WHY NOBODY HAS CHANGED FOOTBALL LIKE FRANZ BECKENBAUER

FFT salutes the late German juggernaut’s groundbreaking effect on the game, first as a player and later a manager

For all of the opulent sums involved, legacy is the true currency on which the beautiful game trades. Whether that’s calculated by trophies, trinkets, or just being the face fans are quickest to recall when the talk turns nostalgic, how we view players after their career often matters more than during.

By that measure, there is no one richer, no man sat on a higher throne, than Der Kaiser. The Emperor. Franz Beckenbauer.

While many other greats have their status elevated above his purely by virtue of scoring goals as a day job, none of them can claim to have dominated, defined or developed the sport as a whole in the way he did.

And while his trophy cabinet is one of only three to include World Cups won as a player and manager, his exploits are best judged by simply… watching football. Even now, almost three decades since he retired as a coach, his impact is visible in whatever nation, whatever division you choose to watch.

Footballers change games; Beckenbauer is one of precious few to have changed football.

01 BECKENBAUER THE PLAYER

If there’s one player synonymous with their unique position, it’s Beckenbauer as ‘The Sweeper’. Roughly translated from the term ‘Libero’ (‘free’), the new defensive role originated in Swiss football almost 100 years ago before arriving on the world stage when adopted by both Milan giants in the 1960s.