Franz Beckenbauer mourned the death of fellow World Cup winner Pele, claiming “football has lost the greatest player in its history”.

Beckenbauer, a former German international star, played with Pele for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. He said it was “one of the best moments of my career.”

“We became North American champions at the first attempt, and from that moment on, Pele only ever called me his brother. That was an unimaginable honour for me. Football will always belong to you!”