While it’s true that all soccer positions are important, there are some positions that are much more appreciated by the fans than other positions.
For example, soccer fans will definitely enjoy watching the forward players score goals more than they would enjoy a defender standing in the right place at the right time trying to prevent their opponent from advancing forward.
With that said, a question might come to your mind. What is the most underrated position by the fans in soccer?
The most underrated position in soccer is the defensive midfielder position. Defensive midfielders are rarely seen dribbling or attempting to do brilliant assists and thus their roles aren’t highly appreciated by fans who just want to see action during a soccer match.
Keep in mind that there is no specific way to really measure how much a soccer position is underrated, because there are many factors that come into play including salaries, fans, popularity and so much more.
In other words, my choice of defensive midfielders as the most underrated soccer position is a personal opinion that is based on my experience as a soccer fan for more than a decade.
I have watched hundreds of soccer games (maybe thousands), I’ve met thousands of soccer fans, and I have read thousands of soccer related threads online. In my opinion, the players who are least discussed or cheered are the defensive midfielders.
If you don’t know what a defensive midfielder is, you can check this article that talks about all the midfield players in detail.
Why are defensive midfielders the most underrated players in soccer?
1- Defensive midfielders do short and quick passes most of the time.
Usually, when their team has the ball, defensive midfielders stand behind the other midfield players in case the midfielders need to fall back.
The defensive midfielders will receive the ball from the midfielders and immediately pass it towards another midfield or forward player in order to change the direction of the attack.
In other words, the soccer fans only see the defensive midfielders in action for a few seconds while they redirect their team’s attack. However, what they do not see is what the defensive midfielder does when they do not have the ball themselves.
Defensive midfielders should know where to stand to make it easy for their teammates to fall back in case they need to. Also, they need to always keep track of the other teammates in order to make a very quick pass when they get the ball. The reason why they attempt a quick pass is to not waste any time or else the opponent will be able to quickly adjust to the new attack direction.
Note that all of these actions aren’t appreciated by many fans because very few people will be watching what the defensive midfielders do when they don’t have the ball, and because most of the time, there’s not much action when it comes to making short and quick passes in the center of the soccer field.
2- The Defensive midfielders’ most important job is when they do not have the ball
If the opponent has the ball, and they initiate a counter attack, the defensive midfielder will try to delay the attack until the other midfielders resume their defensive roles. The defensive midfielder does this by knowing exactly where they stand and how to act when their opponent approaches the net.
What fans usually focus on in these scenarios is the opponent player’s attack and not the defensive midfielder’s attempt to slow the opponent down.
It’s true that sometimes the defensive midfielders attempt a perfect tackle to their opponent that the fans usually appreciate, however it doesn’t happen all the time.
These are the reasons why I believe that the defensive midfielders are the most underrated players in soccer by many fans. But what about the other positions?
What is the most popular position in soccer?
You can very easily tell that the forward players are the most appreciated soccer players in the beautiful game.
The forward players are the players that are supposed to score goals. Strikers are highly appreciated since they are scoring machines. The same goes for other forward players who are required to score goals.
Since soccer does not have a lot of goals per game, each goal counts. The fans will appreciate the goal scorers since they are the ones that trigger the celebrations after each goal.
You can very easily tell how popular the forward players are by looking at the top 10 highest paid soccer players in 2020. 8 out of the 10 highest paid soccer players in 2020 were forward players. This number says a lot.
One thing to note here is that with this much popularity comes a great responsibility. Since the performances of the top forward players are highly anticipated by the fans. If any of these forward players have a bad day, the media won’t leave them alone for the next few days.
Why are goalkeepers and defenders more appreciated than the defensive midfield players?
If you google the term, “most underrated position in soccer”, you’ll find many people either mention the goalkeepers or the defenders as the most underrated players in soccer.
However, I believe that goalkeepers are appreciated enough by their team’s fans. It’s true that goalkeepers have one of the hardest and most dangerous roles on the field, but that doesn’t mean that they are underrated by the fans.
Soccer fans cheer their goalkeepers when they make brilliant saves and usually whenever a goalkeeper makes an awesome save during a big soccer match, you’ll find the save appreciated all over the internet.
The defenders will also have their fair share of appreciation when they attempt a brilliant tackle against their opponent or when they do a great save.
Defenders usually attempt to score goals too when their team wins a corner kick or a dangerous free kick. When a defender succeeds to score a goal, they will be highly appreciated by the fans.
You can learn more about the primary roles of soccer defenders in this article.
SUMMARY
After watching soccer for more than a decade, I believe that the most underrated players in soccer are the defensive midfielders.
Since their most impressive skills are knowing where to stand and what to do when they do not have the ball, they do not get the appreciation that they deserve since soccer fans and the cameras will be focusing on the players that have the ball.