Defender (association football)
In association football (soccer), a defender is a player whose position of play is behind the midfielders and first and foremost provide support to the goalkeeper. Their primary function is to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal.
The main types of defender are center back, full back, wing back, and sweeper. Center backs, or central defenders, are stationed just before the goalposts and they rarely venture forward in attack, usually assigned to marking the opposing team's strikers. Full backs, who play at either extreme sides of defence, play in the 4-4-2 formation, and will at certain points move up the wings to join in attack. Wingbacks are similar to full backs, except they play in more unorthodox formations, like 3-5-2 or 5-3-2.
Libero or sweeper is a special type of defender whose role is mainly to provide cover for center backs, by "sweeping" up any loose ball and bringing the ball out from defence to midfield.
Central defenders are by and large robust, and they also tend to be tall (to help in aerial battles). Height though is rarely an issue for wingbacks and fullbacks. All defenders need to be versed in tackling and need a modicum of ball control skills.
They usually remain in the half of the field that contains the goal they are defending. The taller defenders tend to move forward to the opposing team's penalty box when their team takes corner kicks or free kicks where scoring with one's head is a possibility.
Famous defenders
- Tony Adams
- Franco Baresi
- Franz Beckenbauer
- Cafu
- Fabio Cannavaro
- Roberto Carlos
- Ivan Cordoba
- Marcel Desailly
- Rio Ferdinand
- Sami Hyypiä
- Hong Myung-Bo
- Willie Miller
- Paolo Maldini
- Alessandro Nesta
- Jaap Stam
- Lilian Thuram