Franz Beckenbauer was a graceful and visionary ‘libero’ who changed the face of soccer

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

Franz Beckenbauer put himself a step ahead on the soccer field by taking a step back. The “libero” position is taken from the Italian word for “free” and describes a player who had a covering role behind a defensive line. It was not an entirely new concept to soccer when Beckenbauer was mastering the role in the late 1960s and early 1970s but nobody who had played it did so with the same vision, grace and ability on the ball. Beckenbauer was regarded as a pioneer in soccer because he brought an attacking element to the deepest outfield position on the pitch. He died on Sunday at the age of 78.