most influential personality in German football – and one of the greatest of his profession in the world.
The former Bayern professional Brehme, who scored the decisive goal for the World Cup title under team boss Beckenbauer in 1990, died a few weeks later at the age of 63.
On Sunday, as part of the annual general meeting, members had the opportunity to view the exhibition “Forever Our Emperor”. Exhibits were on display there, such as the national champions’ cup, which Beckenbauer brought to Munich for the first time with FC Bayern 50 years ago in 1974.