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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Positions & Players

Playmaker

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˈpleɪˌmeɪkər/nounCommon term

In football (soccer), playmaker means: A creative player, often a midfielder, who directs the team's attacking play and creates chances with clever passes and vision.

In Turkish: oyun kurucu

How it is used

Called a number 10 when playing behind the strikers, or a deep-lying playmaker when starting moves from in front of the defence. Commentators praise a playmaker's vision, range of passing and ability to unlock defences.

Example sentences

  1. When our playmaker is marked out of the game, we struggle to create chances.

  2. He's a classic playmaker who sees passes nobody else sees.

Common collocations

  • deep-lying playmaker
  • creative playmaker
  • playmaker role
  • number 10
  • midfielderA player who operates in the middle of the pitch, linking defence and attack by winning the ball back and moving it forward.
  • through ballA forward pass played between or behind defenders into space, so that a teammate can run onto it and go through on goal.
  • assistThe final pass or touch that sets up a teammate to score a goal.
  • defensive midfielderA midfielder who plays just in front of the defence, breaks up the opponents' attacks and keeps the ball moving with simple passes.

More terms: Positions & Players

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