In the sport of association football, 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 the forward
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.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. Nicknamed CR7, he
Forward (association football)
…used in the media to label a variation upon the inverted winger position is that of an "attacking", "false", or "goalscoring winger", as exemplified by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale's roles on the left and right flanks during their time at Real Madrid in particular. This label has been used to describe an offensive-minded…
Ronaldo with Portugal in 2026
Ronaldo playing for Manchester United against Chelsea during the 2005–06 Premier League season
According to many pundits and players, Ronaldo evolved into the best player in the world during the 2007-08 season.
Ronaldo scored 46 league goals during his third season with Real Madrid.