Bayern Munich has officially retired the No. 5 shirt in memory of the great Franz Beckenbauer.
The decision was announced at the club’s Annual General Meeting, just around a month from the first anniversary of Der Kaiser’s passing. As the first meeting after Beckenbauer’s death, it also paid tribute to him in different ways, such as inviting his widow Heidi and his son Joel.
This is the first ever time that Bayern have retired a shirt number in honor of a player. The No. 12 shirt is also permanently retired, but in honor of the fans behind the team, who are often referred to as the “twelfth player.”
The fact that the No. 5 is currently vacant probably helped with the decision as well. No player has worn the 5 since last year, when its previous owner, Benjamin Pavard, moved to Inter Milan.
While it was an unexpected decision, it was certainly an understandable one. Beckenbauer is widely regarded as not only the greatest ever player to play for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team, but also the greatest defender in footballing history. This writer had previously written a piece daring to compare him to Bayern’s current living legend Thomas Müller, only for the readers to overwhelmingly vote in favor of the Kaiser. Speaking of whom, perhaps Bayern will have a go at retiring the No. 25 when he retires as well?
Regardless, there have been numerous ways that people have been commemorating Beckenbauer since his passing, including ceremonies, address changes, and more. This is just the latest entry on that list, and a big one at that.
