Why are forwards prized in football?
They hold the key to what matters most
In the world of Messi and Ronaldo, the Ballon d’Or has had a very familiar home of late. GOAT debates also centre around these two and if expanded only includes fellow forwards like Pele and Maradona.
This raises an observation: why have so few defenders and goalkeepers (4 in total) won the coveted Ballon d’Or or indeed why are forward positions only represented in GOAT debates? Why are forwards prized in football?
The Nature of the Game
The purpose of competitive football is winning. Teams win by scoring goals. Forwards are goal-scoring specialists. They are skilled in converting chances into goals. For any team, forward players are their best bet for winning. For this reason, forwards are prized in football.
The output of forwards is also easier to assess objectively — goals. Football is a team game and while the entire team lies behind a result, the core statistic in football — goals, is usually most associated with forwards. The second most valuable — assists also usually sit with forwards or attacking midfielders. Having a tangible statistic, goals (or assist even), makes it easy to distinguish players for receiving awards. All GOAT candidates — Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldo etc. played in forward positions.
There are many all time great defenders who have defined the game of football just as much as forwards have — Beckenbauer, Maldini etc. However, when it comes to the ultimate aim of game — score goals, defenders are almost a support cast. They keep the goal guarded so that goal scoring work of forwards is preserved — no point scoring 3 but conceding 4.
Statistics
Also, what is the statistic to measure defenders by? Clean sheets? Sure but defence is a team effort and (with goal keepers) works as one unit to keep attackers at bay. For this reason, clean sheets are shared across the defenders and keepers but goals are given to individuals. Goalkeepers are quite different from the other 10 outfield players. They cannot be compared to anyone.
The Ballon d’Or has been won three times by defenders. The first was the all-time great Beckenbauer who actually invented the role of sweeper, which would revolutionise football for decades to come. The other was Matthias Sammer but he also played as a midfielder so probably was more for his overall contribution. Fabio Cannavaro was the most recent defender to win but that was more a testimony to his leadership skills for Italy and Real Madrid compared to defensive accomplishment.
All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others. — George Orwell, Animal Farm
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or. For goalkeepers it’s even harder to pin point a true statistic which reveals their performances. Saves provides are useful metric but must be interpreted in context. Against a poor defence, a keeper will be required to make more saves. Ironically though, despite being the one position most dependent on others to do well, goalkeepers can shine for making the right decisions and brave, well-timed tackles. The value of a goalkeeper is hard to define but everyone knows a great keeper when they see on. Neuer, Zoff, Buffon, Yashin — we can instantly say we’re seeing a once-in-a-lifetime talent by just watching them. In their case, an eye-test might be the best metric. However, they do have a separate world and one filled with giants. They greatest keeper is always a category of it’s own and in tournaments, they get special awards (Golden Glove etc.).
Overall, given the nature of football, in defence a team stands out but in offence, whether assists or goals, an individual stands out albeit the move may have been facilitated by the entire team.
It’s simpler and easier to assign stats to forwards and what gets measured can be compared. Being able to compare is important when it comes to deciding awards like Ballon d’Or. For GOAT, there is no criteria but people always fall back on same stats — goals, assists for an individual. For this reason, forwards will always be frontrunners for GOAT and awards.
The Top 3 World Record transfers are all forwards, and two of them are under 22 years of age! When eye-watering sums are offered to forwards, we often think about their compatriots in midfield, defence and goal and wonder why despite being a team sport, some positions are prized so highly.
Football is about chances. Forwards are specialist talent skilled in converting potential into actual. They have an easy statistic to measure them by — goals, and they achieve this statistic openly in front of packed stadiums and often very flamboyantly.
They are like MegaPixels in a camera or ClockSpeed in a Processor. Or perhaps like F-22 fighter jets in an air-force. Sure they are part of a system and are enabled by underlying system. A poor CMOS sensor will not rescue a high MP camera. High clock-speed with single core is not so effective. A helicopter can do things that flashy strike aircraft cannot. However, these are all easy measurable, highly visible and potent components of a system.
Forwards are prized because they are the face of football.
