German football fans should fill Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena to properly commemorate the life of Germany great Franz Beckenbauer who died aged 78 on Sunday, former teammate and ex-Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Tuesday.

Beckenbauer, who was Germany’s first truly global sports star and led them to the World Cup title as player and coach in 1974 and 1990 respectively, had become part of the country’s social fabric in a hugely successful career on and off the pitch spanning over 50 years.

He also headed the organising committee for the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.

“The whole world of football and beyond is grieving for our friend Franz,” Rummenigge, who played alongside Beckenbauer at Bayern Munich in the 1970s, told Bild newspaper.

Rummenigge, a former longtime Bayern CEO, was West Germany’s captain under coach Beckenbauer in the 1986 World Cup where they lost to Argentina in the final.

“As a thank you and in remembrance, FC Bayern should organise a commemoration in the stadium which would not have existed without him,” he said.

Bayern said on Tuesday the stadium would be illuminated to honour Beckenbauer for the coming days.

“In memory of the ‘Kaiser’, the Allianz Arena will light up with the words “Thank you Franz” in the evening hours... over the coming days,” the club said. “To finish, the special illumination will also be seen... on Friday night, during FC Bayern’s home match against Hoffenheim.”

The Bundesliga resumes on Friday after the winter break.

Beckenbauer was part of the mighty Bayern Munich team who won three consecutive European Cups from 1974-76 among other titles. He became the team coach and club president after his playing career, establishing the German champions as one of the most successful and valuable brands in European football.

“Franz Beckenbauer was the leader of the German football for many decades,” 1990 World Cup winner Juergen Klinsmann said. “He was with Pele the best player in the world in the 60s, 70s, 80s.”

“He coached us to win the World Cup, he won the World Cup. He brought the World Cup to Germany 2006,” added Klinsmann, who now coaches South Korea.

“He was almost like a father and so I think the football world is very, very sad, but especially Germany lost its most charismatic leader in sports over the last many decades.”

Bayern, under the presidency of Beckenbauer, left the ageing Olympic stadium and moved to their purpose-built Allianz Arena in 2006.

A stadium ceremony and special illuminations are not the only proposals to remember the “Kaiser”, a nickname he earned for his playing style and vision of the game.

Fellow 1974 World Cup winner Bertie Vogts suggested renaming the German Cup the Beckenbauer Cup to ensure his memory lives on.

“Maybe the German FA (DFB) should consider renaming for example the German Cup after Franz Beckenbauer,” Vogts told the Rheinische Post newspaper. “It is important that his name is not forgotten by the football generations that follow.”

“The biggest personality that FC Bayern ever had,” said honorary Bayern president Uli Hoeness in his tribute to Beckenbauer. “Nobody will ever reach him. People can say they saw football in the times of Franz Beckenbauer.”

“You were always a beacon, now you’ll be shining from above,” former teammate Sepp Meier wrote in an open letter.