Different Positions in a Soccer Team

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The World Cup, which happens every four years, is consistently the most watched event in sports worldwide. Although it’s such a global sport, the makeup up the team remains constant. The four parts to a soccer team are the strikers, the midfielders, the defenders, and the goalkeeper.

The strikers are the most glamorous players on the field. They make the most money and score the most goals, as well as garnering the most media attention. Their job is to attack the opposing goal and score goals or create chances. Some notable strikers are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa, and Robert Lewandowski. There are several types of strikers. There’s standard strikers who play in front of goal, there’s center forwards who play a little back, and there’s wingers who play on the sides.

Midfielders need to have the most endurance out of all of the positions. They are constantly running and creating chances to score, often running more than 15 km per game. Some notable midfielders are Iniesta, Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil, and Cesc Fabregas. There are several types of midfielders. There’s outside midfielders who play on the sides, center mids who play in the middle, defensive mids who play far back, and attacking mids who play far forward.

Defenders get the least attention out of all the positions, but are extremely important. Defenders must have a blend of size, speed, and strength in order to knock opposing strikers off the ball. Some notable defenders are Dani Alves, Mats Hummels, Luke Shaw, and Sergio Ramos. There are several types of defenders. There are centre backs who play in the middle and run the defense, there are full backs who play on the sides and provide support, and there are wing back who play on the sides and join the attack.

Goalkeepers have to deal with a tremendous amount of pressure. They are tasked with single handedly keeping the ball out of their own net. Some notable goalkeepers are Petr Cech, Manuel Neuer, David De Gea, and Jan Oblak. There are two types of goalkeepers: standard and acrobatic. Standard goalkeepers are taller and don’t need to move as much to save the ball, and acrobatic goalkeepers are shorter and have great jumping and diving abilities.

All of these positions, along with their many sub-positions, come together to make up a soccer team. A manager can use differing amounts of each position in order to accomplish his goals tactically.