Tuchel: Beckenbauer would want celebration of football in his honour

Bayern Munich hope that their team can show a great match against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga restart on Friday night as a tribute to the late club and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer.

"The atmsophere is a little subdued. I think he would have wished for a celebration of football and I hope the team can achieve this," Tuchel told streaming portal DAZN shortly before kick-off.

Former club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "I have the impression the whole club was in a state of shock. I hope the team can play well, Franz would have wanted that and that the team wins. Football was his life, he liked his playing career best."

Bayern and Germany great Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday at age 78, redefined the sweeper role, won countless titles with the club and was their president later. He lifted the World Cup as a player and coach, and brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

Tuchel said he remembers Beckenbauer's "smile and his politeness. I read a lot over the past days. It is impressive what he did and won as a player, coach and official."

Bayern paid tribute to the man known as Der Kaiser (The Emporer) and Lichtgestalt (Shining light) before the game.

The team warmed up with Beckenbauer's number 5 shirt and wore training jackets from his era before due to play the game in special shirts with "Danke Franz" (Thank you Franz) prints.

Beckenbauer’s song "Gute Freunde" (Good Friends) was played when the teams walked out, and to be repeated after every Bayern goal.

A Beckenbauer banner was displayed on the centre circle before the game, and video met with warm applause of him shown on the stadium screens, highlighting his vast success but also ads during his playing career including for instant soup makers Knorr.

"He was a unique person. I had the honour to experience him for 50 years. Her was a successful but also an emphatic person. Franz was the first in football and the world who was truly global," Rummenigge said.

"He was such a polite man. He would first go to the stewards in the stadium and then to the important people. Franz was the boss, with his performance on the pitch and then this authority.

"Franz was a sustainable person, he lived for the fans first and foremost. I often saw him patiently give hundreds of fans an autograph. He was grateful, saying they follow us to Madrid and Milan because of us and we have to honour that."

Fans first applauded and then observed an impeccable minute's silence before kick-off, and players wore wear black armbands, which also applies to all other weekend games.

"The shining light embarks on his last journey. Rest in peace Franz," a banner in the Bayern fan section read.

Newly signed defender Eric Dier was not a starter in a freezing night as Bayern aim to move within one point of leaders Bayer Leverkusen who return from the four-week winter break on Saturday at Augsburg.

"He can help us immediately, especially with Kim Minjae away [at the Asian Cup with South Korea]. He is top fit and has a sensational character," Tuchel said.