500 Million Yen Mansion with Private Beach, Fate of Emperor Beckenbauer’s 26 Billion Yen Inheritance Revealed
Even for non-football fans, the name Franz Beckenbauer is synonymous with “the Emperor”. On January 7th, at the age of 78, he passed away.
In the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, he led the team to victory as a player, and in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, he coached the former West German team to victory. He also contributed to league and European Champions Cup victories with Bayern Munich. His funeral was attended by Chancellor Scholz, reflecting the immense attention his passing received throughout Germany, not just in football circles. However, the main topic of discussion was his inheritance.
Beckenbauer is said to have earned around 800 million euros, or approximately 130 billion yen, during his playing career, and he continued to earn substantial income after retirement through football-related businesses, commercials, and music releases. In the 1970s, he even underwent a tax investigation for suspected income concealment. It is estimated that Beckenbauer’s lifetime earnings, known as the “Emperor’s legacy,” amount to a staggering 26 billion yen.
Unlike in his hometown of Munich, Beckenbauer owned a 500 million yen mansion in Salzburg, Austria, and purchased a commercial building and villa in the ski resort of Kitzbühel, Tyrol, for 1.2 billion yen. He also bought a private beach and boat on the picturesque Lake Wolfgangsee in Sankt Gilgen for 120 million yen.
While it is said that the rights to these properties were entrusted to his wife, Heidi, who also served as a director of the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation, there are numerous other family members who have inheritance rights aside from Heidi.
Regarding scandals outside the pitch, such as corruption allegations surrounding the World Cup bidding, Franz Beckenbauer was also plagued by scandals related to women. He has been married three times, but it is said that his first child was born during his single days. The eldest son, Thomas, raised by his first wife, Brigitte, served as the Emperor’s investment advisor, responsible for asset management. Between Brigitte and him, two more sons, Michael and Stefan, were born. Furthermore, during his marriage to his second wife, Sybille, he had children with his last wife, Heidi. These are Joel, the fourth son, and Francesca, the eldest daughter. In other words, he has five biological children.
For Beckenbauer, who came from a privileged family, a shock was the death of Stefan due to a brain tumor in 2015. He was the only one among his sons who followed in his father’s footsteps as a professional soccer player, and Beckenbauer began to appear less in public around this time. His own health subsequently deteriorated. He suffered from heart bypass surgery and Parkinson’s disease accompanied by dementia. Nevertheless, he passed away in the end, surrounded by his family.
“I do not wish for discord among my family after my death.”
It is said that Beckenbauer, realizing the limited time he had left, drafted a will in February 2023 at his lavish estate in Salzburg. However, the contents of the will remain undisclosed to this day.
From the March 15, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
Interview and text： Miko Ryokai PHOTO： Afro (1st) Afro Gisela Schober/Getty Images (4th)
