What is a false number 9 in soccer?
A false nine is a centre-forward who repeatedly moves towards the ball in deeper positions from a high starting position, often dropping to receive centrally. The main intention is to get on the ball away from the opposition centre-backs – and, in doing so, to draw players out of position and disrupt the defence.
Who is the best false 9 in football?
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is by far the best false nine world football has ever seen, and he continues to astound us even today.
Who was the first false 9?
Matthias Sindelar
The first implementation of a false 9 role was observed as early as the 1930’s. It was Hugo Meisl, the coach of the Austrian national team, who opted for the use of playmaking forward Matthias Sindelar instead of a more traditional physical number 9, Josef Uridil, to fit the fluid type of football he desired to play.
Why is it called false 9?
So when this player who was wearing the number 9 on his shirt didn’t play in the area of the pitch(or the role) he was originally assigned to, he was no more the “true number 9”. So that’s how the term “The False 9” was coined.
Was Cruyff a false 9?
The Dutch legend was a big fan of fluidity in the beautiful game. Johan Cruyff was very prolific as a false nine under coach Rinus Michels in the 1970s. Rinus Michels at Ajax often deployed a 1-3-3-3 false 9 formation that focused on eliminating positional severity. Cruyff also won a number of trophies under Michels.
When did they start using the false 9 in soccer?
One of the most famous teams to use a false 9 was the Hungarian National Team of the 50’s which played such breathtaking soccer while relying on Nandor Hidegkuti to drop deep and influence play. As aforementioned, the false 9 role fell from popularity for a number of decades until Spaletti revived it and began using it again in 2006 with Roma.
Who is the false 9 in Spain football team?
Cesc Fabregas featured as a false 9 when Spain did not have a dedicated striker under Del Bosque in Euro 2012. Recently, Eden Hazard and Roberto Firmino both have been seen playing in the false 9 roles, often dropping deep to create for the other wingers.
Who was the false 9 for Arsenal in 2009?
Sir Alex Ferguson tried out a strikerless formation with Tevez,Rooney and Ronaldo with all the three having no fixed positions. Arsene Wenger too with Arsenal deployed Robin Van Persie as a false 9 in 2009.
Who was the false 9 in Euro 2012?
The 5-0 demolition of Real Madrid was probably the peak of Pep’s Barcelona and Messi was easily the man of the match in that game tearing apart the Real defence with ease. But Vicente Del Bosque’s Spain line up in the Euro 2012 final gave “The False 9” an official status and it became mainstream.