Most full-backs are failed wingers, true or false?

Which kid who is playing football wants to be a full-back? No one.
What strengths are youth level coaches looking for when deciding which kid is playing full-back? Nothing particular.
Which position is the most forgiving in football? Full-back.


There are very few kids who want to become defenders. But I understand why players become center-backs; your physique might be best suited for that and at least you'll be at the heart of defence. I also believe that when coaches decide which youngster should be "orientated" to become full-backs they do it because the kid isn't good enough to be a forward, midfielder or a center-back.

I tend to think that full-backs have become full-backs because they have either a) never been talented enough for a bigger role or b) they have played winger (or another) position up to a certain level at which there have been better wingers than them, so they've taken a step back and become a full-back.

Or am I wrong thinking like this? Is full-back a position you need to specialize in and show just as much talent for as any other position?

No one in England perhaps, but in Brazil people do dream about being the next Cafu or in Italy about being the next Maldini.

You could make the exact same argument about GKs btw, most of them started out as outfield players.

Cannot imagine alba as winger even a failed one so no for me

I'm quite confident that world-class talents like Marcelo and Alves can play as wingers or midfielders at a very high level. They are both very complete footballers.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:
You could make the exact same argument about GKs btw, most of them started out as outfield players.

GK is a very specialized position. I can understand someone wanting to be a GK before anything else. But full-backs are jacks of all trades.

Valkyrja wrote:I'm quite confident that world-class talents like Marcelo and Alves can play as wingers or midfielders at a very high level. They are both very complete footballers.

World-class full-backs, yes. It will forever baffle me how Marcelo is not a winger. The most creative full-back I've ever seen. But most others, I feel they've been thrown to the full-back position because they've, at some level, failed elsewhere, but been just about good enough to accommodate themselves elsewhere - at full-back.

The best Fullbacks are just as specialized as any other position. You have to be really athletic (maybe the most stamina in the team) be a good defender and be able to pass/cross more than most center backs. Its a complete skillset.

Most wingers don't have the positional sense to be good FBs.

Like BC says, there a lot of excellent fullbacks in history for role models. Lahm, Maldini, Cafu, Zanetti, Roberto Carlos, Carlos Alberto, etc.

Since he is the most recent "great" I'd say, look at Lahm. An engine back and forth, great passing, good crossing, excellent positional sense. He could play almost any role he wanted (and he did with Pep) but he excels at FB the most.

"Failed" is not the right word I guess as for being a good winger you only need one trait (offensive) where as for being an effective full back you need some of both (offensive and defensive). So Good wingers who have good knowledge of reading the game and positioning can become good full backs in the long run. Marking and tackling can improve with age and the training you receive.
So it has got more to do with game intelligence.
Intelligent wingers can become great full backs I believe. For being a good winger you need good technique, pace and crossing (the elite ones will have a lot more to their game i agree, but even a winger having just these 3 attributes can do a pretty good job with their footballing careers) But for being a good full back you need these plus some more. Its not the mediocre ones I am talking about, its the actual elite full backs. They will be better than your average winger in almost all departments of the game.
I dunno much, but at least this is what I think.

Art Morte wrote:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:
You could make the exact same argument about GKs btw, most of them started out as outfield players.

GK is a very specialized position. I can understand someone wanting to be a GK before anything else. But full-backs are jacks of all trades.

Valkyrja wrote:I'm quite confident that world-class talents like Marcelo and Alves can play as wingers or midfielders at a very high level. They are both very complete footballers.

World-class full-backs, yes. It will forever baffle me how Marcelo is not a winger. The most creative full-back I've ever seen. But most others, I feel they've been thrown to the full-back position because they've, at some level, failed elsewhere, but been just about good enough to accommodate themselves elsewhere - at full-back.

Probably yes. There are cases and cases. This doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most difficult and at the same time important positions to play, especially in the last years.

If it was so easy, shouldn't there be more great full backs? But obviously this is a very sought after position where you find very few outstanding players, so it can't be that easy.

False.
An elite fullback needs to have a lot of stamina (considering they'll have to run all over their flank), good positioning (so they don't get caught out of position when the opposition team wins the ball), good movement off the ball, good acceleration and (at least) decent pace, decent crossing, passing and dribbling, decent marking and tackling.

Almost every big team could use at least 1 more good FB right now, they are hard to find.

rincon wrote:The best Fullbacks are just as specialized as any other position. You have to be really athletic (maybe the most stamina in the team) be a good defender and be able to pass/cross more than most center backs. Its a complete skillset.

Most wingers don't have the positional sense to be good FBs.

Like BC says, there a lot of excellent fullbacks in history for role models. Lahm, Maldini, Cafu, Zanetti, Roberto Carlos, Carlos Alberto, etc.

Since he is the most recent "great" I'd say, look at Lahm. An engine back and forth, great passing, good crossing, excellent positional sense. He could play almost any role he wanted (and he did with Pep) but he excels at FB the most.

Obviously you can name 15-20 good full-backs in today's game and pretty much everyone will agree that they're doing a decent job. But after that it becomes hugely indifferent. "Would you rather have Darmian or Juanfran as your full-back?" "Who cares, man?"
But if we're talking wingers there are loads more than 20 players who raise much more discussion. Why? Because the overall quality simply is better among world's top-50 wingers than world's top-50 full-backs.

El Blanco Madridista wrote:False.
An elite fullback needs to have a lot of stamina (considering they'll have to run all over their flank), good positioning (so they don't get caught out of position when the opposition team wins the ball), good movement off the ball, good acceleration and (at least) decent pace, decent crossing, passing and dribbling, decent marking and tackling.

An elite full-back, yes. But how many full-backs can actually be called elite? How many full-backs actually fulfill all of your criteria? One could argue that no full-back in the world fills all of your criteria.

rincon wrote:Almost every big team could use at least 1 more good FB right now, they are hard to find.

Yes. But why are they hard to find? Because full-back is such a difficult position? Or because it's mostly players who have failed in other positions that become full-backs?

Being a good attacker doesn't necessarily mean a fullback can play as a winger. Marcelo for example only has the skills to play as an attacking fullback. He doesn't offer enough as a winger to warrant a spot there.

Tbh i don't like attacking fullbacks. Prefer defensive minded ones

Art Morte wrote:

rincon wrote:The best Fullbacks are just as specialized as any other position. You have to be really athletic (maybe the most stamina in the team) be a good defender and be able to pass/cross more than most center backs. Its a complete skillset.

Most wingers don't have the positional sense to be good FBs.

Like BC says, there a lot of excellent fullbacks in history for role models. Lahm, Maldini, Cafu, Zanetti, Roberto Carlos, Carlos Alberto, etc.

Since he is the most recent "great" I'd say, look at Lahm. An engine back and forth, great passing, good crossing, excellent positional sense. He could play almost any role he wanted (and he did with Pep) but he excels at FB the most.

Obviously you can name 15-20 good full-backs in today's game and pretty much everyone will agree that they're doing a decent job. But after that it becomes hugely indifferent. "Would you rather have Darmian or Juanfran as your full-back?" "Who cares, man?"
But if we're talking wingers there are loads more than 20 players who raise much more discussion. Why? Because the overall quality simply is better among world's top-50 wingers than world's top-50 full-backs.

The lack of quality is there, but is a problem for all defensive positions. FB, CB and DM. DM is probably even worse than fullback.

Disagree about the indifference in picking a FB. Having Evra or Alex Sandro at LB has a clear impact in our gameplan at Juve. Same for Litchsteiner or Padoin at RB. Dani Alves has been one of Barca's pillars and I imagine no Barca fan would have been indifferent to swapping him for Arbeloa.

Class as Dani Alves or Marcelo are, I wouldn't have either on my team. Like RG I prefer good defenders first. Maicon had a huge impact in his prime. We had a giant gap at LB since Grosso retired until we signed Evra and his impact was immediate. Bayern builds on Lahm and Alaba.

Haven't seen enough of Juanfran to comment but I imagine he is solid. How much better did United look with Darmian and Shaw on the sides?

There's more good FBs than DMs

Alves and Marcelo would be marvelous in Juve's 3-5-2.

At the youth level, I've seen center backs who are quick, or dont grow up to be big/tall converted to fullbacks. So it's not just wingers who get converted to fullbacks..

But thats as WBs not FB and then we would play with just 1. When we play a back 4 they wouldn't work.

did you get the crux of this failed wingers hypothesis from carragher's little discussion with neville? i vehemently disagree, even marcelo who looks like someone that could fit this criteria has said he was always a wing back even at fluminense if i remember correctly. imo if you're a bad winger, converting you into a full back poses even bigger risk (unless your team holds the ball for 90 percent of the time to the point you don't get tested/exposed often). better off converting a cb to the wing back slot i think...

but yeah i totally disagree with the analogy. i don't think it holds enough water even if tested. and as other posters have pointed out, guys like cafu carlos maldini brehme and a host of others have made such position popular in a number of countries

Basically it's one of reasons why in Serie A many teams play ( played ? ) with 3-5-2

I think this thread starts off with a ridiculous premise. What is a "failed winger" anyways? Someone that played winger and was moved to FB? A youth player will go through various positions before coaches find the best for him. Pique used to be a forward. Fábregas started off as a DM. You'll find plenty of examples, in fact I'd say it may even be weird for a player to only keep one position throughout his career. Does that make most players "failed" in some position?

I believe fullback is one of the hardest positions. You have to defend, provide width, cross, initiate attacks and cover up for your center backs if they f*ck up. Sure, players who fail in other positions are moved there to compensate for the lack of people available in that position. But i don't think people realize how worthwhile a really good fullback is

not at all true. it's true we are in an era of the attacking fullback. But not so long ago some of the worlds best were defensive and certainly not wingers. Thuram, Maldini, De Boer. Zanetti.

You could argue that Full Backs are wingers who can defend. Likewise you can call a winger a winger who can attack.

The question are most full backs failed wingers, notwithstanding the harsh and misplaced use of the term "failed", is a pretty hard question to answer! I think it could be argued that it a position which has a diverse mix of players. Certainly there are some that were, at one point in their career, not indispensable as a winger whilst being competent defenders.

I think it's false, I was playing fullback before I played any other position, I was then converted to a CB, now a CM.

I think it all depends on the person, and sure, some poor wingers do well there, but I don't think that makes them a great fullback. Most failed wingers and failed fullbacks, too

Valkyrja wrote:I'm quite confident that world-class talents like Marcelo and Alves can play as wingers or midfielders at a very high level. They are both very complete footballers.

how long have you been watching madrid? marcelo was already tried further up the pitch and he sucked, his crossing and passing is very average, but as usual dribbling>doing anything useful.