After the opening-ceremony-by-numbers, a genuinely poignant moment here in Munich as the crowd paid tribute to Franz Beckenbauer, “Der Kaiser”, who died in January.
Beckenbauer led West Germany to glory as captain at the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup as well as winning the World Cup as coach in 1990.
His wife, Heidrun, has the honour of carrying the trophy onto the pitch, flanked by Bernard Dietz and Jurgen Klinsmann, the Euro-winning captains in 1980 and 1996 respectively.
“We will never forget you,” says the stadium announcer, to huge applause.
