Players and positions
50 terms · Whole glossary
- Academy graduate
- A player who came through the club’s own youth academy.
- Assistant coach
- The head coach’s aide in training and match preparation.
- Attacking midfielder
- A player behind the strikers responsible for the final pass and shots from outside the box.
- Bosman ruling
- A 1995 EU court ruling that lets out-of-contract players leave for free and removed limits on EU players.
- Box-to-box midfielder
- A tireless central midfielder who covers ground from one penalty area to the other.
- Captain
- The team leader on the pitch, wearing the armband, who speaks to the referee and takes the coin toss.
- Caretaker manager
- An interim coach in charge after a sacking until a permanent appointment.
- Central midfielder
- A player in the middle of the pitch who links defence and attack.
- Centre-back
- A defender in the middle of the back line: tackling, heading and covering teammates.
- Centre-forward
- The central striker, often the number 9, who battles defenders and plays in the box.
- Club doctor
- The team doctor who decides whether a player can continue.
- Defensive midfielder
- The player in front of the defence who breaks up attacks and starts his own team’s play. Also called a holding midfielder.
- False nine
- A centre-forward who drops deep, pulling defenders out and creating space for teammates.
- Foreign player
- A player from abroad in a domestic league. In Russian, a “legionnaire”.
- Free agent
- A player without a contract who can join any club without a fee.
- Full-back
- A defender on the flank who, in modern football, also joins attacks.
- Goalkeeper
- The only player allowed to handle the ball, inside their own penalty area. The last line of defence.
- Homegrown player
- A player trained in the country or club; leagues require a minimum number in each squad.
- Inverted full-back
- A full-back who moves into central midfield when his team has the ball.
- Inverted winger
- A winger on the opposite side to his stronger foot who cuts inside to shoot.
- Journeyman
- A player who moves through many clubs in his career.
- Kit man
- The staff member responsible for the team’s shirts, boots and equipment.
- Libero
- A free defender behind the back line who sweeps up and starts attacks; a classic role of the 1960s–80s. Also called a sweeper.
- Loan
- A temporary move to another club while the player stays under contract with his parent club.
- Manager
- The head of the team: line-up, tactics, training and sometimes transfers. Also called head coach.
- Number 10
- The creative playmaker behind the strikers, named after the traditional shirt number.
- One-club man
- A player who spends his whole career at one club.
- Physio
- The physiotherapist who treats injuries and runs on to help injured players.
- Playmaker
- The player who runs his team’s attacks with vision, passing and control of tempo.
- Poacher
- A striker who lives in the box and scores from close range.
- Regista
- A deep-lying playmaker who dictates play from the holding position with long, precise passes.
- Release clause
- A sum in a contract that lets another club sign the player without his club’s consent.
- Scout
- A specialist who finds and assesses players for a club.
- Second striker
- A forward playing just behind the centre-forward, between the opponents’ lines.
- Sporting director
- The executive in charge of transfers, scouting and the club’s football strategy.
- Squad player
- A player who does not always start but is needed in a busy schedule.
- Starting XI
- The eleven players who start the match.
- Stopper
- A centre-back tasked with marking the opposing centre-forward.
- Striker
- The forward at the tip of the attack whose main job is scoring goals.
- Substitute
- A squad player who starts on the bench and may come on during the match.
- Super-sub
- A substitute who regularly changes games after coming on.
- Sweeper-keeper
- A goalkeeper who leaves the box to cover a high defensive line and joins the build-up play.
- Target man
- A tall, physical striker who wins long balls and crosses and holds the ball up.
- Transfer
- A player’s move from one club to another, usually for a fee.
- Transfer window
- The periods when clubs may register new players, in summer and winter.
- Veteran
- An experienced player near the end of his career, valued for experience and leadership.
- Vice-captain
- The player who wears the armband when the captain is not on the pitch.
- Wing-back
- A wide player in a back-three system who covers the whole flank, from defending to crossing.
- Winger
- A wide forward or midfielder who uses pace, dribbling and crosses along the touchline.
- Wonderkid
- A very young, very gifted player expected to have a big future.