Go back 30 or 40 years and watch teams defend. It was a majestic sight. Most of them will feature a type of player that seems to have been lost from the modern game. You’ll see an elegant defender sitting behind the defensive line, picking up stray through balls from an attacker.
As he effortlessly brings it under his control, he marches forward with it, stepping past the other defenders and moving into the midfield zone. From there he acts as a modern-day deep-lying playmaker, initiating the play and spreading it out to the flanks, or playing it forward into midfield or attack. This is the Libero.
The role became synonymous with legendary former FC Bayern Munich captain, Franz Beckenbauer. The 1974 FIFA World Cup winner demanded the freedom of a creative playmaker. During the 1996 European Championships, another German, in this case Matthias Sammer, played slightly deeper than the other defenders in order to intercept passes closer to goal, and to break forward into midfield when necessary.
Franz Beckenbauer influenced the next generation of brilliant Libero’s, most notably legendary AC Milan stalwart Franco Baresi, who under the guidance of outstanding tactician Arrigo Sacchi, helped form one of football’s most extraordinary backlines.
🔝 Most Ballon d’Or Nominations of All Time;
1️⃣ 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo-18
2️⃣ 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi-15
3️⃣ 🇮🇹 Maldini-13
4️⃣ 🇳🇱 Cruyff-12
5️⃣ 🇩🇪 Beckenbauer-12
6️⃣ 🇫🇷 Benzema-12
7️⃣ 🇸🇪 Ibrahimovic-11
8️⃣ 🇮🇹 Buffon-11
9️⃣ 🇧🇷 Neymar-9
🔟 🇫🇷 Henry-9#BallondOr|#CR7𓃵|#Messi𓃵 pic.twitter.com/cSdM1P32Oi
— #ChampionsLeague (@alimo_philip) August 13, 2022
What is a Libero?
Libero means ‘free’ and describes exactly what sort of defender plays in the role. A libero is a defender who plays behind the rest of the back line, and is responsible for covering and sweeping across the spaces behind other defenders. The role grew to include passing forward after a regain and often launching a counter-attack, eventually driving into midfield with the ball, or running forward off the ball to instigate an attack.
A revolutionary role within football, the Libero, is a player typically deployed at the heart of a conventional back five, sitting slightly deeper than the two central defenders. The archetype example is Franz Beckenbauer, who was deployed in the Libero role during the 1974 FIFA World Cup final, against the Netherlands –…
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