Müller says Bayern will do their best to honour Beckenbauer with win

DPA
·2 min read
Professional soccer player Thomas Mueller (M) poses with the Golden Shoe for top scorer at the FIFA World Cup 2010 Awards ceremony in Herzogenaurach next to Adidas boss Herbert Hainer (L) and soccer icon Franz Beckenbauer. Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller said he will resume the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim on 12 January with "mixed feelings" after the death of club icon Franz Beckenbauer. David Ebener/dpa
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Müller said he will resume the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim on Friday with "mixed feelings" after the death of club icon Franz Beckenbauer last Sunday.

"The respect for the personality, the football figure, the person is immense. The gratitude is enormous. I think you will also feel that in the stadium. We'll pull ourselves together to win the game," Müller said in a video he shared on Instagram.

Bayern and Germany great Beckenbauer redefined the sweeper role, won countless titles with the club and was their president later, lifted the World Cup as a player and coach, and brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

A minute silence will be observed before Friday's kick-off and players will wear black armbands.

Müller said that the death of Beckenbauer at the age of 78 will naturally overshadow the game.

"It makes you realize what a special player, in this case the most special player, Franz Beckenbauer is. He played for this club, for Bayern, and made the club and also Germany as a football country famous," he said.

Since Beckenbauer's death, there have been numerous suggestions as to how the player and coach world champion, who also organised the 2006 World Cup in Germany, could be honoured. The idea of renaming the stadium came from Ottmar Hitzfeld, Munich's successful coach of many years.

There have been several suggestions as to how Beckenbauer can be honoured and former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said that the club could rename their Allianz Arena after their late icon.

But supervisory member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge reacted with caution to the proposal.

"There is an agreement with our long-standing, loyal and very serious partner Allianz, and this must be respected," the former Bayern player and CEO told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

"Now is the time for mourning, and Bayern will hold a dignified memorial service in honour of Franz next Friday. We should take our time for everything else," he added.