September 20 – The city of Munich is changing the address of Bayern Munich’s iconic stadium in honour of club legend Franz Beckenbauer.
From January 2025, part of the street currently called Werner Heisenberg Allee which runs alongside the stadium will be renamed after the city government decided to honour Beckenbauer, who died in January aged 78.
The change means the stadium, which is set to host the Champions League final in May 2025, will officially be situated at Franz Beckenbauer Platz 5 – the former midfielder ace’s shirt number.
Beckenbauer, nicknamed ‘Der Kaiser’ for his dominant style on the field, was one of the greatest players of all time and Munich City Council announced the change will take effect on the first anniversary of his death.
“Naming a street is the highest honour that the city of Munich can bestow posthumously and a sign of the deep respect and appreciation that we have for Franz Beckenbauer,” local mayor Dieter Reiter said.
Beckenbauer won the World Cup both as a player and coach, along with the Euros and the Ballon d’Or. During 13 years with Bayern, he won three European Cups and four German league titles, winning another with Hamburg in 1981-82.
Beckenbauer is also set to be honoured with a statue outside the stadium alongside that of fellow Bayern and Germany teammate Gerd Mueller.
“In future, we will play at Franz-Beckenbauer-Platz 5, which shows the bond between Franz and FC Bayern for all eternity,” said Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. “It’s great that the Kaiser now has a permanent place in Munich.”
Beckenbauer’s widow Heidi added: “Our whole family is delighted that Franz’s memory is being honoured in this special way. Franz was a son of Munich, he was always proud of his home. FC Bayern is the club where he felt at home, as a player, as a decision-maker, as a person in general. I know that this honour would have meant a lot to him.”
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