Servus Franz Beckenbauer - Remembering the Lichtgestalt of German football

In the days after Beckenbauer's death the newspapers were filled with obituaries. But we all were touched different by Beckenbauer's actions. Here is how I experienced Germany's greatest player.

I must admit that I have never written an obituary, and it feels odd to start now with a personality that seemed to be eternal. Franz Beckenbauer was often described as a Lichtgestalt in Germany. Looking up the term in the Cambridge Dictionary suggests “shining light” as the most accurate translation. But that doesn’t seem quite right. I think a more accurate translation would be a bringer of light or beacon of light.

Without a doubt, Beckenbauer was both for Bayern Munich and German football. I have read many obituaries in German and international outlets over the last couple of days, and most of them seem to focus on his achievements as a player and later as a coach with Bayern and the German national team.

Major outlets prepare obituaries to ensure they can stay on top of breaking news when a famous person passes away. The more intricate and detailed stories of a person come later. Those are the stories that usually reveal the more in-depth personalities of a person. What is intriguing about those stories is how the person in question has touched and made people’s lives better. And make no mistake, Beckenbauer positively impacted many people—even if the German media tried to tear him down in the wake of the FIFA scandal.

My first point of contact with Franz Beckenbauer was the 1990 World Cup final. I admit, other than the actual celebrations of Germany winning the third star, the World Cup in Italy was mostly a blur. At almost six years old, I just wasn’t interested enough in football yet. My first memorable tournament was Euro 1992, and then the 1994 World Cup in the United States.