Messi Better than Xavi? Raul Better than Zidane?

Diego Maradona, Raul, Lionel Messi– have all been given a legend status at one point of time or another in their career. They also have a good tally of goals to their names. Is it just talent? No. Zidane, Zico, Figo are also talented and were also considered as legends. What needs to be considered here is the fact that their goal scoring record has to do with their playing position. They play as forwards but that is a large category isn’t it? The role of a striker or a forward can be further divided into Left Striker, Center Striker, Centre Forward, etc. The aforementioned players played as supporting strikers, a role which they excelled in. So what is this role? Let’s dig deeper.

The role of the supporting striker is to not only score goals but create goals as well. They have the freedom to drop deep and get involved in the game or stay close to the striker and either assist or score goals themselves. If deployed correctly, they can form the link between the strikers and the midfielders. They have the freedom to be near the striker or near the midfield, depending upon the manager’s tactics. A number 10, a target man, a poacher can all play as supporting strikers. Their main function lies in giving support to the main striker – draw the defenders towards them, provide the striker with assists as well as occasionally take a shot at the target themselves.

Now one may wonder what the difference between them and a Centre Attacking Midfielder is... Well, there is one primary difference – that they have more goal scoring responsibilities than CAMs. It is due to this responsibility that they play further ahead, more than the CAM’s. They also draw out defenders so that the forward is able to receive the ball with lesser players on him. CAMs have a bigger defensive role to play than supporting strikers, they can choose to stay with the strikers and provide attacking options but the most renowned supporting strikers (Messi, di Stefano) choose track back and provide support to the midfield.One key factor in Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona’s success is their ability to manipulate their pace as well as their direction. Once the supporting striker receives the ball, he has two options; he can either pass the ball ahead or take the ball ahead himself. Messi and Maradona either make forward passes or take on defenders themselves to create chances for others. Raul on the other hand knew how to be in the right place at the right time. The Spanish International’s attack positioning was unbelievable and he used this to his advantage to not only hit the back of the net himself but he created chances for others as well.

The supporting striker is a vital cog in a successful goal scoring machine, the skills of a supporting striker involve – vision, long range shooting ability, finishing, good ball control, good dribbling ability, and attack positioning. They should also work on forming a good understanding with main strikers so that they are able to get past not only defenses but the keepers with ease. The supporting striker role was created to be difficult to mark, the player which can be defense at one moment and with the main striker the next.

From providing assists to scoring goals, the role has witnessed a change over the years. From Maradona’s central approach to Messi’s False 9 success, the tactic used by managers may have changed but the significance of the supporting striker has not diminished over the years. Spain’s World Cup Final success can be attributed to Del Bosque’s use of Fabregas in the false 9 role. Supporting strikers have broken down defenses and won their teams many important matches. Often worshipped by fans, these players have the ability to turn the course of a match in just one play. Watch Messi and Maradona do the same in this video: