Striker
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The striker (wearing the red shirt) has run past the defender (in the white shirt) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to attempt to stop the ball. |
This article is about football (soccer) players. See also striker (disambiguation).Strikers, also known as
centre forwards,
forwards, and
attackers, and formerly
inside forwards, are the players on a team in
football in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
Modern
team formations usually include between one and three strikers; two is most common. Coaches typically field one striker who plays over the shoulder of the last
defender (close to the opposing team's goal), and another attacking forward who plays somewhat deeper and assists in making goals as well as scoring. The former is usually a large striker, typically known as a
target man, who is used either to distract opposing defenders, to receive passes and "hold up" the ball so that teammates can advance, to help teammates score by providing a pass or 'through ball' into the
box, or to score himself; the latter variation usually requiring quicker pace. Less frequently, some strikers operate on the wings of the field and work their way goalward.
The very advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean strikers normally score more goals than other players; accordingly, strikers are often among the best-known and most expensive players on their teams.
The centre forward, or "out and out" striker, has one main task: to score goals. Centre forwards can sometimes act predominantly as "targets" and sometimes work to link the play between midfield and attack. Some centre forwards are "poachers", who work in and around the goal area to snatch goals; they are sometimes called a "fox in the box"'; notable examples of poachers are
Romário,
Ronaldo,
Gerd Müller,
Gabriel Batistuta,
Robbie Fowler,
Gary Lineker,
Ruud van Nistelrooy,
Ian Rush,
Ian Wright, and
Hernán Crespo. Players who specialise in playing as a target are usually of above-average height, with good heading ability and an accurate shot. They tend to be the "outlet" player for both midfielders and defenders, able to hold the ball up and allow other players time to enter the game. They tend to score goals from crosses, often with the head, and use their body strength to shield the ball while turning to score; examples of target men are
Jared Borgetti,
Alan Shearer,
Joe Jordan,
Denis Law,
Christian Vieri,
Jan Koller,
Duncan Ferguson,
Peter Crouch,
Samuel Eto'o and
Fernando Morientes.
Other forwards may rely on their pace to run onto balls passed over or through the opposition defence, rather than to collect the ball with their back to goal in the manner of a target man, for example
Johan Cruijff,
Djibril Cisse,
Michael Owen,
Fernando Torres and
Samuel Eto'o. The best forwards can play both of these roles equally well, for example the great players
Pelé (in his early years),
Alfredo Di Stéfano,
Diego Maradona,
Ladislao Kubala,
Marco van Basten and
Hugo Sánchez. Linking players tend to play in a more withdrawn role, looking to use their superior vision and creative ability to create goals as much as score them. Examples include
Thierry Henry,
Wayne Rooney,
Raúl and
Henrik Larsson.
Deep-lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe them has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, or deep-lying centre forwards. More recently, the preferred terms have been
withdrawn striker,
supporting striker,
second striker,
fantasista,
number ten or playing
"in the hole" (i.e., the space between the midfield and defence of the opposing team).
The position was initially developed by the famous Hungary national football team of the late 1940s and mid 1950s-nicknamed the "Magnificent
Magyars" or the Aranycsapat (Hung lit: Golden Team). Led by the influential
Ferenc Puskás, the team was judged the finest national team of its time and one of the greatest of all time.
The position itself was popularized in Italian football as the
trequartista - the playmaker who plays neither in midfield nor as a forward, but effectively pulls the strings for his team's attack. In Spanish football this position is referred to as the
mediapunta or
enganche. In the
UK it is now often referred to as
the Sheringham role after the former
England international
Teddy Sheringham (although England have had other players play "in the hole" prior to Sheringham, such as
Peter Beardsley).
Whatever the terminology, the position itself is a loosely-defined one somewhere between the out-and-out striker and the midfield. Such a player is either a skillful, attack-minded midfielder or a striker who can both score and create opportunities for a centre forward.
Deep-lying forwards have often been referred to as "No. 10" players, due to the popularity of particular shirt number among widely known and influential players such as
Ferenc Puskás,
Nándor Hidegkuti,
Pelé,
Diego Maradona,
Zico,
Michel Platini,
Roberto Baggio,
Dennis Bergkamp,
Jari Litmanen,
Alessandro del Piero,
Francesco Totti,
Ronaldinho,
Rivaldo and
Zinedine Zidane.
* When
USA hosted the
1994 FIFA World Cup, the
mascot was a dog named Striker.
*
Football (soccer) positions*
Formation (football)*
Long ball
