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defender

association football position

AI overview

A defender is a soccer player whose main job is to prevent the opposing team from scoring by blocking shots, intercepting passes, and tackling opponents who have the ball. Defenders are crucial to a team's success because a strong defense can protect their goalkeeper and give their attacking players more freedom to focus on scoring.

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male form of label: Ofwierspiller
female form of label: Ofwierspillerin
Commons category: Association football defenders

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England captain Leah Williamson (left) defends for Arsenal. In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.

Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on the manager's style of play and tactics.