5 current players who have revolutionized playing positions in modern day football

When I started following the game I was more than baffled to see Claude Makelele being given plaudits and praises for not even being in the spotlight. For all I remember, he was out there somewhere in the background when all the goals were being scored and people were going bonkers about players like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. But I soon realized the fallacy, and no wonder he made a mark on the game and the resurgence of what is today a mean successful blue machine by the name of Chelsea FC.His positioning, his method of breaking up play, as well as his shielding of the back four was so meticulous, yet so placid. He was soon seen as an example for everyone; thus creating the Makelele role.On the face of it, it is a central defensive midfield role. But to be so adept at it so as to redefine the position and to have people refer to that position as your position is an insurmountable feat. It is the sort of thing payers live for, to be etched into history for your noble contribution to the game.While Claude Makelele was one example, recent history has shown us that time and again players become the quintessential example for the role they play on the pitch. Here are five such players who revolutionized various roles in football as we see them today.

#5 Regista/Deep lying Playmaker - Andrea Pirlo

There are players who do not feel right on the pitch, but appear languid, easy going and less athletic than the rest. Andrea Pirlo was all of these and more but what changed how we perceive him today is due to a slight change in his actual playing position.

Pirlo started out at as an attacking midfielder but was soon seen not fit for it, thus he was given a much more central role. Soon he was converted into a Regista, an Italian term for Deep lying playmaker. His role was burnished during his time at AC Milan where he played in some of the greatest midfields as well teams of the last two decades. Particularly with Carlo Ancellotti as manager at San Siro, Pirlo came into prominence for being this lynchpin that we are aware of today.

His biggest strength is not just initiating attacks which he is more than adept no doubt but setting pace of the game so as to suit the team’s requirement.His metronomic passing is the pulse of midfield and releasing players through on goal is what he has made his mark with.

It was a role prevalent long before Pirlo, but in the modern day game we have been taught to treat the role as “The Pirlo Role”. Any player who plays deeper in midfield without offering much of the defensive roadblock duties is seen as playing the “Pirlo role”. Be it Bastian Schweinsteiger or Ricardo Montolivo (the man chosen to replace Pirlo at Milan) the role provides a better link between the defense and the attack for teams who can afford to play that way.