Franz Anton Beckenbauer was nicknamed Der Kaiser "The Emperor". He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Beckenbauer made his name as a elegant central defender and is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper. He was the captain of West Germany side when they won the Euros in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974 and was manager of the the team that won the 1990 World Cup. He had an illustrious club career with Bayern Munich and also featured for the New York Cosmos in the NASL.