Franz Beckenbauer – West Germany
Several great players were to make their presence
known in 1970. Franz Beckenbauer, who had already
appeared in the 1966 World Cup Final for West Germany,
had fully matured as a player. Nicknamed “the Kaiser”,
this highly gifted footballer was equally at home
marshalling a defence or leading an attack. Football
formations had continued to evolve over the years,
yet the scope for finding new methods was still
there. Because of Beckenbauer West Germany were
able to adopt a sweeper system, for the great man
was able to sit in front of the back four to intercept
and break up attacks, often before they had even
occurred to his opponents. His magnificent movements
on and off the ball, when he played in his position
just behind his midfield, meant that he had time
to send forward the most telling pass, short or
long, it mattered little to Beckenbauer, for he
could do them both. His timing was such that he
could run forward to adding telling pressure to
a West German attack, but could scamper back so
rapidly that his absence was scarcely noticed. He
offered West Germany both security and menace, and
was largely responsible for West German successes
in international football.
Jairzinho - Brazil
Born in Rio de Janeiro on Christmas day 1944,
Jairzinho made his debut for Brazil in 1963 against
Chile. However, injury and the presence of the great
Garrincha meant that Jairzinho didn’t have a sustained
run in the Brazilian team until the 1970 World Cup.
Lightly built, Jairzinho would have preferred to
have played in a more central position in the Brazil
attack, however, the presence of the supreme football
artist Pelé meant banishment to the wings; nonetheless,
Jairzinho was deadly, for his shooting was powerful
and accurate. There, perhaps, has never been a more
exciting player than Jairzinho, who liked nothing
more than sprinting at terrifying speed towards
the opposing goal line; not easy to dispossess,
the opposing fullback would, as like as not, make
a clumsy challenge that would send Jairzinho flying:
he was, therefore, very prone to injury. In compensation
for his team, giving away a free kick to Brazil
has always been a risky proposition if the goal
is within range. Jairzinho scored several spectacular
goals in his career, of which more anon.
Tostao - Brazil
Tostao, who had performed credibly for Brazil
in 1966, was perhaps the bravest player who played
in the Finals in 1970. For he had been struck full
in the face by a ferocious clearance from Corinthians
defender Ditao in a match in the Brazilian league
in 1968; the force of the clearance was such that
one of Tostao’s retinas had become detached. Tostao’s
doctors recommended an operation, and they warned
the forward that they could give no guarantees were
he to continue to play professional football. Danny
Blanchflower, captain of the great Tottenham Hotspur
side of the 1960s, once commented: “Football is
not really about winning, or goals, or saves, or
supporters: it’s about glory. It’s about doing things
in style, doing them with a flourish; it’s about
going out to beat the other lot, not waiting for
them to die of boredom; it’s about dreaming of the
glory ...”. This sentiment epitomised Tostao (and
Brazil), who decided to risk much for the chance
of the title “World Champion”. Tostao remained a
very influential player for Brazil, although he
had become much more cagey when it came to challenging
in the air. Tostao had lost none of his perceptiveness
when it came to positioning in anticipation of through
balls; his ability to trap and bring under control
a ball remained unsurpassed, as did his skill in
holding onto possession until support had arrived.
Often his opponents couldn’t even see the ball,
never mind put in a tackle. For he could twist and
turn, sinuously advancing to the opponent’s goal
whilst so doing; what made him the worst nightmare
for many a defence was the extreme difficulty of
guessing what Tostao would do next. Highly experienced,
Tostao had made his debut for Brazil in 1963, he
was never to play better than he did in 1970.
Giancinto Fachetti - Italy
At twenty-eight years of age Giancinto Fachetti
was in the prime of his career. Capable of running
eighty meters in 8.8 seconds, he provided a security
at left back that was unmatched in Europe. Operating
the catenaccio system made the Italian team was
the most defensively minded in the competition,
scoring against them was extremely difficult. Yet
Fachetti, with his pace, also presented a serious
menace to opposing defences, scoring no less than
ten times in one season at club level in Italy,
no mean feat for a defender in that most security
conscious of leagues. With that scoring reputation
it was unbelievable but true that Fachetti could
man mark an opponent out of the game. Born in 1942
in Treviglio, Fachetti made his international debut
in 1963 against debut. He was part of the Italian
side humiliated by North Korea in 1966. His lengthy
international career ended in 1977, when he was
a member of the Italian side beaten by England at
Wembley. He was perhaps a trifle unfortunate never
to belong to a team that won the World Cup.