Franz Beckenbauer, Germany

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born 11 September 1945) is a German former football player and coach. During his playing career, he was nicknamed Der Kaiser ("The Emperor") for his elegant style, prominence, on-field leadership, and also because of his name -"Franz" - reminiscent of Austrian emperors. Beckenbauer is considered one of the greatest players in football history. A versatile player who started in midfield, Beckenbauer has made his name at centre-back. He is credited with giving birth to the modern sweeping defender (libero) role.

Beckenbauer won the Ballon d'Or twice in 1972 and 1976 and made 103 caps for West Germany. Along with Mário Zagallo of Brazil and Didier Deschamps of France, he is one of only three people to have won the World Cup as a player and as a coach. He won the World Cup as captain in 1974 and repeated the same feat as a coach in 1990. Beckenbauer was the first captain to win the World Cup and EURO championships for his country and UEFA Champions League at the club. He was named in the "World Team of the 20th Century" in 1998, the "FIFA World Cup Dream Team" in 2002, the "Golden Ball Dream Team" in 2020, and in 2004 was named in the list. FIFA's list of the 100 greatest living players in the world.

Full name: Franz Anton Beckenbauer
Date of birth: September 11, 1945
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11.5 in)

Playing position: Sweeper