The striker (wearing the red shirt) has run past the defender (in the white shirt) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to attempt to stop the ball.
- This article is about football (soccer) players. See also striker (disambiguation).
Strikers, also known as centre forwards, forwards, and attackers, are the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
Modern player formations include between one and three strikers; two is most common. Coaches usually field one striker who plays over the shoulder of the last defender, and another attacking forward who plays somewhat deeper and assists in making goals as well as scoring. The former is usually a large striker, typically known as a target man, who is used either to distract opposing defenders to help teammates score, or to score himself; the latter is usually of quicker pace. Yet another variation on striking partners is the replacement of the target man with a striker who can thread through balls. In less frequent cases, some strikers operate on the wings of the field and work their way goalward.
Because they score more goals than other players, strikers are often among the best-known and most expensive players on their teams.
Centre forward
The centre forward, or "out and out" striker, has one main task: to score goals. Centre forwards can sometimes act predominantly as "targets" and sometimes work to link the play between midfield and attack. Some centre forwards are "poachers", who work in and around the goal area to snatch goals; they are sometimes called a "fox in the box"'; notable examples of poachers are Gerd Müller, Gabriel Batistuta, Robbie Fowler, Gary Lineker and Ian Wright.
Players who specialise in playing as a target are usually of above-average height, with good heading ability and an accurate shot. They tend to be the "outlet" player for both midfielders and defenders, able to hold the ball up and allow other players time to enter the game. They tend to score goals from crosses, often with the head, and use their body strength to shield the ball while turning to score; examples of target men are Alan Shearer, Joe Jordan, Denis Law,Duncan Ferguson, Peter Crouch and Fernando Morientes.
Other forwards may rely on their pace to run onto balls passed over or through the opposition defence, rather than to collect the ball with their back to goal in the manner of a target man, for example [[Hernan Crespo] and Michael Owen .
The best forwards can play both of these roles equally well, for example the great players Pelé (in his early years), Marco van Basten and Ally McCoist.
Linking players tend to play in a more withdrawn role, looking to use their superior vision and creative ability to make goals as much as score them. Examples include Thierry Henry and Raul .
Deep-lying forwards
Deep lying forwards have a long history in the game, but the terminology to describe them has varied over the years. Originally such players were termed inside forwards, or deep-lying centre forwards. More recently, the preferred terms have been "withdrawn striker", or playing "in the hole" (i.e., the space between the midfield and defence of the opposing team). The position itself was popularized in Italian football as the trequartista - the playmaker who plays neither in midfield nor as a forward, but effectively pulls the strings for his team's attack. In Spanish football this position is referred to as the mediapunta.
Whatever the terminology, the position itself is a loosely-defined one somewhere between the out-and-out striker and the midfield. Such a player is either a skilful, attack-minded midfielder or a striker who can both score and create opportunities for a centre forward.
Deep-lying forwards have often been referred to as "No. 10" players, due to the popularity of particular shirt number among widely known and influential players such as Pelé, Diego Maradona, Zico, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Dennis Bergkamp, Francesco Totti and Ronaldinho.
See also
Trivia
When USA hosted the world cup, the mascot was a little dog named striker.
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