Midfielder

In association football, a midfielder is a player who plays in the middle area of the field. These players have many important jobs. Some midfielders help stop the other team's attacks. Others help create goals or do both.

The number of midfielders on a team and what they do depends on the team's formation. The group of these players is called the midfield because they are between the defensive players and the forward players.

Managers often ask midfielders to stop the other team's attacks or to help score goals. Midfielders usually run more than any other players during a game. They also have the ball a lot, so they need to be very fit. Midfielders often help assisting forwards to set up chances to score.

Central midfielder

Central midfielders are players who help both attack and defend in the middle of the field. They pass the ball to attackers and may also try to score themselves. When the other team has the ball, they help protect their goal by blocking shots and chasing after the ball.

Box-to-box midfielders are hardworking players who can both defend and attack well. They can track back to stop the other team and also run forward to try to score. Some famous examples include Lothar Matthäus, Michael Ballack, Clarence Seedorf, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard, Johan Neeskens, Sócrates, Yaya Touré, Arturo Vidal, Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Jude Bellingham, and Declan Rice.

Defensive midfielder

Defensive midfielders are players who help protect their team's goal. They stay in front of the defense to stop the other team's attacks. Sometimes they follow specific players to stop them from scoring. These players need to be good at reading the game, making quick decisions, and running a lot.

A holding midfielder stays close to the team's defense while other midfielders attack. This player makes short, simple passes to teammates who are further up the field. Sometimes they try longer passes depending on the team's plan.

In the past, teams used two types of holding midfielders together. One type, called the destroyer, focused on taking the ball back from the other team. The other type, called the creator, kept the ball moving with long passes. Over time, a new type called the carrier developed. This player can take the ball back and then move it forward, either by passing or by running with it.

A deep-lying playmaker is a holding midfielder who is very good at passing the ball. They might try longer or more complicated passes to start attacks. They can keep the ball, pass it to teammates, or send it to players up front.

Attacking midfielder

An attacking midfielder is a player who plays in an advanced midfield position, usually between the central midfield and the team's forwards. Their main job is to help the team score goals.

Some attacking midfielders are very creative and skilled, known for their ability to pass the ball well and make smart plays. Others might focus more on linking up play or providing the final pass to attackers. They can play on the left, right, or in the center, but their main goal is to help create chances for the team to score.

Attacking midfielders need to be good at reading the game and making smart passes. They might also try to score themselves by dribbling or passing the ball to teammates. Some teams build their strategy around their attacking midfielder, letting them move freely to create opportunities.

Winger

Main article: Left-Winger

In modern football, a winger is a player who plays on the left or right sides of the pitch. These players are not defenders but can be forwards or midfielders. They used to stay near the edges of the field and pass the ball to players up front, but now they also help defend.

Today, wingers need to do both attack and defend. They pass the ball to players near the goal and also help stop the other team’s attacks. Some forwards can act like wingers behind the main striker. In some teams, players called wing-backs do even more, helping both defense and attack.

Sometimes, managers use big players usually used up front to play as wingers. These players try to win fights for the ball and create space for their team.

Usually, a winger is an attacking midfielder placed wide on the field. They used to be called outside forwards, but now they are part of the midfield. Their jobs include:

• Passing from the sides
• Beating the other team’s defenders with skill or speed
• Reading passes to score or pass well
• Helping to mark the other team’s wingers

Wingers are usually fast and like to stay near the edge of the field to pass the ball. But some prefer to cut inside to pass or shoot. Even slower players can succeed by creating chances from the sides. Sometimes, wingers are allowed to move all over the front line and don’t have to help defend.

Good wingers have skills to beat defenders one-on-one, speed, good passing, and the ability to judge passes well. Modern wingers should be able to play on either side of the field.

Many successful teams don’t use wingers at all. For example, a famous team led by Carlo Ancelotti used a narrow formation and relied on defenders to provide width instead.

Wide midfielder

Left and right midfielders balance attack and defense. They often pass the ball into the box for forwards and pressure opponents when defending. They play closer to the edges of the field.

Common formations with wide midfielders include the 4−4−2, 4−4−1−1, 4–2–3–1, and 4−5−1. One writer says that in the 4−4−2 formation, the winger became a wide midfielder who both passes and helps defend. Examples of wide midfielders are David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.

In Italian football, this role is called tornante di centrocampo or tornante. It comes from the old outside forward role and needs players to help defend as well as attack.

Wing-half

The old position of wing-half was for midfielders near the sides. It’s no longer used as players with defensive duties are now usually defenders called full-backs.

Inverted winger and raumdeuter

An inverted winger is a new idea where a player uses the opposite side of the field from their natural foot. For example, a right-footed player might play on the left. This lets them cut inside to pass or shoot better. This tactic is popular because it gives wingers more chances to score and create plays, like Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo.

Other players like Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard also play this way. Teams like Real Madrid often put their wingers on the “wrong” side. Coaches like José Mourinho and Jupp Heynckes have done this with players like Ángel Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribéry.

Some call this an “attacking” or “goalscoring winger” because they move into central areas to score, like Cristiano Ronaldo did at Real Madrid. This is similar to the German idea of raumdeuter, where a wide player moves into central spaces to score or assist, like Thomas Müller, Dele Alli, and Tim Cahill.

False winger

The “false winger” is a player who usually plays in the middle but is placed wide on the team sheet. During the game, they move inside to control the middle, dragging defenders with them and creating space for the team. This lets full-backs run up the sides. Samir Nasri has played in this role and calls it a “non-axial playmaker”.