Top attackers who started their careers as defenders

• There are several top attackers who started their careers as defenders
• Gareth Bale, who is best known for his time at Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, used play as a fullback during his days at Southampton 
• Mohamed Salah was a defender while playing at the El Mokawloon Academy

There are several top attackers who started their careers as defenders. During Manchester United’s memorable FA Cup victory over Liverpool, we saw the Red Devils finish the game with forward players such as Antony playing defensive positions. Well, this is not the first time that such a thing has happened in the football world.

However, changing playing position permanently and becoming world class is something that we don’t see everyday. In this article we are going to take a look at well known attackers who started their careers as defenders and turned out to be maestros after the switch.

1. Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale. Photo/ Goal.com.

At the peak of his career, Gareth Bale was one of the best wingers in the world. He destroyed defenders with his lightning pace, amazing dribbling ability and was always a danger due to his powerful strikes from distance. He achieved great success with Real Madrid, winning five UEFA Champions League titles among others.

Well, what many don’t know is that the Wales legend started his career as a defender before switching to a forward role. Bale played as a fullback during his early days at Southampton and was first put on a forward position by Harry Redknapp. He thrived playing that role at Spurs, which led to him joining Real Madrid. With the Wales national team, he sometimes played as a central striker.

Gareth Bale ended his playing career in January 2023, a few months after moving to the Major League Soccer (MLS), where he had signed with Los Angeles FC.

2. Mohamed Salah 

Just like Bale, Mohamed Salah also started his career playing as a left-back before switching to the left wing position. According to Said El Shishiny, who coached Salah at the El Mokawloon Academy, the Egyptian played as a left-back and struggled to get time on the pitch because there was fierce competition in that position.

By the time many football fans knew Salah, he had already switched to a forward role and is currently one of the best wingers in the world. The 31-year-old has played a significant role in Liverpool’s success under Jurgen Klopp in recent years and will go down in history as one of the club’s greatest players of all time alongside legends such as Steven Gerrard.

Mohamed Salah is one of the attackers who started their careers as defenders. Photo/ Marca.com.

3. Victor Osimhen 

Victor Osimhen has been consistent for the past few seasons and is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world right now. He spearheaded Napoli’s triumph in the Serie A last season and also played a significant role leading Nigeria to the finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations played earlier this year. On top of that, the 25-year-old, has also won the African Footballer of the Year and Serie A Footballer of the Year, among other titles.

Having achieved all that playing as a striker, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing that Osimhen started his career playing as a defender. During an interview with Sorare tagged ‘Get to Know Napoli’, Osimhen revealed that he used to play a defensive position in his early days, even though he didn’t state which position exactly in the defence.

The 25-year-old shot into the limelight when starring in Nigeria’s Under-17 World Cup triumph in 2015 and has never looked back.

Was Robert Lewandowski A Defender?

Robert Lewandowski has never been a defender. Photo/ The Guardian.

There’s a popular belief that Robert Lewandowski started his career playing as a defender. This is because of a photo often circulating on social media that was taken in 2008 showing the striker being substituted in a World Cup qualifier match against San Marino.

Lewandowski was brought on in the 59th minute of the match in place of Marek Saganowski. The television team made a mishap by writing on the screen Lewandowski was a defender. While they didn’t correct the mistake at that time, those who watched the game could have realized because Lewandowski played as a striker and contributed to the second goal of the match. Poland won the match 2-0, as per Premier Season.