Franz Beckenbauer’s influence on the modern game cannot be emphasized enough. As a player, he is one of the most decorated footballer of all time. Five Bundesliga titles, four league cups and three European cup victories are complimented by a World Cup trophy and a European Championship trophy at the national level – two trophies he would go on to lift as a manager as well. Individually, Beckenbauer was honored with the Ballon d’Or twice in his career. On top of all of that, he won a plethora of other awards and trophies that would honor the cabinet of any club. Clearly, the man had skills. Now, though, Franz Beckenbauer will pull away from the game in an effort to spend more time with his family.

At age 65, you can’t blame him for wanting to finally take some time off. Currently, Beckenbauer holds a role with FIFA on the executive committee, where he sits as a representative of UEFA. A year previous, Beckenbauer stepped down from his role as Bayern Munich president, and he’s now taking the final steps to a full retirement after announcing that he will step down from his FIFA position at the end of the year.

Beckenbauer’s career is one of the most memorable in all of world football. He remains one of the absolute legends of the game, and German football fans will never forget all of the glory he brought to them on so many occasions. Despite his retirement, I’m sure he’ll be in the press every week or so with some witty remark about Bayern Munich’s shortcomings!