Together with Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Franz formed a strong management trio that combined sporting stability and economic growth. While Hoeness managed day-to-day business and Rummenigge built the operational bridge to sports, Franz embodied the club's representative size: charming, diplomatic and with a network that extended far beyond the soccer world.

In terms of sport, his tenure was a decade of success. In 1996, Bayern won the UEFA Cup in their dual role as president and interim coach. Championships, cup victories, Champions League: During his term of office, FC Bayern brought all major titles to Munich.

His incendiary speech as president after the embarrassing 0-3 against Lyon in the Champions League intermediate round is legendary. In the Hilton Hotel hall, he gave the players a timpani that was tough. Here are a few excerpts from his legendary words:

“Lyon played soccer. We didn't play soccer. ”

“Thank you for only losing 0-3. You won't be able to do that in the future, otherwise we'll all have to look for another job, that might be smarter. ”

“We watched, we played disembodied. It's not soccer, it's a traditional Uwe-Seeler team, old-fashioned soccer. ”

The team reacted indignantly at first, sat there depressed and then stood up united. But as hard as the speech was, in the end, the team won the Champions League on penalties against FC Valencia and also secured the championship against HSV. The players also realized in retrospect: Without Franz's incendiary speech, the team would probably not have made the change.

By the way, the Champions League final was an expensive game for Franz. With the vice president of the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup, Fedor Radmann, he bet for a magnum bottle of 1945 Peter. Franz lost the bet — and owed a 10,000-dollar bottle of wine.

Under Franz as president, FC Bayern became the dominant force in international soccer. But its significance went beyond the titles. Under his leadership, the association made far-reaching decisions for the future. Probably the most important: The construction of the Allianz Arena. With his weight and charisma, Franz made a decisive contribution to getting the project off the ground politically and financially. The new stadium, opened in 2005, became the new home of FC Bayern and, at the latest with the “Summer Fairy Tale” World Cup, a symbol of modern European soccer.

He was also largely responsible for the transformation of the association into a joint stock company (2002), after which he also became chairman of the supervisory board.

Franz focused on internationalization. He understood that Bayern had to be more than just a top national club. With him at the helm, the club opened up more to the world market, won world-class sponsors and expanded its brand globally. The mix of sporting success, economic strength and international appeal helped Bavaria finally join the elite of Europe.

For fans, however, his presidency remained primarily emotional. Franz was the guarantor of continuity and size. When he sat in the stands, Bayern appeared invincible. Under his leadership, the club combined tradition with the future and experienced an era in which sporting success, economic vision and emotions were seamlessly intertwined.