Before Franz Beckenbauer, defenders mostly defended. He treated the position as a place to start attacks from. The German invented the modern sweeper, or libero, stepping out from the back with the ball and passing like a midfielder, and the game has not looked the same since.
Der Kaiser, the Emperor, was a fitting nickname. He carried real authority on the pitch.
A career of firsts
- He captained his country to the World Cup in 1974, and in 1990 he won it again as manager.
- With Bayern Munich he won three consecutive European Cups, in 1974, 1975 and 1976.
- He won the Ballon d'Or twice, in 1972 and 1976, one of only a handful of defenders to take the award.
He could defend, attack, pass and score, and he did all of it with an ease that made him look like the first complete defender. The sweeper role he shaped turned defenders into playmakers, and its influence runs through modern football.
He won almost everything there was as a player and then went on to win as a manager too. That makes him one of the most important figures in the history of the game, and our number 4.
Tomorrow we are down to the top three.
