The evolving role of the fullback in football

Over the years, we have seen drastic improvements in every position across the football pitch. Modern football has seen the introduction of false nines, sweeper-keepers, ball-playing centre-backs, inverted wingers, deep-lying playmakers, etc. But one position, the fullback, has stood out the most in terms of transformation.

The fullback position is one that even the best managers in the 70s and 80s did not fully exploit. From being named "wide centrebacks" to becoming the most dynamic and versatile players on the pitch, a fullback's role has come a long way in the game.

The evolving journey of the fullback position in football:

Origin:

The early versions of an attacking fullback were first seen in Hungary in the early 1950s when Gustav Sebes implemented it. Ferenc Puskas and Laslo Budai were key to this system. Budai hugged the touchline as the winger and Puskas was deployed as an inside forward while Buzansky and Lantos would make the overlapping runs.

Budai's deadly ability out wide on the ball used to ensure that Hungary constantly had a faster transitional play. This would stretch opposing centrebacks and then Puskas would move to an inside forward position to exploit the space.

The attacking fullback also made glimpses under Vicente Feola in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. The then Brazil manager played also played a 4-2-4, like Hungary in the 1950s, with Nilton Santos and Djalma Santos deployed on either flank.

The difference between Gustav Sebes and Vicente Feola was that Sebes used to mask the 4-2-4 as a 2-3-3-2. Hungary's golden generation would bide their time and get into the game once they observed the opposition's movement patterns.

The fullback system was a great success for Brazil as well, as they went on to win the 1958 World Cup. N.Santos and D.Santos emerged as two of the most threatening fullbacks of the 20th century.

Garrincha always teamed up with Vava in the box while Zagallo dropped to midfield. This left huge spaces for the fullbacks to exploit. They wreaked havoc in the competition, scoring 16 goals in six games as Brazil took home the World Cup in some style.

The attacking fullback was a tactical revolution back in the day, the mastermind being Gustav Sebes. However, Vincente Feola was the first to use overlapping fullbacks in a back four.

In the latter years of the 20th century, it was Roberto Carlos and Cafu keeping up the legacy of their Brazilian counterparts. This fullback duo went on to win two FIFA World Cups (1994 and 2002) and spread terror across the globe with their startling technique, intensity and versatility.

Cafu and Roberto Carlos often played in a three-man defence that provided them with more freedom to bomb up the pitch. They were originally wingbacks. The Brazilian team during the early years of the 21st century did not play with natural wingers, which helped Cafu and Roberto Carlos excel in their respective positions.

Cafu and Carlos stretching the opposition defence to provide space for Ronaldinho and Rivaldo to work in between the lines

During the same time, English football started to witness a change. The understanding of the fullback role was challenged. It was in Arsene Wenger's first years at Arsenal where we witnessed glances of an offensive fullback in the Premier League.

Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon were the first XI fullbacks under George Graham. When Arsene Wenger replaced Sir Graham in 1996, taking over the helm, Winterburn and Dixon experienced a radical change in their playing styles.

"Under George Graham, I would never get criticised for not joining up with attacks enough - but that all changed," Winterburn says. "When Wenger came, we were given more license to get forward and told to quickly get high and wide. Suddenly Lee and I were tasked with both going forward at the same time. Previously if he went forward, I stayed back."

Unfortunately, Wenger could never execute his ideas about the 'attacking fullback' with Winterburn and Lee Dixon. And soon, it was Ashley Cole, the boy who came through the ranks at Arsenal, working the fullback magic for Wenger.

Ashely Cole is undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of the Premier League

Ashley Cole had every ingredient Arsene Wenger wanted in a fullback. He was one of the quickest players in the league, had brilliant crossing ability and the intensity to play 90 minutes without breaking a sweat. Cole formed a robust partnership with Robert Pires on the left flank, becoming an 'invincible' at the age of 23.

Ashley Cole was the first proper overlapping fullback in a 4-4-2. During that time, Sir Alex Ferguson played a similar formation to that of Wenger. But it is the Frenchman who was the first manager to introduce the 'overlapping fullback' concept in England.

Fullbacks in the 80s were defined as 'players not strong enough to play centreback and not skilful enough to play winger'. Now, they have become the most versatile players in a team, doing the job of both positions.

The demands for a fullback in the modern game are second to none. Since the commencement of the 21st century, managers like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp have all followed the model of having fullbacks/wingbacks operating as inverted or overlapping fullbacks, and not just defenders who stay back with the centrebacks.

Being an offensive fullback means you have to cover more ground while bombarding up and down the pitch. You also need to link up well with your forwards and midfielders while being more confident with the ball to try dribbles, through balls and crosses. The changes in the fullback position have become all too apparent.

Dani Alves is undoubtedly the best fullback of the 21st century till now. The most decorated player in the history of the game, Dani Alves was key to Pep Guardiola's success at Barcelona. In 390 appearances for Barcelona, Alves conjured 100 assists to his name, bagging 21 goals in the process. Those are numbers of a rightback!

Leo Messi often dropped deep into midfield that helped Pedro to make inside runs and Dani Alves to showcase his brilliant ball-playing skills through the right flank. It's safe to say Alves bossed it!

In the modern game, Pep Guardiola prises his fullbacks more than anyone. He has made a fullback's role incredibly fluid with the introduction of 'inverted fullbacks'. Inverted fullbacks are ones who provide the team with a numerical advantage in midfield.

Philip Lahm and David Alaba playing the inverted fullback' role

Philip Lahm and David Alaba often joined the midfield to help Bayern Munich keep possession. The duo worked in triangles in the middle of the pitch in an attempt to disrupt the opposition midfield. Meanwhile, Lahm and Alaba let their wingers supply the width and compete for 1v1s against opposition fullbacks, hence making the latter more vulnerable to mistakes.

Currently, Jurgen Klopp is the manager who relies on his fullbacks the most. Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold have shot to prominence in Klopp's 4-3-3, winning a Champions League Trophy and (nearly) a Premier League trophy. The duo is the best fullback partnership in the world at the moment.

Conclusion

It is an unpopular opinion but a fullback is the most important player in a team in the modern football world. And with upcoming superstars in Achraf Hakimi, Alphonso Davies, Trent Alexander Arnold, Aaron Wan Bissaka, Renan Lodi, etc, football itself would evolve, positions would be upgraded, new tactics would be invented, and we would see better players in the future.

Stats from: Understat.com.