Franz Beckenbauer.

Franz Beckenbauer. Franz Beckenbauer, born in 1945, German soccer player, who won World Championship titles as both a player and a coach. Beckenbauer was born in Munich. Originally a midfielder, he made a midcareer switch to the libero, or sweeper, position, which altered the course of soccer tactics by adding an attacking dimension to what had traditionally been exclusively a defensive position. Beckenbauer's strong-willed personality and his technical and tactical command of the game made him an ideal captain. He led his club, Bayern Munich, to three consecutive European titles in 1974, 1975, and 1976. In 1974 he was the captain of the West German national team that won the World Cup. In 1976, after being voted European Player of the Year for the second time, Beckenbauer shocked the soccer world by moving to the United States to join the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL). In 1984 Beckenbauer became the soccer coach of West Germany, leading the team to two World Cup finals. Although in 1986 his West German team lost to Argentina, he coached his team to victory over the same opponent in 1990. Contributed By: Paul Gardner Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.