Cafu

Right backs now should be the highest paid players in every team! Strikers just have to score. Midfielders, they pass. Goalkeepers make saves. Full backs have to mark, cover centre backs and midfield, get forward and cross, take shots and provide the link to strikers.

Jonny Bairstow

I played fly-half in rugby, so I could influence the game, and midfield in hockey too. So it is part of my sporting DNA to want to be in the game at all times, to affect what is going on. That's down to genetics and being ginger, I reckon. We're special specimens.

English Athlete

Jermaine Jenas

Speaking as a midfield player myself, I know it's easier to make your runs into the box from that deeper, more central position. You can gauge where the ball is going to land and how best to time your run.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

If I don't get the service or if I don't the ball in the box, where I want it, I start drifting into midfield. I go and look for the ball. I try to be important for the team in other areas.

Dutch Athlete

Julie Ertz

It's important to be a soccer player in the sense of the whole vision - if you put me at forward, I can do it, or if you put me in midfield, I can do it.

American Athlete

Phil Jones

I have said from day one I see myself as a center back. But, if I am asked to play in midfield or at right-back, I am happy to do so.

Massimiliano Allegri

Tevez is an extraordinary striker. Not only does he score goals, but he also helps his teammates and the midfield, too.

Italian Athlete

Toni Kroos

Dominating the midfield is the most important thing in modern football. To succeed, you have to be good at everything.

German Athlete

Scott Parker

World-class midfield players get their share of goals and that's something I want to add to my game.

Ciro Immobile

All coaches now look for forwards who not only score goals but also run back and help in midfield.

The term 'midfield' is most common in soccer, rugby, and hockey, but less usual in sports like basketball.

Sport-Specific

'Midfield' can also imply the strategic aspect of the game, referring to how players organize and move.

Game Strategy

Sometimes 'midfield' is used metaphorically to describe a central or balancing position in non-sport contexts.

Metaphoric Use

Midfield players usually need to perform a variety of tasks on the field, such as passing and defending.

Versatile Players

Midfielders often take a lead role in coordinating the team's play, due to their central position.

Leadership Quality

A team's formation can affect the midfield; positions in this area are fluid and adaptable.