In association football, a midfielder is a position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role. The group of midfielders in a team is called the midfield.

More complete midfielders require a number of skills on top of fitness: they tackle, dribble, shoot and pass during any match. Most managers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while the rest are more adept to creating goals or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. At either side of the pitch a manager can field a right or left midfielder, who are used equally for both attack and defence, or a winger, a more attacking player used primarily for attack.

In essence, a good midfield must possess the ability to be combative while also being creative. A good striker without midfield support could lack attacking chances, while a defense likewise could be severely tested. Because they occupy the most influential parts of the pitch, midfielders are perhaps more likely to influence the outcome of a match than other positions, especially if they have vision for a good pass or ability to score.

Midfielders typically expend the most energy during a match because of the distance they cover on a pitch, as at times they can be called back into defence, or required to attack with the strikers.

Centre midfielder

Centre midfielders play several roles on the field of play, and are probably the most important in terms of setting up attacks. Their position enables them to have an all-round view of the match, and as most of the action takes place in and around their area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degree of control over how a match is played. This section of the field is often known as a team's "engine room", because great teams rarely succeed without skillful, commanding central midfielders.

Defensive midfielder

A defensive midfielder or a holding midfielder is often likened to an evolved version of the old-school sweeper.

The responsibilities of defensive midfielders usually include:

Screening the defense by harrying and tackling the opposition teams' attackers and defenders.

Covering the positions of full-backs, midfielders and even centre-backs as they advance into attack. This can be during open play or during set pieces such as free-kicks or corners.

Retaining distribution nearer the defense. As passing square across the defense can be especially risky, the presence of the defensive midfielder just in front of defenders provides a relatively safer option going forward.

Directing the distribution towards the flanks or further up front.

Directing the opposition distribution to the flanks or deeper down their end, where they are less effective. Defensive midfielders are often pulled slightly towards the flank to deal with the threat of wingers cutting infield.

Although the duties of defensive midfielders are primarily defensive, some midfielders are deployed as ''deep-lying playmakers'', due to their ability to dictate tempo from a deep position with their passing. As they are not defensive specialists, they are typically supported by a more defensive holding midfielder.

Defensive midfielders require excellent positional sense, work rate, tackling ability, and anticipation (of player and ball movement) to excel. They also need to possess excellent passing skills and close control to hold the ball in midfield under sustained pressure. Most importantly, defensive midfielders require great stamina as they are the onfield players who cover the greatest distance during a professional football match. Deep-lying playmakers typically require a good first touch under opposition pressure and the ability to play long crossfield passes to attacking players further upfield.

The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as ''volante'' and in South American Spanish as ''volante de marca'' (Spanish and Portuguese for "Rudder", or someone who gives direction), in Portugal as a ''trinco'' (meaning "lock"), in Mexico as "volante de contención" and in Russian as a ''волнорез'' (pronounced – vol-no-rez, meaning "breakwater"). Most Brazilian teams deploy at least one "volante" in their team, including the Brazilian national team who have fielded defensive midfielders, such as 1994 World Cup winning team captain Dunga.

Deep-lying playmaker

Some players prefer to set up an attack from a withdrawn position, and are often coined ''deep-lying playmakers'', mainly because of their ability to spread play and dictate the game from a withdrawn position. Despite their deep role, they are not classed as defensive midfielders as tackling and defence are not the main function of their roles — they may have to be supported by a holding midfielder.

Deep-lying playmakers are typically given a moderate amount of defensive responsibilities, but are granted freedom positionally to dictate the play as it evolves, as well as a license to attempt long, riskier balls, to the forwards.

The essential attributes of a deep-lying playmaker include:

Good long passing ability, to play balls towards forwards and wingers. Crossfield passes are typically attempted from deep when the opposing full back is drawn towards the middle and there is an open channel in the flank for the on rushing winger.

Stamina, to cover large distances in professional football. In the top football leagues, a midfielder covers upwards of 10 kilometres per game.

Short passing ability. Although many deep-lying playmakers have natural talent and creativity, they are expected to play short simple passes when deep in their half to avoid the possibility of a counter-attack. They are however given some degree of freedom in playing long passes deep into opposition territory.

Creativity/Vision. The deep-lying playmaker needs to spot openings and opportunities to build up play.

A good and sure first touch to control the ball when receiving passes under sustained opposition pressure.

Attacking midfielder

An attacking midfielder is any midfielder who is stationed in a more advanced midfield position to assist goalscoring. The attacking midfielder is an influential position and requires the player to possess good technical abilities, an eye for a pass, shooting, running, and dribbling skills.

Attacking midfielders are generally required to have:

Excellent technical ability, including close control, passing, shooting and dribbling.

Creativity, to anticipate passing opportunities for their fellow forwards.

Off-the-ball intelligence, to anticipate passes from the midfield which create opportunities to score or to pass on to a forward.

An understanding of the winger role. Due to tactical changes, central attacking midfielders are sometimes played on the wing, to accommodate other strikers or forwards.

A secondary ability is finishing ability and composure.

Playing in a very advanced central midfield role just behind the strikers is sometimes known as "playing in the hole", although this term can also be used to describe a deep lying forward, traditionally he/she is called a trequartista. This specialist midfielder's main role is to act as the offensive pivot of the team, to create goal-scoring opportunities for his team mates, and perhaps to score himself. He may be referred to as the playmaker.

The attacking midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as ''meia' or 'meia-atacante' ("attacking midfielder" in English).

"Box-to-box" midfielder

The term 'box-to-box' player is often used to refer to the most dynamic all-round/complete midfielders, who provide both defensive and attacking prowess. The most versatile of players, they typically possess exceptional stamina and are usually skilled at tackling, passing, shooting and also good at keeping possession.

Winger

A winger or wide midfielder is a midfielder located on the wing of the midfield. Traditionally, wingers were purely attacking players who hugged the touch line 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 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 skillful 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 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, so this role blurs the divide between defender and midfielder.

A winger is 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 forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, and were formally known as "Outside Right" or "Outside Left", but as tactics evolved through 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 and 4–3–3 formations respectively).

The responsibilities of the winger include:

Providing a "wide presence" as a passing option on the flank.

To beat the opposing full-back either with skill or with speed.

To read passes from the midfield that give them a clear crossing opportunity, when going wide, or that give them a clear scoring opportunity, when cutting inside towards goal.

To double up on the opposition winger, particularly when he is being "double-marked" by both the team's full back and winger.

The stereotypical winger is fast, tricky and enjoys 'hugging' the touchline, that is, running downfield close to 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 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:

Technical skill to beat a full-back in a one-to-one situation.

Pace, to beat the full-back one-on-one.

Crossing ability when out wide.

Good off-the-ball ability when reading a pass from the midfield or from fellow attackers.

Good passing ability and composure, to retain possession while in opposition territory.

The modern winger should also be comfortable on either wing so as to adapt to quick tactical changes required by the coach.

Traditionally, right-footed players are played on the right wing and left-footed players on the left as a matter of familiarity and comfort. However, in the modern game, coaches usually demand wingers to be able to play on both flanks and to switch flanks during play regularly as a quick change of tactics. For instance, a right-footed winger who plays on the left flank is more comfortable cutting into the middle, which suits the styles of playmaker forwards who can cause a threat both by shooting from distance, dribbling towards goal, or sliding through passes to other forwards. Another advantage is that the winger can cut inside, towards the weaker foot of the full-back. Clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers on the 'wrong' flank for this reason; Barcelona's Josep Guardiola puts left-footed Lionel Messi on the right and Pedro on the left, while Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho often plays Ángel di María on the right and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left. One of the foremost practitioners of playing from either flank was the German winger, Jürgen Grabowski, whose flexibility helped Germany to third place in the 1970 World Cup, and a championship in the 1974 World Cup.

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 AC Milan, who typically play in 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.

See also

Association football positions

Formation

Forward

Outside forward

Defender

Goalkeeper

Playmaker

References

Category:Association football positions Category:Association football terminology

ar:لاعب وسط (كرة قدم) az:Ym an:Centrocampista bn:মধ্যমাঠের খেলোয়াড় be-x-old:Паўабаронца (футбол) bg:Полузащитник ca:Centrecampista de:Mittelfeldspieler et:Poolkaitsja es:Centrocampista eu:Erdilari fa:بازیکن میانه fr:Milieu de terrain ko:미드필더 id:Gelandang it:Centrocampista jv:Gelandhang kk:Жартылай қорғаушы lv:Pussargs (futbols) lt:Saugas hu:Középpályás mt:Midfilder mr:मिडफील्डर (फुटबॉल) ms:Pemain tengah nl:Middenvelder ja:ミッドフィールダー pl:Pomocnik pt:Meia (futebol) ro:Mijlocaş (fotbal) ru:Полузащитник (футбол) sq:mesfushori simple:Midfielder th:กองกลาง tr:Orta saha uk:Півзахисник (футбол) vi:Tiền vệ (bóng đá) zh:中場

name	Akeem Agbetu
fullname	Akeem Oriyomi Agbetu
birth date	March 10, 1988
birth place	Lagos, Nigeria
height
position	Striker
currentclub	Karşıyaka
clubnumber	-
youthyears1	-2005
youthclubs1	FC Ebedei
years1	2005–07
years2	2007–2008
years3	2009
years4	2009-2011
years5	2010-2011
years6	2011-present
clubs1	FC Ebedei
clubs2	FC Midtjylland
clubs3	Kocaelispor
clubs4	Sivasspor
clubs5	→ Samsunspor (loan)
clubs6	Karşıyaka
caps1	2
caps2	8
caps3	17
caps4	12
caps5	31
caps6	0
goals1	2
goals2	2
goals3	3
goals4	0
goals5	7
goals6	0
nationalyears1	2007
nationalyears2	2008-
nationalteam1	Nigeria U-20
nationalteam2	Nigeria
nationalcaps2	| nationalgoals2
pcupdate	May 15, 2010
ntupdate	}}

Akeem Agbetu (born March 10, 1988 in Lagos, Nigeria), is a Nigerian football player, who plays for Karşıyaka.

Style

Agbetu is a quick and aggressive striker loaded with good dribbling skills and technically sound also credited for his entertaining fancy footwork and flamboyant style of play. He is also effective as a midfielder.

Career

Brought from the Nigerian FC Ebedei football academy to Denmark at a young age, Agbetu joined FC Midtjylland's youth academy. He graduated into the club's senior team, where he was assigned the number 35 jersey. At Midtjylland's senior side, he played alongside fellow Nigerian Ajilore Oluwafemi. He made his Midtjylland-debut in a Royal League match against FC Copenhagen. He has scored 2 goals so far in the Danish Superliga; one against FC Nordsjælland and one against top club Brøndby IF.

In 2009, he transferred to the Turkish team, Kocaelispor. He stayed there only half a season. He transferred to another Turkish team, Sivasspor. He wasn't able to show his abilities in this team. So, in the summer of 2010, he was loaned out to a 2nd league team in Turkey called Samsunspor. In 2011, He was transferred to Karşıyaka for 2 years.

International

He played two games at 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. Akeem Agbetu has 6 goals and the most assist in the league this season 2010/2011.

References

External links

FC Midtjylland profile

Kolding FC profile

FIFA.com player statistics

NetSuperligaen career statistics

Image

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Nigerian footballers Category:FC Midtjylland players Category:Kocaelispor footballers Category:Samsunspor footballers Category:Sivasspor footballers Category:Danish Superliga players Category:Süper Lig players Category:Nigerian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Turkey Category:Expatriate footballers in Denmark

da:Akeem Agbetu it:Akeem Agbetu tr:Akeem Agbetu

playername	Maarten Martens
fullname	Maarten Martens
dateofbirth	July 02, 1984
cityofbirth	Eeklo
countryofbirth	Belgium
height
position	Winger
currentclub	AZ
clubnumber	11
youthyears1	|youthclubs1 Klauwaerts Bassevelde
youthyears2	|youthclubs2 Anderlecht
years1	2003–2005 |clubs1 Anderlecht |caps1 1 |goals1 0
years2	2004–2005 |clubs2 → RKC Waalwijk (loan) |caps2 23 |goals2 2
years3	2005–2006 |clubs3 RKC Waalwijk |caps3 22 |goals3 6
years4	2006– |clubs4 AZ |caps4 126 |goals4 29
nationalyears1	2007– |nationalteam1 Belgium |nationalcaps1 9 |nationalgoals1 0
pcupdate	18:52, (UTC)
ntupdate	18:52, (UTC) }}

Maarten Martens (born 2 July 1984 in Eeklo) is a Belgian footballer who currently plays for Eredivisie club AZ. His former teams are Anderlecht and RKC Waalwijk.

Martens plays as a Left Winger or as an attacking midfielder. He is key player for AZ Alkmaar, and he is known for his flair, dribbling and goalscoring ability as well as his precision passing and creativity.

Honours

Club honours

AZ

Eredivisie

*Winner (1): 2008–09

Dutch Super Cup

*Winner (1): 2009

External links

Maarten_Martens profile, stats and videos on footballdatabase.com

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Belgian footballers Category:R.S.C. Anderlecht players Category:RKC Waalwijk players Category:AZ Alkmaar players Category:Belgian Pro League players Category:Eredivisie players Category:Belgium international footballers Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers of Belgium Category:Belgian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Category:Belgian expatriates in the Netherlands Category:People from East Flanders

de:Maarten Martens fr:Maarten Martens it:Maarten Martens la:Martinus Martens nl:Maarten Martens ja:マールテン・マルテンス pl:Maarten Martens pt:Maarten Martens ru:Мартенс, Мартен

playername	Rabiu Ibrahim
fullname	Rabiu Ibrahim
dateofbirth	March 15, 1991
cityofbirth	Kano
countryofbirth	Nigeria
height
position	Attacking midfielder
currentclub	PSV
clubnumber	16
youthyears1	2004–2007 | youthclubs1 Gateway
youthyears2	2007–2009 | youthclubs2 Sporting CP
years1	2009–2010 | clubs1 Sporting CP | caps1 0 | goals1 0
years2	2009–2010 | clubs2 → Real Massamá (loan) | caps2 1 | goals2 0
years3	2011– | clubs3 PSV | caps3 1 | goals3 0
nationalyears1	2007 | nationalteam1 Nigeria U17 | nationalcaps1 7 | nationalgoals1 3
nationalyears2	2009 | nationalteam2 Nigeria U20 | nationalcaps2 7 | nationalgoals2 3
nationalyears3	2011 | nationalteam3 Nigeria U23 | nationalcaps3 2 | nationalgoals3 0
pcupdate	31 August 2010
ntupdate	2 October 2006 }}

Rabiu Ibrahim (born 15 March 1991 in Kano) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, as an attacking midfielder.

Club career

In the summer of 2007, Ibrahim signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal for €450,000, in a joint ownership agreement with his previous club, Gateway FC. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Premier League sides Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal were interested in signing him, but nothing came of it.

In late 2007, the youngster was included by World Soccer in its ''50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers'' list and, in March of the following year, he was featured by InsideFutbol.com in an article on young African footballers alongside the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli and John Obi Mikel. In January 2009, he made Goal.com's list of ''10 African Players to Watch'', and The Times' ''Football's Top 50 Rising Stars''.

With Sporting, Ibrahim participated in the 2008 Bellinzona Under-19 International Tournament, with the Portuguese eventually winning the trophy. In the competition, in which he was eventually voted as the best player, he was deployed as a classic number 10 in a 4–2–3–1 system. One year later, he again led the Lisbon powerhouse to the final stage of the same tournament.

In October 2009, Ibrahim twice rejected Sporting's offer of a professional contract, and was at that time sent on loan to Real Sport Clube in the third division. In January 2010, he drew interest from prominent Scottish Premier League club Celtic, but the deal never materialised due to undisclosed reasons believed to involve work permit issues.

In the summer of 2010, Ibrahim left Sporting as a free agent. Subsequently, Dutch side VVV-Venlo tried to sign him in partnership with a UK-based consortium, but the negotiations broke down due to financial issues. In December, shortly after Damien Comolli was appointed director of football at Anfield, the player was again linked to Liverpool.

In January 2011, Ibrahim went on trial with Eerste Divisie outfit Telstar through an investment group. After performing well in an friendly game against PSV Eindhoven, described as one the best players in the match by the team's coach, he was quickly offered a contract, pending a valid work permit from the Royal Dutch Football Association.

However, Telstar could not afford to sign Ibrahim even with the help of private investors. Subsequently, he went on trial with PSV, scoring twice in a 2–0 win against the club's B-team in a practice match. The club's manager, Fred Rutten, said of the player: "Ibrahim is fast, technically skilled, physically strong and has a good sense of field position, there is something in that boy". Shortly after, on 11 March 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Eredivisie powerhouse.

International career

Ibrahim was a member of the Nigerian under-17s in the 2007 FIFA World Cup in South Korea, scoring in the first match against France, the national team that eventually won the competition; before the tournament, he had been dubbed the new Jay-Jay Okocha, and helped the team win that year's African U-17 Championship held in Togo, scoring twice against Eritrea in the group stage (8–0).

Aged 16, he was included in the senior team squad by German coach Berti Vogts for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside U17 teammate Haruna Lukman. However, a groin injury prevented him from participating in the tournament.

In 2009, Ibrahim helped Nigeria win bronze in the African Youth Championship in Rwanda, scoring against the Ivory Coast and South Africa, with the national team booking a place in that year's FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he appeared in three matches, scoring against Germany in the 2–3 round of 16 loss. In addition to his six goals in the youth levels, he also provided many assists.

In the following years, Ibrahim continued to be closely watched by the senior national team's coaches, with Samson Siasia claiming in the media in April 2010 he was one of only two players who could solve Nigeria's attacking midfield problems. Siasia was appointed in November 2010.

Honours

Country

FIFA U-17 World Cup: 2007

African U-17 Championship: 2007

African Youth Championship: Bronze medal 2009

References

External links

Stats and profile at Zerozero

Stats at ForaDeJogo

Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Nigerian footballers Category:Association football midfielders Category:Sporting Clube de Portugal footballers Category:Eredivisie players Category:PSV Eindhoven players Category:Nigerian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Portugal Category:Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands

fr:Rabiu Danda Ibrahim nl:Rabiu Ibrahim

Patricio Rodríguez (born December 20, 1938 in Santiago) is a retired Chilean professional tennis player. He played in tennis Grand Slams, and competed for his country in the Davis Cup in the 1960s and the 1970s. He also won two ATP doubles titles.

ATP Tour titles (2)

Doubles titles (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	June 7, 1968		Clay		Thomaz Koch José Edison Mandarino	6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4
2.	October 4, 1969	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Manuel Orantes	Terry Addison Ray Keldie	8-10, 6–3, 6–1, 5–7, 6–2

Source

ATP profile page

Category:Chilean male tennis players Category:People from Santiago Category:1938 births Category:Living people

sh:Patricio Rodríguez