Midfield Maestro
Encyclopedia
The term Midfield Maestro is a cliché
used in football (soccer)
to describe a midfield
player that excels in the technical and creative aspects of midfield play. A midfield maestro often creates goalscoring opportunities for the attackers, while at the same time controlling the tempo of the match and raising the game of the other members of the team. A midfield maestro is often a team's energetic and creative leader.
In England
, this type of player may be described as bossing the midfield. May also be referred to as the "Midfield General".
Some examples of players considered to be midfield maestros are Michael Ballack
, Nuri Sahin
, Emre Belozoglu
, Arda Turan
, Zoe Spicer, Andrea Pirlo
, Cuauhtemoc Blanco
, Zinedine Zidane
, Juninho
, Cesc Fàbregas
, Steven Gerrard
, Xavi
, Xabi Alonso
, Fernando Redondo
and Paul Scholes
.
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
used in football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
to describe a midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
player that excels in the technical and creative aspects of midfield play. A midfield maestro often creates goalscoring opportunities for the attackers, while at the same time controlling the tempo of the match and raising the game of the other members of the team. A midfield maestro is often a team's energetic and creative leader.
In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, this type of player may be described as bossing the midfield. May also be referred to as the "Midfield General".
Some examples of players considered to be midfield maestros are Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
, Nuri Sahin
Nuri Sahin
Nuri Kâzım Şahin is a German-born Turkish footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Turkish national team and Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga BBVA...
, Emre Belozoglu
Emre Belözoglu
Emre Belözoğlu is a Turkish football midfielder who plays for Fenerbahçe.Having also played for clubs Galatasaray, Internazionale, and Newcastle United, Emre has been a part of the Turkey national team at the 2002 World Cup and at Euro 2008 among other tournaments...
, Arda Turan
Arda Turan
Arda Turan is a Turkish footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid and the Turkish national team, as a left winger. At the age of 22, prior to the 2009–10 season he was made the captain of Galatasaray....
, Zoe Spicer, Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...
, Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo is a Mexican professional footballer currently signed for Irapuato in the Mexican Liga de Ascenso.Known for his aggressive yet charismatic personality on the field, playing most of his career as a deep-lying forward and his last years as an attacking midfielder...
, Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, Juninho
Juninho Paulista
Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior , better known as Juninho Paulista or simply Juninho, is a former Brazilian footballer...
, Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
, Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
, Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...
, Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri is a retired Argentine footballer.A defensive midfielder with the ability to contribute both defensively and offensively, he played one full decade in La Liga, mainly for Real Madrid, then finished his career in Italy with Milan.Redondo was a member of the Argentine...
and Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being...
.