Home > Winger (sport)

1 Association football (soccer)

In association football, a winger is an attacking player in a wide position.

Wingers are usually players of great pace or dribbling ability so as to provide cut-backs or crosses from which strikers can score. Their main function is to support attack from the wings. They are a special breed of midfielders who work up and down the flanks from middle section of the pitch.

Traditionally, wingers are not expected to track back and defend.

Wingers used to be highly prized in the older times, but their importance has dwindled during the years. In the 1966 World Cup for example, England manager Alf Ramsey played without natural wingers in a team known as the "Wingless Wonders".

In the modern game, some wide midfielders replace the role of wingers, whose contributions include providing defensive cover for fullbacks. One good example is David Beckham, who played in the position of right wing during his days at Manchester United, but who is not regarded as a winger since he functions primarily as a right midfielder and does not use either speed or dribbling ability to support play.

1.1 Famous Wingers

• George Best
• Tom Finney
• Ryan Giggs
• Garrincha
• Stanley Matthews
• Chris Waddle

1.2 Current wingers

• Denilson
• Luis FigoHelen Svedin Luis Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo aka Luis Figo November 4, 1972 in Cova da Piedade Almada, Portugal) is a Portuguese international footballer, who plays as a midfielder. He won his first senior international cap in 1991; prior to that, he won
• Ryan Giggs
• Cristiano RonaldoPortuguese international strip Cristiano Ronaldo (full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro born February 5, 1985, Madeira, Portugal) is a Portuguese footballer who was signed by Manchester United in 2003 for £12. Widely regarded as one of the premier

2 See also

• Football (soccer) positionsIn the sport of Association football each of the eleven players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the pitch. As the game ha
• wingbackIn association football (soccer), a wingback is an attacking player who occupies a wide position, either on the extreme right or extreme left. In the evolution of the modern game, wingbacks are the combination of wingers and fullbacks. As such it is one o