The semifinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup are over, with Argentina 3:0 Croatia, France 2-0 Morocco, Argentina and France fighting for the title, and Croatia and Morocco for third place. While feeling the passion and joy of football, the audience can also learn more about the meaning of football - the defender in football. The soil of football needs to be nurtured, and the spirit of football can be shared.
In the French 2-0 Moroccan match, Moroccan captain Seth and full-back Mazraoui both played with injuries, and also fell off the field due to injury, and Morocco, who had only conceded an own goal, finally left the game tragically, but the story they left for the World Cup is moving enough.
In football, a defender is a name for a player who is located in a backfield position. It can be subdivided into full-backs (normal position in the backfield wing) and central defender (normal position in the middle of the backfield).
Center back, positioned in front of the goalkeeper and between the left and right defenders, the range of activities is in the midfield, which is the core of the team's defensive force, and its main responsibility is to prevent the opposing player from instigating the offensive and at the same time blocking the opponent's possession into the opponent's penalty area. Most of the most commonly used 4-4-2 formations use two players as central defenders ( also three centre-backs ) , stationed in front of the goalkeeper. The two main responsibilities of the central defender are to keep close to the opposing attacking players with a "man to person" tactic, and to fill in the holes in the defensive line.
Central defenders are usually tall and have excellent heading ability and tackle-making skills. They have a lot of demands on their ability to read competitions. Most of the time, centre-backs under pressure rarely choose to possess or pass the ball, they usually just remove the ball from the danger zone. However, a good centre-back has often done more than that, and many of them often have other skills that they are good at (such as long passes, set-pieces, headers, etc.).
The centre-back is sometimes referred to as Centre Half. In the early 20th century, in the most popular 2-3-5 formation at the time, the three players in the middle were called half backs. With the continuous improvement of the formation, the central midfielder in the center was moved back to the back line and evolved into one of the central defenders.
The sweeper has more functions than the average defender, such as clearing the opponent's teleportation. Their position is more mobile than other guards, so this position can also be called libero (Italian for freedom). The person in this position must have a higher ability to read the game than the average defender. The sweeper is also sometimes responsible for counter-attacks , so his possession and passing ability are more demanding than those of ordinary defenders. But sometimes, he's just a player who is purely defensive. For example, in Catenaccio, the defensive system used by the Italian national team in the 1960s, the scavengers were only responsible for clearing enemy passes.
Fullback, is the player responsible for defending both sides of the pitch. Their main task is to prevent opposing players from moving the ball from the touchline into the box. In some defensive systems, they are also responsible for watching. Most full-backs will assist crosses from behind, making the team's attacking approach more dimensional.
The role of the former fullback (the "2" in the 2-3-5 formation) is now played by a central defender. Due to the evolution of the game, the former pure defenders were moved to the sides of the pitch, and the technical requirements were different. Modern full-backs usually possess high speed, tackles and plenty of physical strength to assist on the touchline.
A wingback is a full-back who takes on more assists. They usually appear in 3-5-2 formations and can also be considered midfielders. Since this is a position of defender and fullback, more physical strength is required for wingback. With three centre-backs behind them focused on defense, it is expected that they will be more focused on assisting than defending.
Top 10 defenders in the history of world football:
1. Fabio Cannavaro
One of the greatest central defenders in the history of Italian football, the core of the defense of the 2006 World Cup winners, and the captain on the field. Cannavaro is a centre-back and right-back, with strong one-on-one and eye-catching abilities, and can successfully limit all types of world-class strikers. Cannavaro's performance at the 2006 World Cup was a "phenomenal", and he became the first European and world double footballer of the year in world football in 2006. He is also the third defender to win the Ballon d'Or after Beckenbauer and Summer.
2. Franz Beckenbauer
The greatest superstar in the history of German football, the heart of the defense for the 1974 World Cup winner. Known as the "Emperor of Football", Beckenbauer pioneered the free man style of play, the first player to win the Ballon d'Or as a defender. Whether it is defense, offense, leadership temperament, tenacious style, command of the rear line of the overall attack and defense is impeccable. He led the German national team to win the World Cup and the European Cup, and helped Bayern Munich complete the "Champions League three consecutive championships" and dominate European football.
3. Robert Carlos
Roberto Carlos is considered the best left-back in the world and his most famous goal was the one scored by France in the 1997 Copa de France, when he fired a seemingly impossible kick from 40 metres away with the outside of his famous left foot, the ball swerved sharply on the right side of the French team's wall and flew past French goalkeeper Batez into the goal. In fact, Robert Carlos' free-kick didn't succeed much, but the power of the ball alone was enough to frighten the players in the wall.
Carlos' weakness is generally considered to be defensive, which is due to his lack of focus on defense, but in reality it is not easy to break through his defense, and his tackles are also quite famous.
He is best at using his speed to get rid of opposing players and move forward, quickly bringing the ball to the front line. His stamina is also incredible, and it looks like he can sprint the entire 90-minute race.
4. Daniel · Passarella
The greatest central defender in the history of Argentine football, the core of the team's defense that won the 1986 World Cup, and one of the best scavengers in South American football. Passarella is a rare technical defender in the history of world football, only 1.74 meters tall, but first-class heading skills, super bounce and anticipation make up for the lack of physical shortcomings, his long-range shots, free kicks, penalties are excellent, and the leader on the field is full of temperament. Known as "the number one goal-scoring defender in the history of world football", Passarella has scored nearly 150 goals in more than 400 games throughout his career.
5. Kars Puyol
One of the greatest centre-backs in the history of Spanish football and Barcelona, the core of the defence of the 2010 World Cup winners, captain on the field. Puyol started his debut as a right-back and gradually changed to centre-back to become a world-class star. Although he is only 1.78 meters tall, he has super bouncing power, first-class anticipation and card slots. And Puyol is brave and tenacious, extremely fierce in defense, and a fighter on the court. He made 593 appearances for Barcelona and won 6 La Liga and 3 Champions League titles.
6. Thuram
In the 98 World Cup semifinals, he scored two goals and sent France to the final and "became an overnight success". Thuram is considered an impeccable player, unrivaled in speed and power. Possession skills are also outstanding, and in the '98 World Cup, he "can attack and defend well" at right-back and hardly make mistakes. At Juventus, Thuram is the absolute workhorse at right-back.
7. Bobby Moore
The greatest centre-back in the history of English football, honorary captain of England for life, and the heart of the defence for the 1966 World Cup winners. Bobby Moore can be described as an offensive and defensive integration, and all the performance in defense is perfect. Excellent technique at the feet, calmly advancing to the front with the ball after breaking the ball, is the team's first attacking starting point. He is a top central defender and left-back, and he successfully froze the "king" Pele in the World Cup.
8. Cafu
Full name Marcos Evangelista de Moraes. Cafu was once known as the world's No. 1 right-back and was known as one of the Brazilian doubles (the other being Carlos) and known as the immortal runner on the pitch. For club and country he played as a right-back , but also as a right winger and a right midfielder. He holds the record for the most appearances for the Brazilian national football team.
Cafu is in solid form, balanced offensive and defensive, sharp assists, solid defensively always smiling right-back, good at attacking from the right wing, driving straight into the front and even the opponent's penalty area, passing crosses with excellent landing points, and he often relies on long-range shots to score. He was the captain of the Brazilian national team, participated in four World Cup competitions and made history by appearing in three consecutive World Cup finals in 94, 98 and 02. In 2006, he made history by playing in the World Cup for the third time as captain, and after joining AC Milan on the free, he made the team's right-wing attack and defense more coordinated.
9. Alejandro Nesta
One of the best central defenders in the history of Italian football, the most elegant central defender in world football, Nesta at his peak with his clear head, brilliant card position and anticipation ability made him deservedly become the "world's number one central defender", in addition to his injury-prone physique, almost a perfect central defender, but he was injured in three World Cups, affecting his historical status. Won the 2006 World Cup with the Italian national team. Nesta became famous with Lazio, and after joining AC Milan, he instantly raised the team's defense to a higher level, helping the team win many Serie A and Champions League titles.
10. Matthias Summer
One of the best centre-backs in the history of German football, the heart of the defense for the 1996 European Championship winner. The most outstanding "free man" in world football after Beckenbauer, Summerer, who combines ball skills and fighting spirit, creatively reproduces the essence of "free man" on the field. Also the second player to win the Ballon d'Or as a defender after Beckenbauer, Summerer worked hard to reach the top, but injuries forced him to retire early. He led Borussia Dortmund to the UEFA Champions League title when he was not favoured.