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FCB honorary president Uli Hoeneß said goodbye to the football “emperor” with moving words.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
Funeral speeches, music, silence and applause - the big memorial service for Franz Beckenbauer moved tens of thousands in the Munich arena.
A companion of the football shining light has something special to tell.
Munich - When Uli Hoeneß speaks his very personal farewell words about the great footballer and human being Franz Beckenbauer, the emotional climax in the arena has been reached.
The speech, peppered with anecdotes, is a very unique tribute to his long-time companion - and it ends with the touching sentence: "Now until you've been dead for twelve days, Franz. To be honest, I miss you a lot!"
Beckenbauer made his masterpiece “when he brought the World Cup to us.
“He worked his ass off for years to get the votes for Germany,” recalled the honorary president of FC Bayern, for whom as a player “it was the greatest thing” to play with Franz.
The 72-year-old would like to have the atmosphere of the 2006 World Cup back in Germany - but "I don't want the AFD there," said Hoeneß clearly.
There was spontaneous applause from everyone around the Allianz Arena.
Funeral speeches, music, silence, applause and many images from Beckenbauer's eventful life on the video walls created special moments during the tribute to Germany's greatest footballer in front of around 30,000 visitors.
Pure emotion - also for Beckenbauer's wife Heidi, who was present in the stadium, and his brother Walter.
Just in time for the memorial service, the winter sky over Munich opened up: imperial weather on the day the football “emperor” said goodbye - that fit into the overall picture.
Beckenbauer, who won everything in football, became rich and famous through it and charmed fans all over the world with his elegance and lightness, died on January 7th at the age of 78.
Memorial wreaths and moving words
Numerous political figures around Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder as well as close football companions came to the arena.
Everyone wanted to say “Thank you Franz”.
These two words have characterized the days of mourning in Munich since Beckenbauer's death.
There was a banner on the center circle on the lawn that showed Beckenbauer wearing the number 5 jersey.
Commemorative wreaths were lined up next to it, including from other football clubs such as FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC.
Chancellor Scholz (r), Federal President Steinmeier (M) and Bavaria's Prime Minister Söder also took part in the commemoration.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
“I don’t know if the angels in heaven play sports.
But if so, then you will have certainly heard this new, somewhat Bavarian-sounding voice in the past few days: “Let’s go out and play football!” said Steinmeier as the main speaker.
“A voice that we all know and that we will now forever miss.
The Emperor's Voice.
The voice of Franz Beckenbauer,” the Federal President continued.
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“He has rendered a service to Germany”
People all over the world “admired, revered, loved” Franz Beckenbauer.
He was a role model for many, “he was a stroke of luck for all of us.”
On behalf of all Germans, Steinmeier said: “Thank you, Franz Beckenbauer, thank you for everything!” The 68-year-old Steinmeier was lucky enough to see the “exceptional player Beckenbauer” play live.
“He has rendered a service to Germany,” announced the German head of state.
“Franz Beckenbauer is dead, what a shock that was,” said CSU boss Söder afterwards.
He described Beckenbauer as a “timeless icon”, one of the greatest Bavarians.
Flags from FCB fan clubs lie next to a larger-than-life image of Beckenbauer in the center circle of the Allianz Arena.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
A week after Beckenbauer's funeral in the immediate family circle in his birthplace of Munich, the life's work of a man who was considered a lucky child until the far too early death of his son Stephan in 2015 and the final years of his life marked by illness was honored.
Beckenbauer supposedly succeeded in everything, he also allowed himself the freedom of the libero on the football field in life.
“Let’s take a look,” was Beckenbauer’s leitmotif.
World champion as a player and coach
He shaped German football like no other: world champion as a player (1974) and as a coach (1990) - as well as being the OC boss of the 2006 World Cup summer fairy tale, which years later was also cast in a shadow because of dubious millions in payments surrounding the awarding of the tournament.
“I think Franz Beckenbauer’s light shines brightly across the whole,” said Söder.
With FC Bayern, Beckenbauer won title after title.
He played a key role in the steep rise of the club, of which he was president from 1994 to 2009.
“Franz was a friend to everyone.
A Munich child who became a citizen of the world," said current President Herbert Hainer, who was the first on stage to step up to the microphone with three huge pictures of Franz and said: "We were lucky enough to experience an imperial era."
“We will miss him as a personality, as a person,” said FCB President Herbert Hainer at the memorial service for Franz Beckenbauer.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The Munich-born star tenor and Bayern fan Jonas Kaufmann sang “Time to Say Goodbye” in the Italian version “Con te partiro” at the beginning.
Eleven German football greats, including Günter Netzer, Berti Vogts, “Katsche” Schwarzenbeck, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Lothar Matthäus, walked onto the pitch with flowers.
When the Tölzer Boys' Choir performed Beckenbauer's 1966 hit “Nobody can separate good friends” in the opening act, many visitors sang, clapped and hummed along in the wide circle.
Guests of honor and world champion generations
The guest of honor area was full of celebrities, primarily from football.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, UEFA boss Aleksander Čeferin, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and national coach Julian Nagelsmann as well as his predecessors Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick were there, as was DFL supervisory board chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke - and also Oliver Kahn.
In addition to the FC Bayern professionals around Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller and the women's team, there were also the German world champion generations around Günter Netzer and Paul Breitner (1974), Lothar Matthäus and Rudi Völler (1990) and Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger (2014 ) will be there live in the stadium, as will tennis legend Boris Becker.
They all remain on earth - but the “Emperor” is now in football heaven.
dpa