Juergen Klopp, Liverpool’s German manager, has paid tribute to Franz Beckenbauer, saying he was inspired by his country’s World Cup-winning player and coach throughout his career.

Beckenbauer, one of German and world football’s central figures, died on Sunday aged 78, his family said on Monday.

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the world will be really a different place without him, at least for me,” Klopp told the club website.

“I got the privilege to get to know him a little bit better around the World Cup 2006 and already in 2005 (with) the Confederations Cup.

“The way he did it, light-hearted, friendly, laughing, serious in the right moments, this was really inspirational.

“He never pretended to be better than he was, he knew always that he needed help, especially as a manager.”

As a player, Beckenbauer — nicknamed ‘Der Kaiser’ or ‘The Emperor’ — reimagined the defender’s role and captained West Germany to the World Cup title in 1974 after they had lost to England in the 1966 final.

Although he had never coached before, Beckenbauer was later hired to revive West Germany in 1984 after a flop at the European Championship. Under him, West Germany won the World Cup again in 1990, a symbolic moment for a country in the midst of reunification, months after the Berlin Wall fell.

The feat made Beckenbauer the first man to have both captained and managed World Cup-winning teams, France’s Didier Deschamps being the other.

Klopp said he was unable to speak with German media on Monday as he needed time to process the legend’s death as he played a huge role in his life.

“He taught me something that I didn’t know at that time that I will need in my life: that you can be famous, you can be a lot in the media, everybody is talking about you and you still can be absolutely yourself,” Klopp said.

The manager also recalled his personal conversations with Beckenbauer and his wife Heidi during the German great’s 75th birthday celebrations and added that he spoke regularly to Beckenbauer and his family during his illness.

“A few months ago we had a phone call and he was alright but you realised he was not in top shape and he is now in a better place,” he added.

After news of Beckenbauer’s death surfaced on Monday, Deschamps — who led France’s World Cup-winning campaigns as captain in 1998 and as manager in 2018 — said: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t well.

“His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole. He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the pitch.”