Beckenbauer was married three times and had five children, one of whom, Stephan, was a professional footballer,who died after a long illness on 31 July 2015, at the age of 46.[43] Stephan’s son Luca is also a professional footballer, playing for SV Wacker Burghausen in the Regionalliga Bayern.[44] After appearing in an advertisement for a big mobile phone company, Beckenbauer specifically requested the number 0176 / 666666 for his mobile phone. However, he soon was flooded with phone calls by men who thought it was a phone sex number (in German, “6” translates to “sechs”, sounding similar to the word sex).Beckenbauer became an honorary consul of Kosovo in 2011. President Behgjet Pacolli said that Beckenbauer would promote Kosovo’s campaign for membership of UEFA and FIFA.
In 2016 and 2017, Beckenbauer had cardiac surgery twice. He also had an artificial hip inserted in 2018.Beckenbauer died on 7 January 2024, at the age of 78, as announced by his family in a note sent to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Franz Beckenbauer’s impact on football is timeless. His combination of technical brilliance, tactical intelligence, and leadership has left an indelible mark on the sport, earning him a legendary status that continues to inspire players and fans alike.
