The left midfielder will traditionally be a left footed wide player with pace and skill to beat the opposition right back. Some of the greatest crowd-pleasing soccer players have been left midfielders including George Best, Rivelino and John Salako. Since I began watching the game, there have been enough decent left midfielders to fill every team in the football league.
The England national team has recently struggled to find a great left midfielder and have opted to move right and central midfielders to the left. This problem highlighted the importance of having a naturally left sided midfielder to give the team balance. A great left midfielder will have skill, passing accuracy and the ability to create goals as well as score them.
There have been some fantastic left midfielders that have not fulfilled their potential in the game. John Barnes burst on to the scene in the early 80s as a 17 year old for Second Division Watford. Barnes would go on to play for England as well as over 300 appearances for Liverpool. However, Barnes's club form rarely transferred to the international stage and he was considered an underachiever despite 11 goals in 79 England appearances.
Ryan Giggs has also not been able to translate his club abilities to the international stage, mainly due to him being Welsh. This has hindered his international career, despite him becoming the most decorated footballer in English soccer history. Ten Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two UEFA Champions Leagues and many other trophies are testament to Giggs's ability and commitment.
A dazzling winger in the style of George Best, Giggs first wowed United fans as a 17 year old in 1991. His pace and trickery earned him rave reviews and cemented his place in the first team despite his tender age. With the launch of the FA Premier League, Giggs became a soccer superstar and was rated as one of the hottest young stars in the game.
Sixteen years later and Giggs may have lost some of his pace, but his fitness and enthusiasm have enabled him to remain a regular in Alex Ferguson's squad. He appeared 30 times in both of United's recent league title wins, although he is approaching 35. This shows Giggs's abilities, ambition and self-belief in a United team that is regularly culled to make way for new blood.
Lionel Messi. The best left winger in the world today. This statement will be argued by some, as Messi often occupies the right wing or plays behind the strikers. However, Messi's skills, pace and amazing left-foot warrant him a place in any list of best left midfielders.
Still only 21 years old at time of writing, Lionel Messi has already won two La Liga titles, one UEFA Champions League, Summer Olympics and the FIFA Under 20 World Cup. His emergence enabled Barcelona to sell Ronaldinho, this is symbolic of how much they rate the young Argentinian.
Messi possesses devastatingly fast feet and can slalom through players with ease. His use of the ball rivals that of Cristiano Ronaldo, as the two fight to be the best player in the world. Messi relies heavily on pace, swerve and tricks and can leave a defender standing with just the drop of his shoulder.
With such a long career ahead of him, Messi can go on to win every honour that soccer has to offer. He will hope to replicate another former Barcelona and Argentina number 10, the great Diego Armando Maradona. With Messi's ability, there is every chance he too can lift the FIFA World Cup.
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