Concerns about the health of Franz Beckenbauer

“Franz always said the most important thing in life is health. He doesn’t have it at the moment,” said the 1990 world champion in an interview with TV station RTL/ntv. In the recent past there had been repeated speculation about the state of health of Beckenbauer, who will be 78 on September 11.

The Salzburg-based world champion as a player (1974) and team boss (1990) has largely withdrawn from the public eye. “We wish him all health, that he will be his old self again with his energy,” said Matthäus. For health reasons, Beckenbauer had not attended the 1990 World Cup team meeting. The “Kaiser” had already decided not to travel to Brazil for his friend Pele’s funeral earlier this year.