In the sport of association football or soccer, a forward is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of t
Marcus Rashford (no. 11, in white) is 1 on 1 against Hossein Hosseini (no. 24, in blue) and is attempting to score. The goalkeeper will try to stop the forward from scoring a goal by preventing the ball from passing the goal line.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo (middle, in white) taking a shot at goal. A multi-functional forward, he has influenced a generation of strikers who followed.
Gabriel Batistuta holding his old number 9 Fiorentina jersey. The number most associated with the position, he was an out-and-out striker.
Wayne Rooney, shown wearing the number 10 jersey, was used at Manchester United as a second striker on many occasions, playing behind the number 9.
Midfielder
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In 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 know
Spanish midfielder Xavi was known for his passing and vision.
A hardworking box-to-box midfielder, Steven Gerrard has been lauded for his effectiveness both offensively and defensively; and his ability to make late runs from behind into the penalty area.
Spain holding midfielder Sergio Busquets (16, red) moves to block a shot from Italian striker (9, blue) Mario Balotelli.
Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić was regarded as an emblematic "box-to-box" playmaker with Real Madrid.