GERMANY
Concern for Bayern Munich and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer over “deteriorating” health
Beckenbauer’s brother Walter has revealed the two-time Ballon d’Or winner “doesn’t feel well” in an upcoming documentary about his soccer career.
“If I told you now he was fine, I would be lieing and I don’t like to lie. He doesn’t feel well. He’s constantly up and down,” says Walter Beckenbauer, brother of Bayern Munich and Germany legend Franz, speaking in the trailer of a documentary that will be shown by German broadcaster ARD on 2 January.
Beckenbauer will revisit the most memorable moments of “Der Kaiser’s” illustrious career but won’t actually feature the great man himself. Totally removed from the media spotlight since April because of his worsening health, German newspaper Spiegel last week claimed any kind of emotional shock could represent a “serious risk” to the health of the 78-year-old, whose judgement and memory are said to have “significantly deteriorated”, with no prospect of any improvement.
Beckenbauer’s numerous health issues
Beckenbauer, who won the Ballon d’Or twice and was named in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team in 2020, has had to deal with a number of health issues over the years. Bayern’s honorary president has twice undergone cardiac surgery and had a hip replacement, and revealed in Bunte magazine in 2019 he had lost sight in one eye while playing in his own golf tournament, the Kaiser Cup. “I had a supposed ocular infarction in one eye. Unfortunately, I can’t see anything with my right eye anymore. And I need to be careful with my heart”.
In August, fellow German icon Lothar Matthäus expressed his concern about Beckenbauer. “We wish him all the best, that he can get back to being like he was before, with the energy he had. Of course, we hope he gets better again. Franz always said that health is the most important thing in life. He doesn’t have that at the moment,” said Matthäus to RTL just over six months before Germany hosts the European Championship, a tournament Beckenbauer won in 1972.
World Cup history maker with (West) Germany
The former defender, who had two spells in the United States with the New York Cosmos, was also the first man to win the FIFA World Cup as a player (1974) and a manager (1990).