One of football's most iconic players, Franz Beckenbauer, has tragically passed away at the age of 78.
Beckenbauer is considered one of the greatest players ever to lace up his boots and has left behind quite a legacy.
The former Bayern Munich star ended his career with two Ballon d'Or awards and two World Cup wins, one as a player in 1974 and another as a manager in 1990.
He is one of just three male footballers to do that, with France's Didier Deschamps and Brazil's Mario Zagallo the others.
'Der Kaiser', as he became known, also created a position that is often referred to as the 'Beckenbauer role'.
He was traditionally a centre-back but carved out a spot as a modern sweeper or libero.
The libero is a player who is stationed behind the defence to sweep up any long passes and start attacks from deep.
Beckenbauer could do this with ease, reading passes and then wandering up the pitch with the ball to start attacking moves for club and country.
The libero is not a position that many teams use anymore, due to offside traps, but Beckenbauer has inspired players like Leonardo Bonucci, David Luiz and Javi Martinez.
Couple this with his iconic nickname and it's clear to see why Beckenbauer was such a legend.
Rarely in football has anyone been called anything close to 'Der Kaiser'.
The name, which means 'the emperor' in English, originated when a magazine claimed he looked like Bavarian king Kaiser Ludwig II.
From there, 'Der Kaiser' stuck and followed Beckenbauer throughout his career in Germany and the US.
Before he retired in 1983, the German international won pretty much everything at club and international level.
In many ways, Beckenbauer epitomises German football and will always be remembered as a legend.
Freelance German football
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