The football greats of the ‘60s and ‘70s were the prototypes of the footballers we all see today. Guys like Pele and Johann Cruyff revolutionized their positions in ways that have never been done before. However, there is one player who not only changed the way a position was played. He was responsible for the creation of an entirely new, dynamic, ‘hybrid’ position that nobody had ever seen, and no footballer had ever tried before.
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| Image source: arjyomitra94.wordpress.com |
The man was Franz Beckenbauer. The position was the “sweeper.”
Beckenbauer is the sort of footballer you’d want leading your team -- unwavering, innovative, and most of all, responsible. He was both a defensive master and an amazing playmaker. With his talents, he experimented playing at center midfield and dropping back down to allow himself to help on the defensive end. Then when his team gained possession, he would go back up the pitch, all the way to center midfield and even further to forward position.
Beckenbauer facilitated team movement on almost the entire length of the pitch, leading the charge in almost all positions. This new role was adopted later on by many teams to much success.
Every sweeper in the game today owe their position to Franz Beckenbauer, German football’s one and only Kaiser.
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| Image source: esquire.com |
Michael Volitich is a Creative Writing student from the University of Florida. He loves reading and writing about sports and sports biographies. Visit this blog for more posts on sports and athletes.
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