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In association football (soccer), a defender is a player whose position of play is behind the midfielders and first and foremost provide support to the goalkeeper. Their primary function is to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal.

The main types of defender are centre back, fullback, wingback and sweeper.

Centre back

The job of the centre backs or central defenders is to stop opposing players, particularly the strikers, from scoring, and to bring the ball out from their penalty area. As their name suggests, they play in a central position. Most teams employ two centre backs, stationed in front of the goalkeeper. There are two main defensive strategies used by centre backs: the zonal defence, where each centre back covers a specific area of the pitch, and man-to-man marking, where each centre back has the job of covering a particular opposition player.

Centre backs are often tall, with good heading and tackling ability. An ability to read the game well is a distinct advantage. Sometimes, particularly in lower grades of football, centre backs concentrate less on ball control and passing, preferring to merely clear the ball in a "safety-first" fashion. However, there is a long tradition of centre backs having more than just rudimentary footballing skill, enabling a more possession-oriented playing style.

The position was formerly referred to as centre half. In the early part of the 20th century, when most teams employed the 2-3-5 formation, the row of three players were called half backs. As formations evolved, the central player in this trio (the centre half), moved into a more defensive position on the field, taking the name of the position with them.

They usually remain in the half of the field that contains the goal they are defending. The taller defenders tend to move forward to the opposing team's penalty box when their team takes corner kicks or free kicks where scoring with one's head is a possibility.

Some of the greatest centre backs in today's game include William Gallas, John Terry, Carles Puyol, Rio Ferdinand, Ricardo Carvalho, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Ayala, Kolo Toure, Walter Samuel, Lilian Thuram, Ivan Cordoba, Jamie Carragher and Paolo Maldini, who is also a fullback.

Sweeper/Libero

The sweeper is a more versatile type of centre back that "sweeps up" the ball if the opponent manages to breach the defensive line. His or her position is rather more fluid than other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, the position is often referred to as libero (from the Italian word meaning free). The sweeper's ability to read the game is even more vital than for a centre back. A sweeper is sometimes expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such requires better ball control and passing ability than a typical centre back. However, sweepers are often merely defensive players. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, employed a purely defensive sweeper who only 'roamed' around the backline.

Franz Beckenbauer, Gaetano Scirea, Franco Baresi, Frank Rijkaard are some of the best ever sweepers in football history. Paolo Montero and Rio Ferdinand would probably serve as the best modern-day examples. This is attributed to their elegant style of play, refined technique and ability to launch counter-attacks. Their defending styles are also considered more 'classy' compared to the modern day centre-back. For instance, Marquez is known for his ability to read and anticipate the attackers' moves. This allows him to intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to fling himself into tackles.

Some observers consider the position of the attack-minded sweeper to have evolved into the position of the defensive midfielder / deep-lying playmaker in modern football (see Midfielder (football)). Some of these 'evolved sweepers' include Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Lee Carsley and Michael Carrick.

Fullback

The full backs take up the wide defensive positions, one on each side of the field. Their main task is to prevent opposition players crossing or cutting the ball back into the penalty area. In some defensive systems, full backs man-mark opponents. Most full backs are also expected to provide an attacking dimension by getting upfield along the wings and providing crosses.

In the traditional 2-3-5 team formation, the two players in the final row of defence before the goalkeeper were referred to as full backs. They were distinguished from the half backs (the "3" in 2-3-5). This formation is little used in the modern game, having been replaced largely by the four-man defence, but the term "full back" lives on — the full backs now occupy the wide positions in the defensive line, with the old centre half [back] doubled-up to fill the central defensive position.

The traditional English full back was a large, strong man who would make substantial use of "hacking" - deliberately kicking the shins of opponents, a practice that was acceptable as legal in Britain but not in other countries, and caused major controversy as the game became increasingly internationalised from the 1950s on. It is now effectively banned everywhere, and it is this in part that has given rise to a different set of defensive roles.

In contrast, the role of the full back often involves an attacking element: to some extent the full backs have replaced the winger and are expected to get forward to deliver crosses from a wide position. The modern full back is usually pacy, strong in the tackle and with good stamina to get up and down the field.

Ashley Cole, Gary Neville, Gabriel Heinze, Paolo Maldini, Christian Panucci, Cristian Chivu, Emmanuel Eboué, Dmitri Sennikov and Miguel are considered to be some of the best full backs in world football today.

Wingback

The wingbacks are a modern variation on the full back with heavier emphasis on attack. The name is a portmanteau of "winger" and "back". They are usually employed in a 3-5-2 formation, and could therefore be considered part of the midfield. But may also be used in a 5-3-2 formation and therefore have a more defensive role.

In the evolution of the modern game, wingbacks are the combination of wingers and fullbacks. As such it is one of the most demanding position in modern football. Wingbacks are often more adventurous than full backs and are expected to provide width in a team without wingers. A wingback needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down the flanks. Many coaches, including Carlo Ancelotti of A.C. Milan, use wingbacks because he doesn't use wingers on the midfield and attack.

A defensive midfielder is usually fielded to cover the advances of wingbacks. For example, when Ancelotti fields wingbacks Cafu and Serginho, he usually fields defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as well.

The Brazilians Cafu and Roberto Carlos, Argentines Javier Zanetti and Juan Pablo Sorín, Frenchman Willy Sagnol and Italians Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso are considered to be some of the best wingbacks in modern football.

See also

• Football (soccer) positions
• Formation (football)