Igor Belanov: "Kaiser Franz was a great master of football"

Former Dynamo Kyiv forward Igor Belanov commented on the death of legendary German footballer Franz Beckenbauer on 7 January at the age of 79.

"Another sad reason to write this post. These days we are saying goodbye to an outstanding football figure - Franz Beckenbauer.

Kaiser Franz, as his grateful fans all over the world called him, was a truly great Master of Football, a great player and coach, the owner of the highest individual and team achievements, including two Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976.

And most importantly, he was one of only three individuals in the history of world football to become World Champions as a player and coach. Mario Zagallo, who passed away a few days ago, was the same titled footballer. Now, among those who remain, only Didier Deschamps has such an achievement.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Franz personally during my time in the Bundesliga and later, when I had the honour of playing with Beckenbauer in the symbolic All-Star teams and talking to him during the Ballon d'Or awards.

I still have a photo with this great man from the anniversary Ballon d'Or presentation in Monaco, where we talked about our national football, Franz conveyed his sincere admiration for the skills of Oleg Blokhin, against whom he played in international matches when Bayern Munich met Dynamo Kyiv. I remember that we spoke in German at the time, and Franz joked that he was ready to become the coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach when he found out that Belanov had joined that club. In general, he was a very bright person, a pleasant person to talk to, joking and encouraging everyone around him.

We will miss you, Kaiser!

With sincere respect and light sadness,

Igor Belanov," Belanov wrote on Facebook.