Player transformations

Champ

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Very surprised Totti hasn't been mentioned.

Started life as a shadow striker/number 10, then played left wing before being moved into the lone striker role by Spalletti.

Ended up dropping even deeper towards the end of his career.

Adaptability was his forte, and he basically used that adaptability to elongate an extraordinary career even further.
 

GueRed

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Chris Sutton - Centre-Back to Centre-Forward

Phil Neville - Full-Back to Centre-Midfield

Antonio Valencia - Right-Wing to Right-Back

Gareth Bale - Left-Back to Forward
 

Terranova

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Interesting to read that Nigel De Jong used to not just be a thugballer. Not to say I didn't rate him, he was an annoyingly decent hatchet man for City!

You could say that Yaya Toure went the other way, from playing a very restricted DM or even CB role at Pep's Barcelona, to playing as an attacking CM for City.
Nigel De Jong was(is actually, he's still playing) really technically gifted, but a bit like Edgar Davids, you don't expect it from them in their positions. So weird to see him change into a "thugballer" and people saying that he's not good at the ball, purely based on his image, not his actually skill
 

Trequarista10

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Winger to full back is not spectacular, probably close to 50% of full backs started out as a wingers. Going the other way is remarkable, like Bale.
 

do.ob

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I think full back is the position that invites the most positional switches, because you want them to be CBs in the defensive third, CMs in the mid third and wingers in the attacking third, so depending on where the team's focus lies you have plenty of players switch there from all three of these roles.

Something like Schweinsteiger's switch from winger to defensive mid is much rarer.
 

SparkedIntoLife

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From what I know and can recall, Ivan Rakitic was a 10 at Schalke until Raul’s arrival. Felix Magath tried to play him deeper but he apparently flopped. To me, he looked a fairly lackadaisical, albeit technically sound winger at Sevilla but ended up evolving into a gritty all round central midfielder at Barcelona with great defensive contributions. For me, he was hugely underrated and was pivotal to the success of the team for 6 years.

It’s fairly common for CMs (especially DLPs… not that Rakitic was exactly this role) to start as attacking midfielders. Pirlo and Scholes are two obvious examples. However, Rakitic looked like a totally different player at Barcelona than he did at Sevilla, in my view.
 

roonster09

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From what I know and can recall, Ivan Rakitic was a 10 at Schalke until Raul’s arrival. Felix Magath tried to play him deeper but he apparently flopped. To me, he looked a fairly lackadaisical, albeit technically sound winger at Sevilla but ended up evolving into a gritty all round central midfielder at Barcelona with great defensive contributions. For me, he was hugely underrated and was pivotal to the success of the team for 6 years.

It’s fairly common for CMs (especially DLPs… not that Rakitic was exactly this role) to start as attacking midfielders. Pirlo and Scholes are two obvious examples. However, Rakitic looked like a totally different player at Barcelona than he did at Sevilla, in my view.
I think same with Modric too, he used to play AM/Winger for Spurs and then started playing as CM.

Dembele is a good shout. Started as CF/SS and then played as CM for Fulham, he was brilliant.
 

BrilliantOrange

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Nigel De Jong was(is actually, he's still playing) really technically gifted, but a bit like Edgar Davids, you don't expect it from them in their positions. So weird to see him change into a "thugballer" and people saying that he's not good at the ball, purely based on his image, not his actually skill
To be fair... De Jong did his best during that phase of his carreer to mask his technical abilities and show his 'thugballer' side.. Was a shame to see really..

Winger to full back is not spectacular, probably close to 50% of full backs started out as a wingers. Going the other way is remarkable, like Bale.
Agree. Most mentions from winger to fullback are actually wingers that nearly werent good enough for the highest level so they dropped to fullback, where they actually did thrive with pretty much the same style of play with some added defensive awareness.. Van Bronkhorst is another example.

I wouldnt really call that player transformations though..
 

Gio

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I have often heard of DeSailly playing in midfield but was his change to defense a big transformation? Or was already a defensive mid that later dropped into defense?
He played CB at Marseille, moved into midfield for Milan, but stayed at CB for the national team throughout. His last season in Italy he had moved back to CB. On signing for Chelsea he was quoted as saying he was pleased to be moving back to CB as it was his "true position".
 

JuliaScalaR

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Kimmich - going from a RB to CDM.
As far as I remember(which is not that much to be honest) Kimmich used to play in midfield during his two year loan at Leipzig. I think due to Guardiola shifting Lahm to play in midfield from time to time and Lahm's eventual retirement, there was a gap at RB in the Bayern squad which Kimmich used fill. Same goes for the German national team. Their midfield was packed and after 2014 the RB spot was basically vacant, so Kimmich filled that gap between 2016-2018.

I guess we can say that he transitioned from midfield to RB(sometimes even CB) and then back again to midfield.
Kimmich also said, that he always preferred playing in midfield.
 

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I have often heard of DeSailly playing in midfield but was his change to defense a big transformation? Or was already a defensive mid that later dropped into defense?
He was more of a box to box player, but his physical attributes were always his most important asset, so it wasn't that much of a transformation.
For players of that time coming from FC Nantes, they used to be trained to be complete footballer : Karembeu, Makelele, Desailly even Deschamps to an extent were all able to play in a lot of positions because they were trained like that.
 

Lay

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Arzimendi at Valencia went from a striker to right back.
 

T00lsh3d

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He started out as one at Montpellier and played there until around 1990 when his manager, Michel Mezy, had suggested that he should drop back to defense where his attributes would be used better, a move that Blanc himself was categorically opposed to. Thankfully, Mezy put it as an ultimatum and Blanc had to give in and turned into one of the best defenders of his generation. His tendency to score a lot even from defense was mainly attributed to his attacking past (for Montpellier he had scored 80 goals in 263 games).

He was a very good midfielder by all accounts, but I guess Mezy had seen his true potential and fair play to him — Blanc would‘ve never had a career that he did if he had continued to play there.

MILAN – "Me play in defence? No way!"

There are times when the advice we're given, even if it comes from people who care about us, is unwanted. And so in 1990, when it was put to Montpellier midfielder Laurent Blanc by his coach, Michel Mezy, that he should drop back into defence, the answer was a categoric no.

Blanc, who had begun his career as a striker before moving into midfield (where he continued to score goals aplenty), simply refused to consider playing even further away from the goal.

So the day before a match, Mezy spent hours in Blanc's room trying to convince him it would be a good move. Blanc wouldn't budge from his position, so eventually Mezy was forced to give him an ultimatum: “Either you play at the back or you don't play at all.”

At the age of 25, Laurent had plenty of misgivings about trying something new but in the end he said he'd give it a go, if for nothing else out of gratitude to the club that had shown so much faith in him.

Blanc joined Montpellier as a 15-year-old after Monaco rejected him on account of his slight figure. He grew 10 centimetres at Montpellier, made his senior debut and helped the club gain promotion to Ligue 1. He grew into a charismatic, graceful, goalscoring midfielder – not blessed with searing pace, but an exceptional reader of the game.

It was this ability to read the game that led Mezy to believe he could be better utilised at the heart of the defence. Blanc struggled to accept his new role at first, but it was there that he later earned himself international recognition.

It didn't take him long to realise that he could still score goals while playing at the back. In 1990/91, his first full season after making the switch, he recorded a personal tally of 14 goals in Ligue 1 as Montpellier finished seventh. It turned out to be his parting gift as the following summer he moved to Napoli, who had endured a difficult season following their Scudetto-winning campaign with Diego Maradona.

The Frenchman had a decent season in Naples, helping the side coached by Claudio Ranieri finish fourth, but found Serie A defending to be a different art.

Napoli decided to send him out on loan to Nimes Olympique, before selling him to Saint-Etienne the following season. He then moved to Auxerre, where he won the double, and Barcelona, where he struggled with injuries.

It was with Marseille and the French national team especially – winning the World Cup after a fantastic tournament in 1998 – where this classy, ball-playing defender really grabbed the world's attention.

In 1999 he returned to Serie A with Inter, who wanted a leader for their rearguard. And that's exactly what Blanc was as he proved to be one of the most reliable performers and a near ever-present during two seasons sadly lacking in success.

He weighed in with six goals during his time in Milan, one of which came against Napoli – and it was possibly the 'perfect' goal for a defender of Blanc's ilk to score.

Carrying the ball out of defence, he played a one-two with Clarence Seedorf in midfield before nudging past the onrushing Ferdinando Coppola, running round the other side to collect and slotting into an empty net. That's exactly what he wanted to be: a defender free to attack

Speaking as a successful coach a few years later (four Ligue 1 titles with Bordeaux and PSG), he reiterated the importance of centre-backs honing their technique and goalscoring prowess. Sound advice indeed – from someone who received similarly good advice himself on that evening spent deliberating with Mezy.

Alessandro Bai - MondoFutbol.com
Nice read, thanks
 

Gio

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He was more of a box to box player, but his physical attributes were always his most important asset, so it wasn't that much of a transformation.
For players of that time coming from FC Nantes, they used to be trained to be complete footballer : Karembeu, Makelele, Desailly even Deschamps to an extent were all able to play in a lot of positions because they were trained like that.
Good point about Nantes.
 

Wonder Pigeon

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Alan Smith going from promising striker to the lower league midfield hack merchant he was always meant to be.
 

harms

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This thread is littered with examples and there are loads more who fancied themselves as a number 10 or winger. And that is indulged while they are the best player in the youth team or the star in a weaker league. But in order to move up the levels, many attacking midfielders, central or out wide, have to realise their limitations and move into deeper roles. That transformation typically takes place either in the youth team on the fringes of the first team, or when moving from a weaker club or league to one of the big boys. Those who are not willing or smart enough to adapt tend to stay where they are or drop out of the game. Those who do adapt can forge long careers at the top.
Absolutely, that’s why I don’t like the examples that use youth careers. Your best players usually play in attack and it makes sense that it’s the best players who have more chances of going pro even if the position is different.

The drastic changes that happen to well-established players are way more interesting.
 

harms

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Buffon started as a midfielder before changing to a gk because he liked Kenyas nt goalkeeper performance in wc1994 getting a promotion to be the first goalkeeper of the youth team
Cameroon’s.
 

OmarUnited4ever

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Juanfran, he was an average/poor winger before Someone arrived at Atletico. He end up being a solid right back and a fundamental part of that Atletico which was the best defense in Europe at the time.

Something impressive is that he made this position change when he was 26, so mid career.
Jesus Navas is also a good RB for Seville these days.
 

tomaldinho1

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Fernandinho used to be an attacking midfielder at Shakhtar Donetsk. When he went to City, he was moulded into a ball winning midfielder. It's the same transformation Fred is making now.
More of a CM than an AM re Fernandinho.
Fred is just going back to how he played at Shakhtar under RR, we just stupidly tried to play him as a DM when his whole game revolves around being a box to box and bringing the ball forward.

Lahm and Kimmich both completely changed position at Bayern didn’t they?
 

Gio

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Does Thierry Henry's move from winger to striker count?
Would Henry qualify for this? Decent left winger to one of the deadliest strikers.
I think so. When he played on the left for Monaco and especially for Juventus, it wasn't really the modern interpretation of a wide forward who attacks the box a lot. And when he did play in a forward role it was more of a roaming second striker, rather than the line leader he became under Wenger. As he was always a natural provider, it was quite a shift required in his mentality to then occupy the centre-halves and become a heavy-duty goalscorer.
 

Wolf1992

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I have often heard of DeSailly playing in midfield but was his change to defense a big transformation? Or was already a defensive mid that later dropped into defense?
He played as midfielder for Milan, for France he played as defense as Deschamps was the DM.
 
Last edited:

Hester_manc

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I think Lothar Matthäus' transformation from midfielder to sweeper is one of the most successful in all of football history.
 

JPRouve

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He started out as one at Montpellier and played there until around 1990 when his manager, Michel Mezy, had suggested that he should drop back to defense where his attributes would be used better, a move that Blanc himself was categorically opposed to. Thankfully, Mezy put it as an ultimatum and Blanc had to give in and turned into one of the best defenders of his generation. His tendency to score a lot even from defense was mainly attributed to his attacking past (for Montpellier he had scored 80 goals in 263 games).

He was a very good midfielder by all accounts, but I guess Mezy had seen his true potential and fair play to him — Blanc would‘ve never had a career that he did if he had continued to play there.

MILAN – "Me play in defence? No way!"

There are times when the advice we're given, even if it comes from people who care about us, is unwanted. And so in 1990, when it was put to Montpellier midfielder Laurent Blanc by his coach, Michel Mezy, that he should drop back into defence, the answer was a categoric no.

Blanc, who had begun his career as a striker before moving into midfield (where he continued to score goals aplenty), simply refused to consider playing even further away from the goal.

So the day before a match, Mezy spent hours in Blanc's room trying to convince him it would be a good move. Blanc wouldn't budge from his position, so eventually Mezy was forced to give him an ultimatum: “Either you play at the back or you don't play at all.”

At the age of 25, Laurent had plenty of misgivings about trying something new but in the end he said he'd give it a go, if for nothing else out of gratitude to the club that had shown so much faith in him.

Blanc joined Montpellier as a 15-year-old after Monaco rejected him on account of his slight figure. He grew 10 centimetres at Montpellier, made his senior debut and helped the club gain promotion to Ligue 1. He grew into a charismatic, graceful, goalscoring midfielder – not blessed with searing pace, but an exceptional reader of the game.

It was this ability to read the game that led Mezy to believe he could be better utilised at the heart of the defence. Blanc struggled to accept his new role at first, but it was there that he later earned himself international recognition.

It didn't take him long to realise that he could still score goals while playing at the back. In 1990/91, his first full season after making the switch, he recorded a personal tally of 14 goals in Ligue 1 as Montpellier finished seventh. It turned out to be his parting gift as the following summer he moved to Napoli, who had endured a difficult season following their Scudetto-winning campaign with Diego Maradona.

The Frenchman had a decent season in Naples, helping the side coached by Claudio Ranieri finish fourth, but found Serie A defending to be a different art.

Napoli decided to send him out on loan to Nimes Olympique, before selling him to Saint-Etienne the following season. He then moved to Auxerre, where he won the double, and Barcelona, where he struggled with injuries.

It was with Marseille and the French national team especially – winning the World Cup after a fantastic tournament in 1998 – where this classy, ball-playing defender really grabbed the world's attention.

In 1999 he returned to Serie A with Inter, who wanted a leader for their rearguard. And that's exactly what Blanc was as he proved to be one of the most reliable performers and a near ever-present during two seasons sadly lacking in success.

He weighed in with six goals during his time in Milan, one of which came against Napoli – and it was possibly the 'perfect' goal for a defender of Blanc's ilk to score.

Carrying the ball out of defence, he played a one-two with Clarence Seedorf in midfield before nudging past the onrushing Ferdinando Coppola, running round the other side to collect and slotting into an empty net. That's exactly what he wanted to be: a defender free to attack

Speaking as a successful coach a few years later (four Ligue 1 titles with Bordeaux and PSG), he reiterated the importance of centre-backs honing their technique and goalscoring prowess. Sound advice indeed – from someone who received similarly good advice himself on that evening spent deliberating with Mezy.

Alessandro Bai - MondoFutbol.com
I'm glad that someone else mentions this. The amazing part is that Blanc was a top talent as an attacking midfielder, he initially became an international at that position and was also named player of the U21 Euro.
 

Cascarino

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Pirlo famously went from being a 10 to dropping to the deep lying playmaker role. Lot of the same qualities apply to both roles but the way they are applied is very different.

Guardiola has often adjusted players positions, and his tactical flexibility when it comes to positions might be in part due to his move from the right flank to a deep lying playmaker role. I’m cheating a bit here as this swap came about before he’d established himself as a footballer, but it came about from Cruyff watching Barcelona B, seeing Guardiola on the flank and realising he was perfectly suited to the role he would actually become known for.





Gareth Bale transformed from a promising fullback to one of the deadliest forwards in the world.
Yeah Bale is a good one. His finishing came on leaps and bounds, became excellent in the air, his movement evolved massively and even now his passing is far improved from what it was.
 

Gio

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Like Giggs, John Barnes made the same move inside from left-winger to central midfield. It speaks volume to their intelligence on the park that they could successfully transition between two such different roles - the touchline-hugging 1v1 player to the string-puller in the middle.
 

Cascarino

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Scholes, from second striker to attacking CM, then to DLP.
Scholes is an interesting one. He was an excellent goal scorer, but I think the deeper Scholes was my favourite incarnation. Ferguson was the one who coaxed him into dropping deeper, and I think it was a masterstroke.
 

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Alaba switched from being an offensive minded leftback to a cb.
 

harms

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I think Lothar Matthäus' transformation from midfielder to sweeper is one of the most successful in all of football history.
To be fair there are a quite a few examples of successful players transforming into sweepers. Berne Schuster, Ruud Gullit (although both surprisingly had experience of playing as one in younger days), Zbigniew Boniek (a very surprising move for me)… it made sense when the position had meant that you’re basically a free player and required first and foremost understanding of the game and playmaking skills.

Sammer is probably the only one who had switched mid-career and achieved higher level of performance in that new role.
 

Walters_19_MuFc

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What about Sterling, in the same way the OP mentioned Ronaldo's transformation, in that he started off as a tricky winger? Whilst he doesn't play as a striker as such, he has transformed into a goalscorer. A lot of his goals are tap ins, which goes to show how much his game has developed, regards his intelligent movement.