Legendary Germany defender Franz Beckenbauer has died at the age of 78, his family have confirmed.
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner is one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and manager.
Nicknamed Der Kaiser, he passed away following an illness on Sunday.
A statement from Beckenbauer’s family released to the German news agency dpa read: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that husband and father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family.
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“We ask that you be able to mourn in silence and refrain from asking any questions.”
The Munich-born centre-back left a lasting legacy as one of the greatest defenders to ever grace the field and played every minute of West Germany’s triumphant World Cup 1974 campaign, captaining his nation to victory over the Netherlands in the final.
Originally starting out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer transitioned to a defensive role in the 1970s and achieved remarkable success in the sweeper position, making a total of 103 appearances for Germany and recording 14 goals and 10 assists.
Alongside clinching World Cup glory with Germany in 1974, Beckenbauer was a runner-up at the 1966 edition – where Germany lost to England in the final – and also took home a bronze medal from the 1970 tournament.
Beckenbauer also captained Germany to Euro 1972 glory and won his first Ballon d’Or that same year, before also being bestowed with the prestigious individual accolade in 1976, and he was named Germany’s Footballer of the Year on four occasions.
A product of the Bayern Munich youth academy, Beckenbauer spent 13 years as a senior player with the Bavarian giants between 1964 and 1977, during which he won three European Cups, four Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals and one Intercontinental Cup, amassing 74 goals and 75 assists in 582 matches for the club.