The Winger

In order to succeed as a winger you need to be fast, have great dribbling skills and ability to score goals. If you can run 40-50 yards up and down the field about 10-15 times per game without even receiving a pass from your teammates then this soccer position might be the right one for you.

As a winger you’ll be forced to perform well both in defense and offense which requires a lot of energy. Your main duties will consist of serving your forwards and strikers with quality crosses, score goals and of course participate in your team’s defense when your opponents are in the possession of the ball.

Strength is not crucial for this position as it is for the other positions (e.g. fullback or defensive midfielder). However, you need to be fast, both with and without the ball. As I mentioned above, you will often need to perform long runs up and down without even having the ball at your feet.

However, once you receive the ball you need to have enough power to perform a maximum run and sprint away from your opponents. But, you still need to keep the ball under control while maintaining your speed. It may look easy on TV but in reality it is one of the most difficult things to master.

Being fast with the ball is very efficient against any defense and if you do things right you will often leave your opponents languish in their dust and create yourself a free road towards the goal.

But, as with any other soccer position you need to keep in mind to play simple. If you study some of the world’s best players (e.g. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi) you’ll notice that these players really like to challenge their opponents with quick and tricky moves. However, they are also able to decide when to pass the ball and let it do the job instead of over elaborate the current situation.

So, is this position right for you? Well, the only way you can find out that is to play on it. And do not be afraid of failing because only on that way you will be able to learn from your mistakes and avoid them in the future.