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Footballing philosophies have played a major role since the game came into its present structure in the 1930s. In those days, the game was tougher, more physical and the concept of substitutions came decades later. It was not unusual to find teams playing with a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 formation. Indeed, Brazil and Real Madrid were the most famous proponents of these systems.
Karl Rappan of the Swiss national team then gave birth to the concept of a libero. Libero literally means ‘free’ in Italian. In footballing terms, it meant an extra man in a three-man defense who could rush forward and join attacks, thereby increase the number of goals scored. Then came the ‘Catenaccio’; emphasis on defence increased and soon we began to see four man defences. Helenio Herrera, the man who formed Catenaccio, liked the idea of a libero. Under Herrera, the libero was a defender whose job was to shore up the defence and provide cover against quick runners. While important, the libero’s job under Herrera was mainly defensive. Slowly though, the position evolved and was preferred greatly during the 70s, 80s and the 90s. The position then died out due to tactical changes and a fascination with overloading the midfield. So, let me trace the journey of the ‘lost man’ of football for you.
Aramando Picchi was the first recognized ‘world class’ libero of the game. He was the final line of defence, and at times, was impossible to get past. Created by Helenio Herrera, he was like a force of nature. Picchi was the structure that provided the base to the Catenaccio. But it is argued that this was perhaps the most negative use of a libero.
Soon though, came along ‘The Kaiser’. Franz Beckenbauer was one of the most talented players to grace a football field. He was quick, astute in defence, beautiful in attack and directed his team’s play from behind the center-backs. Beckenbauer was the most famous libero. He was a puppeteer who directed his teams. He had the license to play wherever he pleased, but he was at his lethal best when he carried the ball out of defence. He led his teams to continuous successes as demonstrated by his time at Bayern Munich and in the German national team.
Although there were technical flaws to the system, it all depended on the person who played the role of the libero. Putting an extra man behind the center backs meant that the team was over-run in midfield. Beckenbauer, with his huge talent, though, offset the tactical weakness.
The next libero who shook the world was Gaetano Scirea. He was a like a hybrid made out of Beckenbauer’s attacking qualities and Picchi’s defensive attributes. He is reckoned as the best Italian defender ever. But it was not just his defence that was a delight to watch. He was comfortable on the ball, and much like Pirlo today, directed his team’s game with long balls. The runs he made were few but almost always effective. He had a Lampard-like quality of waiting for cutbacks and that was how he scored most of his goals. While he did not score as frequently as Beckenbauer did, Scirea was more involved in creating the chances that led to goal openings.
After Beckenbauer, the search for the next libero was on, and it was completed when Lothar Matthaus arrived on the scene. Initially a creative midfielder at Bayern Mucich, he left the club in 1988. Matthaus honed his defensive skills at Inter Milan and returned to Bayern Munich in 1992. By then, at Borussia Dortmund, the legend of Matthias Sammer (more on him later) was being created. To counter this, Matthaus was given the libero role for the Bavarian giants. And he was simply outstanding at it. Like Beckenbauer, he was pacy, a brilliant reader of the game and accomplished at defensive skills. More than the libero, though, he was used as a spare man. At times he was given the job of marking the opposition’s best player, and at other times, he was used as a creative force. Matthaus, for me, encompassed the term libero more than any other player. He was skillful, adaptable and made the use of all of his qualities.
Lothar Matthaus
Now to the last man who played as a recognized libero. Matthias Sammer was the last German player to win the Ballon d’ Or. He was initially a central midfielder but the legendary manager Ottmar Hitzfeld developed him into a fully-fledged libero. Dortmund had loads of firepower upfront and to counter the influence of such attacking football, Sammer was placed behind the two center-backs but with complete license to go forward. Like Beckenbauer, Sammer too had a slender build, quick feet and was a team man. He could be seen scoring a goal, creating scoring passes from midfield and tackling an onrushing attacker; he was excellent at all of it. The red-headed dynamo was indeed the true heir to Beckenbauer. Although he was edgy and argumentative through games, he always performed. He was the cornerstone of Borussia’s success in the mid 1990s. He was full of ambition and was an extremely hard worker. He epitomized the spirit of ‘Die Mannschaft’. His heroics were the reason that Germany won the Euros in 1996. While the statistics point to Franz Beckenbauer as the most accomplished libero in the history of the game, I would like to give that title to Matthias Sammer for the very simple reason that he is the only one I have seen playing at his prime.
Slowly though, the concept of a libero was replaced by a defensive midfielder. A defensive midfielder plays in front of the two center backs and occasionally ventures forward. This system provides parity in the midfield and focuses more on conservation against opponents than it does on their destruction. Unsurprisingly though, it was Italy who bought back the libero into public gaze again. Ceasre Prandelli’s use of De Rossi as a libero during the Euros was a sweet reminder of how efficient the system can be with the correct personnel. With an increase in deep lying forwards, a return to the libero system is not the worst idea in the world. The position, however, is for someone who is well versed in every facet of the game. And finding such players is a very difficult task.
Whether or not it will make a return to the mainstream is another question. But the position of the libero is an example of the best in footballing creativity. It demands the best of any player who plays in the position, and teams with an efficient libero always succeed. I personally hope we see a return to the golden age for liberos, and we see another Beckenbauer, another Scirea and another Sammer. Let us hope there are more coaches like Prandelli and more professionals like De Rossi, who can re-discover the lost man of the game.
