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The wild card footballer is the multipurpose player, for many a patch, for others a guarantee. The figure of the multipurpose player refers to the footballer who is the same for a torn as for an unstitched, who meets you in different situations and provides you with various benefits. Sometimes he is confused with player number 12. However, that player does not always obey the functions of a versatile footballer.
Throughout the history of football, This figure has adopted an indispensable aura in any outfit. However, to be a wild card player you don't always walk the same route. Sometimes it is your physical conditions that change your role, other times it is the tactic or the coach's drawing. Sometimes it is due to the injury or absence of a partner, while on other occasions it is the player's own experience and development that makes him adapt to new circumstances that better resemble his qualities.
Likewise, a wild card player is not one who, due to a circumstantial situation, occupies a position on the field that does not correspond to him. There are exceptional moments, which very few remember and which do not illustrate what a wild card is. This is the case, for example, of Di Stéfano. On July 31, 1949, the Argentine occupied the goal of his team in the 'Superclásico', River-Boca. In that meeting, the goalkeeper Amadeo Carrizo received a ball in his “noble parts” and had to leave the pitch to be assisted. To everyone's surprise, the ‘Saeta Rubia’ was in charge of taking his place for a few minutes. It is not because of this anecdotal accident that Di Stéfano is remembered as a wild card player.
What the coaches say about their “wild card”
“I think that people should be able to play in all positions on the field… That is why it is so important that everyone listens during tactical conversations. The left winger can't fall asleep when the coach talks about the right back ”
“Joshua is always positive, he's very focused and he's a very serious player. I have told him that he is one of the best defenders in the world and not only that, but that he is a player who can perform in any position “
”Marcos Llorente is an all-round player, he can play anywhere in the middle of the court, he has vertigo, speed, goal, work, movement … It is important that he manages records in different positions because it is a virtue that he can play on the wing, in the middle, as second striker … A virtue for him and for the coach who has it “
“When the team does badly, there is the excuse that it plays elsewhere or when it does not do well there is the excuse that it plays in different places, but the reality is that being a coach and seeing other coaches we always want players who give us options. And when you have a player like Saúl, who gives you many options, it is spectacular to have that possibility “
“With eleven Azpilicueta we could win the Champions League”
“Fàbregas evolves very well due to individual characteristics, he has the soul of an attacker and of always looking at the rival frame”
“Luis Enrique can play as a right side defender, as a left side defender, as a right midfielder, a left midfielder, a midfielder. You can play up front if you want. You can play anywhere. It's fantastic”
“Sergi Roberto is one of my right eyes. He is intelligent, has physique, concepts and football quality. He delays his position, sees things from the face, and also knows how to watch football from behind. Less as a goalkeeper, he could line up in all positions As a pivot he has already done it, also as a winger on both bands. He could play as a false nine and even as a center-back perfectly. “
On the other hand, This versatility or ability to alternate between different positions on the field is more common in one type of player than in another. With greater naturalness we see midfielders and defenders change position. There are midfield players who have delayed their position in their career or in some games due to game circumstances, such as Fernando Hierro, Casemiro, Javi Martínez or Mascherano. In addition, it is common to see full-backs play centrals or change wings, as well as centrals occupy the position of winger. They are the wild cards in defense that a coach likes so much and that frequently enter the agendas of clubs, such as Alaba and Real Madrid.
This label is increasingly common in current football, but, sometimes, it is limited to a reference player within the same area of influence and compliant in any of the positions within his line of play, as is the case of De Jong in FC Barcelona or De Bruyne in Manchester City, and the role of the wild card player exceeds more than the same line in the field of game. Nor can Gareth Bale be considered a wild card player todayTherefore, despite the fact that during his career he has gone through different positions, he is already settled in the attacking positions and would not cover an absence on the side, except for surprise.
The wild card player figure is a treasure for a coach and president when they design the squad and throughout the entire season. Likewise, From the lower categories, the academies try to vary the positions of the little ones to get the most out of them. Sergio Pachon, former footballer for CD Leganés, Valladolid and Getafe CF, among others, and current head of grassroots football at the azulón club, has attended the Diario AS to transmit the work that is done in the different lower categories to enhance the versatility of future footballers.
Regarding the debate on whether to be versatile should be promoted from a young age or, on the contrary, they should specialize in order to be more outstanding in their abilities, the hero of Getafe's first promotion is clear: “Since at that age he did not Nor do they know the conditions they have, they must be tested in all positions to get the most out of their conditions. It is essential that they know how to play in all positions and that the coaches see and value them in all positions and then, little by little, decide which position can be obtained the most performance.”.
Nevertheless, the case of the goalkeeper is exceptional. “Today we have a big problem with the issue of goalkeepers, because it is a very special position and there are not many children who want to be. We attribute it to the lack of references since Iker Casillas left, with a lack of national references that attract so much attention, “says Pachón. In that position, being versatile is no longer so important for a coach, because there is no overabundance of goalkeepers and they must be pampered.”We all those children who decide to be a goalkeeper welcome you with open arms, because the first thing is to want, not to force, then when a child wants he already has something advanced. Afterwards, the attitudes that he has or not because he will be seen little by little and he will be advised if the good thing is to continue being a goalkeeper or change a player. But the important thing in these cases, at this early age, is that they play football and have fun, ”says Pachón.
We have a big problem with the goalkeeper issue since Iker Casillas left
Sergio Pachon
Although for a coach and for the team as a group, it benefits them to have versatile players, changing positions can be confusing for the child soccer player. “At a fairly advanced age as children and cadets they assimilate it better. If it is a general rule to continually change their decision, it is not entirely good. What is important is that children play the position for which they have the best conditions. And if they have conditions that can be used in various positions, it is also good because it will make it much easier for them to play minutes and for the coach to select, ”says Pachón.
In addition, it is not always easy to explain to a player in a base category that, although what he likes the most is scoring goals, he also has to be able to cross, assist or steal balls. “At an early age, children assimilate it perfectly and see it as part of the game. They are small and all they want is to run, kick the ball and it is much easier than at an older age, where each one has their idea of where they perform better and develop their personality.”Declares Pachón.
Regardless of matches or training sessions, their position is changed until they advance in categories
Sergio Pachon
Although varying the position of the youngest in football is common, it is not frequent to talk with them about the importance of being versatile in a footballer. Despite this, they are aware that they are well advised and that the most important thing is to enjoy and play. “They do not have enough notions to decide or assess which positions are the ones that get the most games from them. For this are the coaches, coordinators and the people who work around them to advise what is the best option. From the beginning, it is not that the little ones are asked if they want to play in various positions, but that, regardless of games or training sessions, they change their position until they advance in categories and settle in the position that is most valued to them. ”.
Young people are not an obstacle in teaching the figure of the multipurpose player, but for parents it is more difficult to understand this training methodology. “They also have their idea of what position is most beneficial to their children, but they are not objective. In training time you will have than give them a more logical explanation or with more arguments to make them see that they have to prove in all, because there are many parents who do not agree“.
Thus, today, there is still a debate about whether it is beneficial for a footballer to be able to function in various positions and circumstances or whether, on the contrary, it is better to be a specialist in one position. For the team and the coach, the debate seems closed.
Great football legends have been required to be the best at everything. It is not enough to put a stratospheric number of goals, but it must also have other virtues just as important. Thus, players like Di Stéfano, Pelé, Maradona or Cruyff, without entering into comparisons because they were different times, were beacons on which the game of a team revolved, so essential in the playing area, as in attack. Thus, Being a multipurpose player is not a quality of the 21st century, since it was already sought for decades and was associated with big names in football.
Current wildcards
The current wild-card eleven could well fight to be among the eight best teams in Europe. And the best thing about the team would be that changing the system would not be a problem for the players. In addition, other big names could appear on the bench: Gundogan, Pablo Sarabia, Joaquín, Sergi Roberto, Daniel Wass, Amrabat, Lucas Vázquez, Cuadrado, Tolisso, Morales or Bernardo Silva.
Wildcards Retired
As in the current wild card eleven, the eleven formed by retired players could also fight for a Champions League. Two of the most prominent are Luis Enrique and Gullit. At a time when it was not so common, the Spanish player and now the coach of La Roja, became the multipurpose player par excellence. PHe went from scoring forward to band player and even came to play as a winger in the Real Madrid. As culé, he became a total attacker, with a multitude of resources, always maintaining his combative attitude. For his part, Ruud Gullit, one of the greatest talents that Dutch football has offered, became a great striker without being one. His technical and tactical qualities made him a total player. Other wild cards that have been left out of the eleven are: Yaya Touré, Angulo, Schweinsteiger and Zanetti.