Franz Beckenbauer

Who is Franz Beckenbauer?

Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style; his leadership; his first name "Franz", and his dominance on the football pitch. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and one of the greatest and most decorated footballers in the history of the game. Beckenbauer was a versatile player, who started out as a midfielder, but made his name as a defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero.

Twice selected European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups. He is one of only two men, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo, to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach. He is the only one to win it as captain and coach: he lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and the European Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level.