Bayern pay tribute to Beckenbauer with giant shirt at Allianz Arena

To mark their 125th anniversary, Bayern Munich will pay tribute to Franz Beckenbauer with a giant shirt bearing his name and number under the roof of the Allianz Arena.

German record champions Bayern Munich have decided to pay tribute to club legend Franz Beckenbauer in a special way to mark the club’s 125th anniversary.

FC Bayern announced on Tuesday that a giant jersey with Beckenbauer’s name and the legendary shirt number 5 will hang under the roof of the Allianz Arena going forward.

The tribute to Beckenbauer will be on display for the first time when Bayern Munich welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Allianz Arena for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

“We are delighted that the club is honoring Franz Beckenbauer in this extraordinary way at its Allianz Arena after our members decided at the annual general meeting that his number 5 would be retired,” said FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer. 

“The sporting heart of FC Bayern beats in this stadium, and the club’s deep connection to our ‘Kaiser’ should always be on display at matches.”

Following consultation with fans in the ‘Südkurve’, the shirt has been placed above the North Stand inside the Allianz Arena. It’s 15.7 metres high and 10.54 metres wide and is made up of 32 printed, non-flammable pieces of glass fabric.

Beckenbauer passed away in January 2024 at the age of 78. He made 584 appearances for Bayern during his illustrious career, scoring 75 goals and providing 75 assists.

He won the Bundesliga four times with the Bavarians, the DFB-Pokal four times and the European Cup three times in a row between 1974 and 1976.

Beckenbauer captained West Germany to the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974. Later, as a coach, he led his country to the 1990 World Cup title.