91-572: Manoel Nunes (March 7, 1895 – May 31, 1977), also known as Neco , was an association football midfielder and striker . With great skill and tenacity, he was the first idol of Corinthians , being the first player to get a statue in the team's gardens (in 1929). As of 2006, Neco is the player who played the longest for Corinthians: 17 years. Called often to the Brazil national team , he won two South American Championships : 1919 (team's top scorer) and 1922 (top scorer). Playing for Corinthians, he won
182-472: A playmaker , or number 10 (due to the association of the number 10 shirt with this position). These players typically serve as the offensive pivot of the team, and are sometimes said to be "playing in the hole", although this term can also be used as deep-lying forward. The attacking midfielder is an important position that requires the player to possess superior technical abilities in terms of passing and dribbling , as well as, perhaps more importantly,
273-419: A corner kick or other set pieces , centre-backs may move forward to the opponents' penalty area ; if the ball is passed in the air towards a crowd of players near the goal, then the heading ability of a centre-back is useful when trying to score. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions. There are two main defensive strategies used by defensive lines:
364-426: A give-and-go with a teammate. Attacking midfielders may also make runs into the opponents' penalty area to shoot from another teammate's pass. Where a creative attacking midfielder, i.e. an Advanced playmaker , is regularly utilised, they are commonly the team's star player, and often wear the number 10 shirt . As such, a team is often constructed so as to allow their attacking midfielder to roam free and create as
455-452: A 4–3–1–2 formation, but who eventually drops deeper into midfield, drawing opposing players out of position and creating space to be exploited by teammates making attacking runs; the trequartista will eventually sit in a central midfield role and function as a deep-lying playmaker . The trequartista is, therefore, usually a creative and tactically intelligent player with good vision, technique, movement, passing ability, and striking ability from
546-681: A ball-playing central defender in a 3–5–2 or 3–4–3 formation; in addition to their defensive skills, their technique and ball-playing ability allowed them to advance into midfield after winning back possession, and function as a secondary playmaker for their teams. Some goalkeepers, who are comfortable leaving their goalmouth to intercept and clear through balls, and who generally participate more in play, such as René Higuita , Manuel Neuer , Edwin van der Sar , Fabien Barthez , Hugo Lloris , Marc-André ter Stegen , Bernd Leno , Alisson Becker and Ederson , among others, have been referred to as sweeper-keepers . The full-backs (the left-back and
637-486: A box-to-box midfielder, or "carrier" or "surger", neither entirely destructive nor creative, who is capable of winning back possession and subsequently advancing from deeper positions either by distributing the ball to a teammate and making late runs into the box, or by carrying the ball themselves; recent examples of this type of player are Clarence Seedorf and Bastian Schweinsteiger , while Sami Khedira and Fernandinho are destroyers with carrying tendencies. Luka Modrić
728-528: A destroyer are Nobby Stiles , Herbert Wimmer , and Marco Tardelli , while later examples include Claude Makélélé and Javier Mascherano , although several of these players also possessed qualities of other types of midfielders, and were therefore not confined to a single role. Early examples of a creator would be Gérson , Glenn Hoddle , and Sunday Oliseh , while more recent examples are Xabi Alonso , as well as Michael Carrick and Keira Walsh . The latest and third type of holding midfielder developed as
819-426: A distance. They should also be a hard-working player, who is able to read the game and help the team defensively. Wayne Rooney has been deployed in a similar role, on occasion; seemingly positioned as a number 10 behind the main striker, he would often drop even deeper into midfield to help his team retrieve possession and start attacks. The "false 10" or "central winger" is a type of midfielder, which differs from
910-510: A full-back who was described as a terzino volante (or vagante , as noted at the time by former footballer and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Renzo De Vecchi ); the latter position was essentially a libero , which was later also used by Viani in his vianema system, and Rocco in his catenaccio system. Though sweepers may be expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such require better ball control and passing ability than typical centre-backs, their talents are often confined to
1001-399: A lot of crosses in the box for forwards. They are positioned closer to the touchlines of the pitch . They may be asked to cross the ball into the opponent's penalty area to make scoring chances for their teammates, and when defending they may put pressure on opponents who are trying to cross. Common modern formations that include left and right midfielders are the 4−4−2 , the 4−4−1−1 ,
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#17327808906181092-426: A narrow midfield diamond formation or in a Christmas tree formation (4–3–2–1), relying on full-backs to provide the necessary width down the wings. An inverted winger is a modern tactical development of the traditional winger position. Most wingers are assigned to either side of the field based on their footedness , with right-footed players on the right and left-footed players on the left. This assumes that assigning
1183-522: A part of the defence as full-backs . Defensive midfielders are midfield players who focus on protecting their team's goal . These players may defend a zone in front of their team's defence , or man mark specific opposition attackers. Defensive midfielders may also move to the full-back or centre-back positions if those players move forward to join in an attack. Sergio Busquets described his attitude: "The coach knows that I am an obedient player who likes to help out and if I have to run to
1274-402: A player to their natural side ensures a more powerful cross as well as greater ball protection along the touch-lines . However, when the position is inverted and a winger instead plays inside-out on the opposite flank (i.e., a right-footed player as a left inverted winger), they effectively become supporting strikers and primarily assume a role in the attack. As opposed to traditionally pulling
1365-490: A sweeper. Prior to Viani, Ottavio Barbieri is also thought by some pundits to have introduced the sweeper role to Italian football during his time as Genoa 's manager. Like Viani, he was influenced by Rappan's verrou , and made several alterations to the English WM system or "sistema", which led to his system being described as mezzosistema . His system used a man-marking back-line, with three man-marking defenders and
1456-522: A team and their assigned roles depend on which formation is used; the unit of these players on the pitch is commonly referred to as the midfield . Its name derives from the fact that midfield units typically make up the in-between units to the defensive units and forward units of a formation . Managers frequently assign one or more midfielders to disrupt the opposing team's attacks, while others may be tasked with creating goals, or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. Midfielders are
1547-399: A team's two holding central midfielders. The destroyer was usually responsible for making tackles, regaining possession, and distributing the ball to the creator, while the creator was responsible for retaining possession and keeping the ball moving, often with long passes out to the flanks, in the manner of a more old-fashioned deep-lying playmaker or regista (see below). Earlier examples of
1638-419: A tendency to make overlapping attacking runs, but also a player who participates in the defensive aspect of the game, and who can give width to a team by drifting out wide; as such, the term can be applied to several different roles. In English, the term has come to be seen as a variant of the box-to-box midfielder role. Left and right midfielders have a role balanced between attack and defence while they play
1729-628: Is Mario Mandžukić under manager Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus during the 2016–17 season; normally a striker, he was instead used on the left flank, and was required to win aerial duels, hold up the ball, and create space, as well as being tasked with pressing opposing players. Today, a winger is usually an attacking midfielder who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines. Wingers such as Stanley Matthews or Jimmy Johnstone used to be classified as outside forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, and were formally known as " Outside Right " or " Outside Left ", but as tactics evolved through
1820-463: Is a carrier with several qualities of the regista , and Yaya Touré was a carrier who became a playmaker later in his career after losing his stamina. N'Golo Kanté started out as the quintessential destroyer, but developed carrying tendencies under Antonio Conte at Chelsea . A deep-lying playmaker (Strolling 10) is a holding midfielder who specialises in ball skills such as passing, rather than defensive skills like tackling. When this player has
1911-528: Is known as a regista , whereas in Brazil, it is known as a "meia-armador". In Italy, the role of the regista developed from the centre half-back or centromediano metodista position in Vittorio Pozzo 's metodo system (a precursor of the central or holding midfield position in the 2–3–2–3 formation), as the metodista ' s responsibilities were not entirely defensive but also creative; as such,
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#17327808906182002-462: Is known as the " enganche ". Some examples of the advanced playmaker would be Zico , Francesco Totti , Lionel Messi , Diego Maradona , Kevin De Bruyne , and Michel Platini . There are also some examples of more flexible advanced playmakers, such as Zinedine Zidane , Rui Costa , Kaká , Andrés Iniesta , Juan Román Riquelme , David Silva , and Louisa Cadamuro . These players could control
2093-458: Is sometimes referred to as libero , which is Italian for "free". Austrian manager Karl Rappan is thought to be a pioneer of this role, when he incorporated it into his catenaccio or verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system with Swiss club Servette during the 1930s, deciding to move one player from midfield to a position behind the defensive line, as a "last man" who would protect
2184-482: Is thought to have been coined by Gianni Brera , originated from the original Italian description for this role libero da impegni di marcatura ( i.e. , "free from man-marking tasks"); it was also known as the "battitore libero" ("free hitter", in Italian, i.e. a player who was given the freedom to intervene after their teammates, if a player had got past the defence, to clear the ball away). In Italian football,
2275-492: Is used to describe the position of the one or two central midfielders who play on either side of a holding midfielder and/or playmaker. The term was initially applied to the role of an inside forward in the WM and Metodo formations in Italian, but later described a specific type of central midfielder. The Mezzala is often a quick and hard-working attack-minded midfielder, with good skills and noted offensive capabilities, as well as
2366-486: The 4–2–3–1 and the 4−5−1 formations. Jonathan Wilson describes the development of the 4−4−2 formation: "…the winger became a wide midfielder, a shuttler, somebody who might be expected to cross a ball but was also meant to put in a defensive shift." Two notable examples of wide midfielders are David Beckham and Ryan Giggs . In Italian football, the role of the wide midfielder is known as tornante di centrocampo or simply tornante ("returning"); it originated from
2457-555: The 4–2–3–1 formation one of the two deeper midfielders may be a central midfielder. Prominent central midfielders are known for their ability to pace the game when their team is in possession of the ball, by dictating the tempo of play from the centre of the pitch. The term box-to-box midfielder refers to central midfielders who are hard-working and who have good all-round abilities, which makes them skilled at both defending and attacking. These players can therefore track back to their own box to make tackles and block shots and also carry
2548-673: The Paulista League eight times as a player (being top scorer in 1914 and 1920) and once as a coach (1937). Neco had a quick temper and frequently got involved in fights; his second stint as a manager occurred because he was suspended as a player for 18 games when he beat a referee. He started in the third team of Corinthians at the age of 16 and joined the first team in 1913 (the first year Corinthians participated in official competitions). In 1915, Corinthians did not play official games because of political issues and almost went bankrupt; this year, Neco played friendlies for Corinthians and
2639-452: The USWNT . Clubs such as Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers on the "wrong" flank for this reason; former Real Madrid coach José Mourinho often played Ángel Di María on the right and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left. Former Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes often played the left-footed Arjen Robben on the right and the right-footed Franck Ribéry on the left. One of
2730-411: The destroyer , the creator , and the carrier . …we knew that Zidane , Raúl and Figo didn't track back, so we had to put a guy in front of the back four who would defend. Arrigo Sacchi describes Real Madrid 's need for Claude Makélélé as a holding midfielder. Initially, a defensive midfielder, or "destroyer", and a playmaker, or "creator", were often fielded alongside each other as
2821-476: The libero is also retroactively thought to have evolved from the centre-half -back role in the English WM system, or sistema, which was known as the centromediano metodista role in Italian football jargon, due to its association with the metodo system; in the metodo system, however, the "metodista" was given both defensive and creative duties, functioning as both a ball–winner and deep-lying playmaker . Juventus manager Felice Borel used Carlo Parola in
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2912-529: The libero was usually assigned the number six shirt. One of the first predecessors of the libero role in Italy was used in the so–called " vianema " system, a predecessor to catenaccio , which was used by Salernitana during the 1940s. The system originated from an idea that one of the club's players – Antonio Valese – posed to his manager Giuseppe Viani. Viani altered the English WM system – known as
3003-449: The metodista was not solely tasked with breaking down possession, but also with starting attacking plays after winning back the ball. Writer Jonathan Wilson instead described Xabi Alonso 's holding midfield role as that of a "creator", a player who was responsible for retaining possession in the manner of a more old-fashioned deep-lying playmaker or regista , noting that: "although capable of making tackles, [Alonso] focused on keeping
3094-411: The sistema in Italy – by having his centre-half-back retreat into the defensive line to act as an additional defender and mark an opposing centre-forward, instead leaving his full-back (which, at the time, was similar to the modern centre-back role) free to function as what was essentially a sweeper, creating a 1–3–3–3 formation; he occasionally also used a defender in the centre-forward role, and wearing
3185-438: The stopper , and a free defender, which was usually known as the sweeper , or libero , whose tasks included sweeping up balls for teammates and also initiating attacks. The sweeper (or libero ) is a more versatile centre-back who "sweeps up" the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is rather more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it
3276-455: The verrou , his system was not as flexible and was a development of the WM rather than the 2–3–5, but it also featured one of the half-backs dropping deep; this allowed the defensive centre-half to sweep in behind the full-backs. In Italy, the libero position was popularised by Nereo Rocco 's and Helenio Herrera 's use of catenaccio . The current Italian term for this position, libero , which
3367-412: The ability to read the opposing defence to deliver defence-splitting passes to the striker. This specialist midfielder's main role is to create good shooting and goal-scoring opportunities using superior vision, control, and technical skill, by making crosses , through balls , and headed knockdowns to teammates. They may try to set up shooting opportunities for themselves by dribbling or performing
3458-491: The back-line and start attacks again. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur , positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. During his time with Soviet club Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev in the 1940s, Aleksandr Abramov also used a position similar to a sweeper in his defensive tactic known as the Volzhskaya Zashchepka , or the "Volga clip". Unlike
3549-417: The ball forward or run to the opponents' box to try to score. Beginning in the mid-2000s, the change of trends and the decline of the standard 4–4–2 formation (in many cases making way for the 4–2–3–1 and 4–3–3 formations) imposed restrictions on the typical box-to-box midfielders of the 1980s and 1990s, as teams' two midfield roles were now often divided into "holders" or "creators", with a third variation upon
3640-425: The ball moving, occasionally raking long passes out to the flanks to change the angle of attack." The historic central half-back position gradually retreated from the midfield line to provide increased protection to the back line against centre-forwards – that dedicated defensive role in the centre is still commonly referred to as a "centre-half" as a legacy of its origins. In Italian football jargon, this position
3731-432: The ball out from the back. Some sweepers move forward into midfield, and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery and run back into their position. In modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in
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3822-618: The ball out from the back; examples of such pairings have included Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for Barcelona and Spain , David Luiz , Gary Cahill , John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho with Chelsea , Sergio Ramos , Raphaël Varane or Pepe with Real Madrid , Diego Godín and José María Giménez with Atlético Madrid and Uruguay , Nemanja Vidić and Rio Ferdinand with Manchester United , or Giorgio Chiellini , Leonardo Bonucci , Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia with Juventus . Under normal circumstances, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. However, when their team takes
3913-432: The ball, or provide the final pass, i.e. secondary strikers . As with any attacking player, the role of the attacking midfielder involves being able to create space for attack. According to positioning along the field, attacking midfield may be divided into left , right and central attacking midfield roles but most importantly they are a striker behind the forwards. A central attacking midfielder may be referred to as
4004-414: The ball, they may attempt longer or more complex passes than other holding players. They may try to set the tempo of their team's play, retain possession, or build plays through short exchanges, or they may try to pass the ball long to a centre forward or winger, or even pass short to a teammate in the hole , the area between the opponents' defenders and midfielders. In Italy, the deep-lying playmaker
4095-686: The ball. Other defenders who have been described as sweepers include Bobby Moore , Daniel Passarella , Franco Baresi , Ronald Koeman , Fernando Hierro , Matthias Sammer , and Aldair , due to their ball skills, vision, and long passing ability. Though it is rarely used in modern football, it remains a highly respected and demanding position. Recent and successful uses of the sweeper include by Otto Rehhagel , Greece 's manager, during UEFA Euro 2004 . Rehhagel utilised Traianos Dellas as Greece's sweeper to great success, as Greece became European champions. For Bayer Leverkusen , Bayern Munich and Inter Milan , Brazilian international Lúcio adopted
4186-430: The ball. This player will make mostly short and simple passes to more attacking members of their team but may try some more difficult passes depending on the team's strategy. Marcelo Bielsa is considered a pioneer in the use of a holding midfielder in defence. This position may be seen in the 4–2–3–1 and 4–4–2 diamond formations. Writer Jonathan Wilson has identified three different types of holding midfielder, namely
4277-457: The biggest leagues using the position. The modern example of this position is most commonly believed to have been pioneered by Franz Beckenbauer , and subsequently Gaetano Scirea , Morten Olsen and Elías Figueroa , although they were not the first players to play this position. Aside from the aforementioned Blason and Picchi, earlier proponents also included Alexandru Apolzan , Velibor Vasović , and Ján Popluhár . Giorgio Mastropasqua
4368-651: The box for teammates. On occasion, the false-10 can also function in a different manner alongside a false-9, usually in a 4–6–0 formation, disguised as either a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 formation. When other forwards or false-9s drop deep and draw defenders away from the false-10s, creating space in the middle of the pitch, the false-10 will then also surprise defenders by exploiting this space and moving out of position once again, often undertaking offensive dribbling runs forward towards goal, or running on to passes from false-9s, which in turn enables them to create goalscoring opportunities or go for goal themselves. In modern football,
4459-403: The centre-backs during corner kicks and free kicks, when the centre backs usually go forward to attempt to score from headers. That said, full-backs can sometimes score during counterattacks by running in from the wings, often involving one-two passing moves with midfield players. The wing-back is a variation on the full-back, but with a heavier emphasis on attack. Wing-backs are typically some of
4550-422: The centre-half role, as a player who would drop back into the defence to mark opposing forwards, but also start attacks after winning back possession, in a similar manner to the sweeper, which led to the development of this specialised position. Indeed, Herrera's catenaccio strategy with his Grande Inter side saw him withdraw a player from his team's midfield and instead deploy them further-back in defence as
4641-468: The defensive line, and clearing balls away from the penalty area. Armando Picchi was subsequently also a leading exponent of the more traditional variant of this role in Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter side of the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the defensive qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks by carrying or playing
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#17327808906184732-446: The defensive realm. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, often employed a predominantly defensive sweeper who mainly "roamed" around the back line; according to Schianchi, Ivano Blason is considered to be the first true libero in Italy, who – under manager Alfredo Foni with Inter and subsequently Nereo Rocco with Padova – would serve as the last man in his team, positioned deep behind
4823-429: The diamond 4–4–2 formation, demand the full-back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. Some of the responsibilities of modern full-backs include: Due to the physical and technical demands of their playing position, successful full-backs need a wide range of attributes, which make them suited for adaptation to other roles on the pitch. Many of the game's utility players, who can play in multiple positions on
4914-564: The evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers and full-backs. As such, this position is one of the most physically demanding in modern football. Successful use of wing-backs is one of the main prerequisites for the 3–5–2 and 5–3–2 formations to function effectively. Wing-backs are often more adventurous than full-backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wing-back needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down
5005-474: The fastest players on a team, when employed. Wing-backs are typically used in a formation with three centre-backs and are sometimes classified as midfielders instead of defenders. They can, however, be used in formations with only two centre-backs, such as in Jürgen Klopp 's 4–3–3 system that he used at Liverpool , in which the wing-backs play high up the field to compensate for a lack of width in attack. In
5096-404: The field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defender's goal. Due to the many skills centre-backs are required to possess in the modern game, many successful contemporary central-defensive partnerships have involved pairing a more physical defender with a defender who is quicker, more comfortable in possession and capable of playing
5187-425: The flank. Occasionally wingers are given a free role to roam across the front line and are relieved of defensive responsibilities. The typical abilities of wingers include: Although wingers are a familiar part of football, the use of wingers is by no means universal. There are many successful football teams who operate without wingers. A famous example is Carlo Ancelotti 's late 2000s Milan , who typically plays in
5278-623: The flanks alongside the central midfielder or playmaker. Even more demanding is the role of wing-back , where the wide player is expected to provide both defence and attack. As the role of winger can be classed as a forward or a midfielder, this role instead blurs the divide between defender and midfielder. Italian manager Antonio Conte has been known to use wide midfielders or wingers who act as wing-backs in his trademark 3–5–2 and 3–4–3 formations , for example; these players are expected both to push up and provide width in attack as well as track back and assist their team defensively. On occasion,
5369-408: The flanks, and the position became increasingly specialised for dynamic players who could fulfil that role as opposed to the central defenders who remained fairly static and commonly relied on strength, height and positioning. In the modern game, full-backs have taken on a more attacking role than was the case traditionally, often overlapping with wingers down the flank. Wingerless formations, such as
5460-703: The foremost practitioners of playing from either flank was German winger Jürgen Grabowski , whose flexibility helped Germany to third place in the 1970 World Cup , and the world title in 1974 . Defender (association football)#Centre-back In the sport of association football , a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on
5551-417: The goal or move forward and press the opposition ball-carrier to recover the ball. A centre midfielder defending their goal will move in front of their centre-backs to block long shots by the opposition and possibly track opposition midfielders making runs towards the goal. The 4–3–3 and 4–5–1 formations each use three central midfielders. The 4−4−2 formation may use two central midfielders, and in
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#17327808906185642-426: The last 40 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions and are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4–4–2 or 4–5–1 formations (but while the team is on the attack, they tend to resemble 4–2–4/2–4–4 and 4–3–3 formations respectively). The responsibilities of the winger include: The prototypical winger is fast, tricky and enjoys 'hugging' the touchline, that is, running downfield close to
5733-400: The last line of defence and usually covered opposing forwards in the middle of the field. The later 3–2–5 style involved a third dedicated defender, causing the left and right full-backs to occupy wider positions. Later, the adoption of 4–2–4 with another central defender led the wide defenders to play even further over to counteract the opposing wingers and provide support to their own down
5824-541: The left-footed right winger Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo who achieved 30 career goals faster than any player in the past half-century of Serie A football . Not only are inverted wingers able to push full-backs onto their weak sides, but they are also able to spread and force the other team to defend deeper as forwards and wing-backs route towards the goal, ultimately creating more scoring opportunities. Other midfielders within this tactical archetype include Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard , as well as Megan Rapinoe of
5915-461: The manager's style of play and tactics. The centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards , from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots , tackling , intercepting passes , contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage
6006-433: The modern 4–4–2 formation. This has led to most modern wide players having a more demanding role in the sense that they are expected to provide defensive cover for their full-backs and track back to repossess the ball, as well as provide skilful crosses for centre forwards and strikers. Some forwards are able to operate as wingers behind a lone striker. In a three-man midfield, specialist wingers are sometimes deployed down
6097-413: The number nine shirt, to track back and mark the opposing forwards, thus freeing up the full-backs from their marking duties. Andrea Schianchi of La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that this modification was designed to help smaller teams in Italy, as the man–to–man system often put players directly against one another, favouring the larger and wealthier teams with stronger individual players. In Italy,
6188-675: The official games for Mackenzie. During this time, he broke into the Corinthians building to retrieve books that the landlord had locked inside due to non-payment of the rent. After scoring two goals playing for Brazil against Uruguay in the 2x2 tie valid for the 1919 South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Neco returned to his regular job as a carpenter in São Paulo and was fired for missing work. Teams: Honours: Top Scorer: Clubs: Honours: Midfielder In
6279-466: The opponent's full-back out and down the flanks before crossing the ball in near the by-line , positioning a winger on the opposite side of the field allows the player to cut-in around the 18-yard box , either threading passes between defenders or shooting on goal using the dominant foot. This offensive tactic has found popularity in the modern game due to the fact that it gives traditional wingers increased mobility as playmakers and goalscorers, such as
6370-484: The opposing midfielders: either they let the false 10 drift wide, and their presence, along with both the winger and the fullback, creates a three-on-two player advantage out wide; or they follow the false 10, but leave space in the centre of the pitch for wingers or onrushing midfielders to exploit. False 10s are usually traditional wingers who are told to play in the centre of the pitch, and their natural way of playing makes them drift wide and look to provide deliveries into
6461-447: The opposing team from passing to them. Centre-backs are often tall and positioned for their ability to win duels in the air. In the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper . The 4–2–3–1 , 4–3–3 , and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs. In possession of the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down
6552-581: The pitch, are natural full-backs. Two rather prominent examples are former A.C. Milan left-back Paolo Maldini and the former PSG full-back Sergio Ramos , who have played on the flanks as full-backs and in central defence throughout their career. In the modern game, full-backs often chip in a fair share of assists with their runs down the flank when the team is on a counter-attack like Leighton Baines and Trent Alexander-Arnold . The more common attributes of full-backs, however, include: Full-backs rarely score goals, as they often have to stay back to cover for
6643-442: The play in and around the centre of the pitch. These players will try to pass the ball to the team's attacking midfielders and forwards and may also help their team's attacks by making runs into the opposition's penalty area and attempting shots on goal themselves. They also provide secondary support to attackers , both in and out of possession. When the opposing team has the ball, a central midfielder may drop back to protect
6734-427: The players who typically travel the greatest distance during a match. Midfielders arguably have the most possession during a game, and thus they are some of the fittest players on the pitch. Midfielders are often assigned the task of assisting forwards to create scoring opportunities. Central or centre midfielders are players whose role is divided mostly equally between attacking and defensive duties to control
6825-430: The right-back) locate the holding wide positions and traditionally stay in defence at all times, until a set-piece. There is one full-back on each side of the field except in defences with fewer than four players, where there may be no full-backs and instead only centre-backs. In the early decades of football under the 2–3–5 formation , the two full-backs were essentially the same as modern centre-backs in that they were
6916-493: The role being described as that of a "carrier" or "surger". Some notable examples of box-to-box midfielders are Lothar Matthäus , Clarence Seedorf , Bastian Schweinsteiger , Steven Gerrard , Johan Neeskens , Sócrates , Yaya Touré , Arturo Vidal , Patrick Vieira , Frank Lampard , Bryan Robson , Roy Keane , and more recently, Jude Bellingham . In Italian football, the term mezzala (literally "half-winger" in Italian)
7007-436: The role of a winger can also be occupied by a different type of player. For example, certain managers have been known to use a "wide target man" on the wing, namely a large and physical player who usually plays as a centre-forward, and who will attempt to win aerial challenges and hold up the ball on the flank, or drag full-backs out of position; Romelu Lukaku , for example, has been used in this role on occasion. Another example
7098-458: The role of an outside forward , and came to be known as such as it often required players in this position to track back and assist the back-line with defensive duties, in addition to aiding the midfield and attacking. The historic position of wing-half (not to be confused with mezzala ) was given to midfielders (half-backs) who played near the side of the pitch. It became obsolete as wide players with defensive duties have tended to become more
7189-540: The situation demands. One such popular formation is the 4–4–2 "diamond" (or 4–1–2–1–2), in which defined attacking and defensive midfielders replace the more traditional pair of central midfielders. Known as the " fantasista " or " trequartista " in Italy, in Spain, the offensive playmaker is known as the " Mediapunta , in Brazil, the offensive playmaker is known as the " meia atacante ", whereas in Argentina and Uruguay, it
7280-553: The sport of association football , a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundaries, with mobility and passing ability, they are often referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box midfielders, or holding midfielders. There are also attacking midfielders with limited defensive assignments. The size of midfield units on
7371-402: The sweeper role too, but was also not afraid to travel long distances with the ball, often ending up in the opposition's final third. Although this position has become largely obsolete in modern football formations, due to the use of zonal marking and the offside trap , certain players such as Daniele De Rossi , Leonardo Bonucci , Javi Martínez and David Luiz have played a similar role as
7462-612: The team's forwards, and who has a primarily offensive role. Some attacking midfielders are called trequartista or fantasista ( Italian : three-quarter specialist , i.e. a creative playmaker between the forwards and the midfield), who are usually mobile, creative and highly skilful players, known for their deft touch, technical ability, dribbling skills, vision, ability to shoot from long range, and passing prowess. However, not all attacking midfielders are trequartistas – some attacking midfielders are very vertical and are essentially auxiliary attackers who serve to link-up play, hold up
7553-464: The tempo of the game in deeper areas of the pitch while also being able to push forward and play line-breaking through balls. Mesut Özil can be considered as a classic 10 who adopted a slightly more direct approach and specialised in playing the final ball. The trequartista description has been used in Italian football to describe a player who is seemingly playing as an attacking midfielder in
7644-415: The terms winger or wide player refer to a non-defender who plays on the left or right sides of the pitch. These terms can apply to left or right midfielders, left or right attacking midfielders, or left or right forwards . Left or right-sided defenders such as wing-backs or full-backs are generally not called wingers. In the 2−3−5 formation popular in the late 19th century wingers remained mostly near
7735-430: The touchline and delivering crosses. However, players with different attributes can thrive on the wing as well. Some wingers prefer to cut infield (as opposed to staying wide) and pose a threat as playmakers by playing diagonal passes to forwards or taking a shot at goal. Even players who are not considered quick, have been successfully fielded as wingers at club and international level for their ability to create play from
7826-418: The touchlines of the pitch, and were expected to cross the ball for the team's inside and centre forwards . Traditionally, wingers were purely attacking players and were not expected to track back and defend. This began to change in the 1960s. In the 1966 World Cup , England manager Alf Ramsey did not select wingers from the quarter-final onwards. This team was known as the "Wingless Wonders" and led to
7917-423: The trequartista. Much like the " false 9 ", their specificity lies in the fact that, although they seemingly play as an attacking midfielder on paper, unlike a traditional playmaker who stays behind the striker in the centre of the pitch, the false 10's goal is to move out of position and drift wide when in possession of the ball to help both the wingers and fullbacks to overload the flanks. This means two problems for
8008-670: The wing to cover someone's position, great." A good defensive midfielder needs good positional awareness, anticipation of the opponent's play, marking, tackling, interceptions, passing and great stamina and strength (for their tackling). In South American football, this role is known as a volante de marca , while in Mexico it is known as volante de contención . In Portugal, it is instead known as trinco . A holding or deep-lying midfielder stays close to their team's defence , while other midfielders may move forward to attack. The holding midfielder may also have responsibilities when their team has
8099-455: The zonal defence, where each centre-back covers a specific area of the pitch; and man-to-man marking, where each centre-back has the job of tracking a particular opposition player. In the now obsolete man–to–man marking systems such as catenaccio , as well as the zona mista strategy that later arose from it, there were often at least two types of centre-backs who played alongside one another: at least one man–to–man marking centre-back, known as
8190-480: Was known as the centromediano metodista or metodista , as it became an increasingly important role in Vittorio Pozzo 's metodo system, although this term was later also applied to describe players who operated in a central holding-midfielder role, but who also had creative responsibilities in addition to defensive duties. An attacking midfielder is a midfield or forward player who is positioned in an advanced midfield position, usually between central midfield and
8281-454: Was known for revolutionising the role of the libero in Italy during the 1970s; under his Ternana manager Corrado Viciani, he served as one of the first modern exponents of the position in the country, due to his unique technical characteristics, namely a player who was not only tasked with defending and protecting the back-line, but also advancing out of the defence into midfield and starting attacking plays with their passing after winning back
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