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Central midfielder: Situated in arguably the most important area of the field, the central midfielder’s task is to provide support to both defenders and attacks. Such is the complexity of the position, it can be split into sub-categories which indicate unique
- defensive or
- offensive responsibilities
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Defensive midfielder
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The defensive midfielder sits just behind the centre circle and is primarily required to break down opposition attacks and augment the defense. However, because he is often in possession of the ball when the opponent has committed players to an attack, the defensive midfielder also initiates his team’s own attacks.
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Notable defensive midfielders
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Gilberto Silva (Brazil)
Dunga (Brazil)
Claude Makélélé (France)
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Playmaker : The playmaker can be found in the same area as the defensive midfielder but this is to enable better protection for the player himself, whose role is to influence his side’s attacking game. Comparable to a sweeper in midfield, the playmaker takes advantage of the extra support to spray passes up to the attackers and instigate quick offense.
A typical benchmark for the position is Spain’s Josep Guardiola, credited for developing the modern conception of a ‘playmaker’ as part of Johan Cruyff’s famous ‘Dream Team’ Barcelona side in the early-1990s.
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Notable playmakers
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Josep Guardiola (Spain)
Andrea Pirlo (Italy)
Cesc Fabregas (Spain)
Xabi Alonso (Spain)
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’Box to box’ midfielder: A true all-rounder, the ‘box to box’ midfielder is so called because he plays his football at both ends of the field, literally filling in everywhere. Usually in possession of exceptional stamina with remarkable defensive and offensive skills, the position is typically associated with the Premiership, where most of the great modern players have flourished.
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Notable ‘box to box’ midfielders
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Patrick Vieira (France)
Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Steven Gerrard (England)
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Attacking midfielder/‘Hole’ player : The attacking midfielder is situated in the space between the midfield and the strikers, directly influencing the attack high up in the field. Attacking midfielders are often called on to fill in as forwards due to their potency in front of goal.
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Vital to the development of the ‘hole’ player was the impact of Pelé, considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. From a forward position and as an attacking midfielder, he scored an incredible 1087 goals in 1120 games for the Brazilian side Santos and 77 goals in 92 games for the national side (in the process leading Brazil to two World Cup victories in 1962 and 1970 respectively).
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Notable attacking midfielders
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Pelé (Brazil)
Kaká (Brazil)
Michel Platini (France)
Zico (Brazil)
Zinédine Zidane (Juventus)
David Beckham (Manchester United)
Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia)
Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen)
Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus)
Deco (FC Porto)
Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
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Winger : Like their defensive equivalents, there are two wingers in a side, starting on both touchlines alongside the central midfielders. 
Their tasks include pressurising the opposition fullbacks, attacking from wide positions and providing crosses into the box. However, as the position has developed, wingers have increasingly been called on to score goals, as they have the chance to run from deep positions and cause problems for defenders.
The result has been the erosion of the old style of wingers like Stanley Matthews, who hugged the touchline, and an explosion of wingers who play much of their football closer to the centre of the pitch.
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Notable wingers
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Garrincha (Brazil)
Sir Stanley Matthews (England)
Robert Pires (France)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
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