Franz Beckenbauer -- a German soccer icon widely regarded as one of the greatest in the sport -- has died at 78 years old, his family announced.
Beckenbauer was a legend in the game ... leading his home country of West Germany to two World Cups -- once as a player in 1974, and again as a head coach in 1990. He is one of three people in history to have won as both a player and a coach.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbaur, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by family," his family said in a statement.