5 most versatile footballers in the world today

Steven Gerrard has played in a variety of positions.Limited players are blessed with the strengths and the fortunes to be successful in a role that they have envisioned since childhood. However, there are a select few who have been blessed with the ability to adapt and play in multiple positions and roles depending on the requirement of the team.Tactical geniuses since the Total Football days always prefer versatile players because of their ability to not only slot into a position but also perform exceedingly well. Dubbed as utility players, some of the major stalwarts playing the game have been players who have played in more than two positions for their team.Steven Gerrard, Sergio Ramos, Daniele De Rossi are just some of the players who have made their careers a resounding success with their ability to adapt to different positions.The verstaile players are generally immaculate readers of the game, have a strong tactical understanding and complement the team that have specialists in most of the positions. Never in the limelight and highly underrated, they are usually the indispensable players for managers who employ various tactics and formations to suit the team. We look at 5 of the most versatile footballers in modern day football.

#6 Honourable mentions

Javier Mascherano

Javier Mascherano

Probably one of the most deadly defensive midfielders, Mascherano moved to Barcelona from Liverpool at the peak of his powers. However, life is not always easy and Mascherano learnt it the hard way when he realized that he would be deployed at the centre of defence.

An individual’s caliber is judged on his ability to withstand such situations and Mascherano stood tall and has been a defensive bed rock for the Catalan giants ever since. Although he is not as effective as he was as a midfielder, he still gets the job done in the center of defence. His versatility was also on show in Brazil at the World Cup when he produced a commanding performance for Argentina in the centre of midfield.

Branislav Ivanovic

The Serbian has been phenomenal and established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League with consistent performances for Chelsea. However, he has slowly shifted to the wider right back role realizing that he is able to add a new dimension to the Blues attack with his speed, technique, crossing ability and physical strength.

Ivanovic is a regular starter and Jose Mourinho has used him in the wide position throughout last season because of his adaptability to provide cover in the centre of defence as well as providing assists and attacking outlet on the flanks. He has scored a number of important goals from set pieces, yet it is his versatility that is providing a balance that not many could foresee.

Gareth Bale

Starting his career as a left back at Southampton, not many would have predicted that one day he would be the most expensive player in the world. However, all it took was the keen eye of Harry Redknapp who decided to use his raw pace and attacking qualities in an advanced role.

Then it was Andre Villas-Boas who gave Bale a free attacking midfield role which saw him winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award and a dream transfer to Real Madrid. His pace, technical understanding and physical strength make him one of the deadliest attacking players on this planet.

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here

#5 Juan Cuadrado

The little known Colombian winger has been one of the shining stars of Fiorentina in the Serie A for the past two seasons. He has built a strong reputation for himself in the Italian top flight.

The 26-year-old Colombian had an impressive last season scoring four goals and creating five others. He is traditionally a right sided winger who can also function as a wing back on the same side which is ideal in a 3-4-1-2 or a 4-4-2 setup. He can also function well on the left side and anywhere on the front three providing an insight into his technical and tactical understanding of the game. His strengths lie in dribbling, physical strength and creativity.

Jose Pekerman, the effervescent Colombian manager spoke highly of Cuadrado at the World Cup, “He's a player with great physical conditioning who achieved great things with his club, just as he has done with his country, and he is ready to go to a great club, regardless of how well he does at the World Cup.

“It's satisfying to have him with Colombia and for sure he will go on to grace the most important pitches in football.”

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here

#4 Wayne Rooney

A decade ago, a 17-year-old from Everton stunned Arsenal and announced himself to the Premier league with an instinctive volley that went on be the match winning goal. Known for his bludgeoning talent, Wayne Rooney then made a move to Old Trafford where he has established himself as one of the best world class attackers at club level.

Rooney is a unique footballer in every sense. He has the vision to see the spaces where not many can. He has the ability to read the game and also can pick up his team mates and their runs instinctively. He is also blessed with a brute physical strength, technical nous and an amazing finishing ability.

He is equally good in the air and works his socks off be it in attack or defense. All these qualities are paramount to be a successful striker. However, it is ability to pick passes, regain possession and read the game that makes him a wonderful entity to be played in different positions.

During his time at Manchester United he has been deployed as a lone striker, in combination with another centre forward, a No.10, as a wide player and also as a midfielder. In all the positions he has played well, and it is his brilliant work rate with or without the ball that makes him such a smart operator anywhere on the field.

Many say it is his versatility that is his main enemy, and this will definitely come to fore and be used as a strength by the tactical genius of Louis van Gaal.

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here

#3 David Alaba

Bayern Munich is known for their superstars like Muller, Lahm and Robben. However, among the superstars there is a young 22-year-old Austrian who never gets mentioned, yet is one of the most important cogs of the all conquering team. A rarity to see a youngster slot into a number of different positions and roles in the team, versatility for Alaba is like how physics is to Albert Einstein.

He started off his career on the left as well as the right wing. He was used very frequently as a central midfielder when on national duty. However, it was in 2012 that Jupp Heynckes played a masterstroke and realized that Alaba could be converted into a world class left back.

Two years from later, he is a player that could walk into any of the top sides based on his ability, performances and tactical understanding. He is extremely quick and has the stamina that is needed for a marauding full back like him.

He has a phenomenal work rate, has the ability to join attacks and be a unique outlet for the Bayern midfield which has seen him get stronger as a left back, even though it’s not his natural position. He is also great on the ball and his overlapping runs have ensured a brilliant partnership with Franck Ribery.

His ability to play at the centre of midfield would be of particular importance to Pep Guardiola this season after losing Toni Kroos to Real Madrid. With not many choices available and players falling prey to injury, Guardiola might very well use Alaba’s understanding and versatility to convert another full back into a midfielder.

If he can follow in the great footsteps of Philipp Lahm, Bayern might very well have another adaptable world class player up their sleeves.

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here

#2 Dirk Kuyt

One of the most underrated footballers in the modern age, the 33-year-old Kuyt remains a player who has never really been appreciated by fans, especially the Dutch contingent. Yet he is someone that any coach would want to have in his squad purely for the way he can be slotted in any place on the field.

Starting his career as a centre forward, he always had the uncanny knack of scoring goals but if there were any chinks in his armor it would be the lack of pace and strength which is needed of a centre forward. He was also not helped by the fact that there were always better players ahead of him both at club and country level.

However, he made up for this with his endurance, positional intelligence and his never ending appetite for running, running and more running! It was his superhuman ability to not tire throughout the matches that earned him the tag of ‘Mr. Duracell’ from Rafael Benitez during his time at Liverpool.

Kuyt was quickly converted from a centre forward to a hybrid role in Liverpool where he would be stationed on the right flank to attack from the wings as well as to attack centrally. Achieving cult status among the Kopites, it was his ability to attack as well as defend that earned him plaudits at Liverpool. He was a success on the right counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 Dutch side at Euro 2008.

But it was his performances in the recently concluded 2014 FIFA World Cup that impressed the fans. More than listing which positions he featured in, it is easier to list the positions he didn’t play in. He didn’t feature only as a goalkeeper and the centre of defence. He featured everywhere else on the pitch for the Dutch. Against Mexico in the round of 16, Kuyt was used in four different roles by Van Gaal and he played an important role in setting up the winning goal.

Maybe one of the last players who can epitomize Total Football completely, it was no surprise when Johan Cruyff had a glowing valuation about him, “Robben might be the star, Sneijder might be the tragic hero who has sacrificed himself, but the symbol of this team is Dirk Kuyt. You are blessed with someone like Kuyt. You can go everywhere with him, tactically.”

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here

#1 Philipp Lahm

The “Magic Dwarf” will definitely go down as the one of the best players to have graced the game. However, he has definitely built a legacy that would ensure that he is seen as the most versatile footballer of this generation. Quick thinking, hard worker and versatility remain his biggest traits and Lahm has ensured that he has moulded a successful career based on his ability to adapt to different demands and situations.

Arriving at a tender age of 11 at Bayern Munich with dreams of being a midfielder and having an attacking midfielder Mehmet Scholl as his hero, he quickly realized that he would get his opportunity only as a full back. At that age itself he understood he had to rethink his dreams and adapt to the new role. After making his debut in the Bundesliga in the 2004-05 season, the diminutive footballer has gone from strength to strength achieving success at Bayern and most recently joining the elite group of World Cup winning captains.

Lahm, as a defender, has played with equal success on the left and the right flank. He has a good control of the ball, is adept at one-on-one situations and has an ability to provide dangerous crosses. The most important gift that he possesses is his tactical understanding and intelligence of the game which was also highlighted by Pep Guardiola.

It is the Spanish coach who moved him to the centre of midfield last season where Lahm displayed a calm and matured approach as if he had played there all his life. His success in that position exemplifies how complete he is as a footballer.

He has always played for the team and he remains a dream player for any manager. His completeness can also be seen after he was hailed as “Perfect” and “Mr. 100%” by the German media for his astonishing feat of 100% passing accuracy against Hertha Berlin in a Bundesliga game.

The most fitting compliment did come from Guardiola when he drew parallels between Lahm and Messi labeling them “perfect footballers”. However, he described Lahm as “most intelligent player I have ever managed”.

Buy your favorite football t-shirts here