Iconic 'Kaiser' transformed football for ever on his way to conquering the world

FRANZ BECKENBAUER, who has died aged 78, was one of only three men to win the World Cup as a player and manager, and was such a graceful and influential footballer that he effectively had a position named after him.

- Dan Kilpatrick

An icon of German football, Beckenbauer made the role of 'sweeper' or 'libero' his own, revolutionising the concept of covering behind the defensive line and stepping out of defence with the ball in a style which is now in high demand in the modern game.

"As a kid, he was the first foreign footballer I'd ever heard of," former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote on X in tribute.

"That's because if any player tried to play out from the back, whether at pro or amateur level, I would hear, 'He thinks he's Beckenbauer'. That just shows the impact he had on the world game and how he helped change it." 'Der Kaiser', as he was known, captained West Germany to the 1972 European Championship and 1974 World Cup on home soil, where they beat Johan Cruyff's 'Total Football' Dutch side against the odds in the Munich final.

As a coach, he matched the feat when Argentina were beaten in the 1990 final in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, making up for the disappointment of losing to a Diego Maradona-inspired side in Mexico City four years earlier.