Reference · Football knowledge
A Beginner's Glossary of Football Positions
Football has accumulated a vocabulary. GK, CB, RB, CDM, CAM, LW, ST — plus false nines, inverted full-backs, regista, and a dozen other terms that get used as though everyone was issued a handbook. Nobody was. Here is the handbook.
This is a plain-English reference to every position: what the abbreviation means, what the player actually does, and what separates a good one from an ordinary one. It is also directly useful in Footle, where the position tile is often the clue that separates your final two candidates.
Goalkeeper (GK)
The only player permitted to use their hands, and only inside their own penalty area. The last line of defence and, increasingly, the first line of attack.
The job used to be simple: stop shots. It is not simple any more. A modern goalkeeper is expected to command their box on crosses, organise the defenders in front of them, sweep up balls played in behind a high defensive line, distribute accurately with both feet, and stay composed while being pressed on their own six-yard box. Shot-stopping is now roughly half the role.
What separates a good one: decision-making more than reflexes. Knowing when to come and when to stay is worth more than spectacular saves, because the save that never has to happen is the cheapest one. A keeper who claims crosses cleanly quietly removes an entire category of danger.
Centre-back (CB)
The central defenders, normally two, occasionally three. They defend the middle of the pitch directly in front of their goalkeeper — the most dangerous real estate on the field.
Responsibilities: mark strikers, win headers, block shots, intercept passes, and start attacks with the ball at their feet. Most teams pair complementary types — one aggressive, front-footed defender who steps in to win the ball, and one calmer covering defender who holds the line and cleans up.
What separates a good one: reading the game. The best centre-backs seem to make very few tackles, which is the point — they arrive before the situation becomes a tackle. Positioning prevents; tackling rescues. Prevention is better and less visible, which is why great centre-backs are chronically under-rated.
Full-back (LB / RB)
The defenders on the left and right of the back four. Left-back on the left, right-back on the right.
The most physically demanding job on the pitch. A full-back defends against the opposition winger, then sprints sixty yards to provide width in attack, then sprints back. They deliver crosses, overlap, and are expected to do this for ninety minutes on both sides of the ball.
What separates a good one: stamina and one-v-one defending, plus the judgement of when to go and when to stay. A full-back caught upfield leaves a hole that is very hard to cover.
Wing-back (LWB / RWB)
A full-back pushed further forward, used in systems with three centre-backs. With three defenders covering the middle, the wing-backs supply the entire width of the team, attacking like wingers and tracking back like defenders.
What separates a good one: engine, first and last. Wing-backs cover more ground than anyone on the pitch. The role only works with players who can genuinely do both jobs; a winger who cannot defend or a full-back who cannot attack will be exposed within twenty minutes.
Defensive midfielder (CDM)
The player who sits in front of the defence — the screen, the anchor, the holding midfielder. They break up attacks before they reach the back four, cover the space when full-backs advance, and recycle possession.
Two broad flavours. The destroyer is there to win the ball: aggressive, physical, relentless. The regista (Italian for "director") is a deep-lying playmaker who sits in the same space but conducts the game from it, dictating tempo with passing range rather than tackling.
What separates a good one: positioning and the discipline to stay. The role is fundamentally about occupying a space so that the space cannot be used. It is the least glamorous job in football and frequently the most important.
Central midfielder (CM)
The all-rounder in the middle. Defends when the team defends, attacks when it attacks, and links the two. Involved in more of the game than anyone else on the pitch.
What separates a good one: the two-way engine and the quality of the decisions. A central midfielder receives the ball under pressure dozens of times a match, usually with an opponent arriving. What they do in that half-second — turn, release, switch, hold — determines the shape of the whole game. Also known as a box-to-box midfielder when the emphasis is on covering ground.
Attacking midfielder (CAM)
The creative player operating between the opposition midfield and defence — the number ten, playing "in the hole".
Their job is to find and exploit the space that neither the defenders nor the midfielders are quite responsible for. They create chances, thread the final pass, arrive late in the box, and take shots from the edge of the area.
What separates a good one: vision and the willingness to receive on the half-turn with a defender behind them. Anyone can play a killer pass with time. The number ten's gift is seeing it before they get the ball, and being brave enough to turn into pressure.
Winger (LW / RW / LM / RM)
The wide attackers. Left wing and right wing when attacking-minded; left and right midfield when the role carries more defensive duty.
Two types, defined by which foot. A traditional winger plays on their natural side — right-footed on the right — and goes outside the full-back to cross. An inverted winger plays on the opposite side — left-footed on the right — and cuts inside onto their stronger foot to shoot. Inverted wingers score far more; traditional wingers create more from the byline.
What separates a good one: beating a defender one-v-one. Everything else follows. A winger who can reliably go past a full-back forces the opposition to send help, and the moment help arrives, someone else is free.
Striker (ST / CF)
The furthest player forward. Their job is goals.
Several distinct types wear the same label. The poacher lives in the box and specialises in finishing. The target man is big and strong, holds the ball up with his back to goal, wins headers and brings others into play. The complete forward does everything — scores, links, presses, runs the channels. The false nine is a striker who drops deep into midfield instead of staying high, dragging centre-backs out of position and creating chaos for others to run into.
What separates a good one: movement, not finishing. Elite strikers are not necessarily better at hitting the ball — they are better at arriving in the place where an easy chance is about to exist. The finishing looks simple because the movement did the hard part three seconds earlier.
Second striker (SS / CF)
A forward playing just behind the main striker — part number ten, part goalscorer. They operate in the pockets between the lines but with a more direct goal threat than a classic playmaker.
What separates a good one: the instinct for when to drop and when to run beyond. It is a partnership role; it only works if the two forwards' movements complement rather than duplicate.
Quick reference
GK goalkeeper · CB centre-back · LB/RB left/right-back · LWB/RWB left/right wing-back · CDM defensive midfielder · CM central midfielder · CAM attacking midfielder · LM/RM left/right midfield · LW/RW left/right wing · SS second striker · CF centre-forward · ST striker
Why this matters in the games
In Footle, the position tile distinguishes between roles that casual knowledge blurs together — a CM and a CAM are different tiles, and so are a CB and a LB. When you are down to your last few candidates, that distinction is usually what decides it. Knowing that a player is nominally a winger but is listed as a second striker can be the whole game.
In Tier Drop, position context is what stops you comparing a centre-back to a winger on the same scale — a mistake covered in more detail in how ratings actually work.
Put it to use: play today's Footle or try Tier Drop.