15 Most Versatile Players in Football History [Ranked]

Versatile players are a manager’s dream. The ability to play in multiple positions helps them greatly during team selection, particularly if an injury crisis arises, and also allows for new tactics to be employed. The most versatile players are able to excel in multiple roles, and are often those whose understanding of the game is extremely high, as they have to comprehend the various positions they are being asked to play.

Versatility is determined by a player’s ability to be competent across a number of different positions. Players can become more versatile with age, as their understanding of the game improves and their physicality worsens, meaning they have to find a new position, such as Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young, or often it is defenders who are already tactically astute and want to step into midfield more, such as Joshua Kimmich.

With that in mind, here are going to take a look at some of the most versatile players of all time.

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15

Javier Mascherano

Career Span: 2003-2020

In an impressive career representing both Liverpool and Barcelona, among others, Javier Mascherano was an ever-reliable player, rarely letting his sides down.

Predominantly a central defender, Mascherano was always one of the cleverest players on the pitch, which was indicated by managers having faith in him to play in both central midfield, and at full-back when required. Incredibly, he actually made his Liverpool debut as an attacking midfielder, further boosting his reputation as a man that can do it all.

The Argentine had a sparkling career, winning plenty of trophies as a part of some great teams, and his importance to them cannot be understated. He may not have had the technical ability of the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, but he was more than capable of helping out the team wherever he was needed.

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14

John Stones

Career Span: 2011-Present

As a teenager at both Barnsley and Everton, John Stones was a very promising ball-playing central defender, and since joining Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, he has continued to improve every year.

Now, Stones is able to play at both right-back and centre-back and invert into a midfield role when City have the ball, in Guardiola’s incredible system. During Manchester City’s Champions League win in 2023, Stones was vital, playing in his new inverted role and supporting Rodri, utilisng his fantastic understanding of the game and ability on the ball to progress City up the pitch.

A lot of credit must go to Guardiola for developing Stones into the incredible, versatile player he is today, who is regularly the best player on the pitch for both club and country.

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13

Ashley Young

Career Span: 2003-Present

Ashley Young began, and spent a lot of his career, as a tricky, pacey winger who loved to cut in and shoot or draw fouls. However, as the years went by, and his pace started to decrease, Young began to drop further and further down the pitch, first playing as more of a wing-back, and now an out-and-out full-back.

Confident on both feet, and with great knowledge of the game, Young is now an important member of Sean Dyche’s Everton squad, still playing Premier League football at 39 years old, which is testament to his footballing inteligence.

Some wingers hate the idea of defending and rarely get back to support their full-back, but Young has shown that some of them do enjoy it, and they can even become defenders themselves further down the line.

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12

Philipp Lahm

Career Span: 2002-2021

Often described by the German press as “perfect”, Philipp Lahm is a manager’s dream. Comfortable as both a right and left full-back, Lahm’s high-level understanding of the game, alongside quick thinking, makes him the sort of player every team would wish to have. Not only, can he play as a full-back, but Lahm has often been deployed in midfield as well, where he always looked at home.

During a spell of games during his time as Bayern Munich manager, Pep Guardiola explained how it would have been “impossible” for anyone to have played that defensive midfield role as well as Lahm, which is testament to his ability. Lahm was never sent off during his 19-year career, which indicates just how well he read the game.

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11

Wayne Rooney

Career Span: 2001-2017

Wayne Rooney is touted by many as one of the best of his generation, and the best English player of all time. His goalscoring exploits were outstanding, netting 208 times in the Premier League alongside five league titles.

In his very early days as a teenager, Rooney sometimes operated out wide, using his explosive pace to terrorise defenders, but he always felt most comfortable as a centre-forward. Yet, as he got older, and he lost a lot of that pace, Rooney began to play much more as a central midfielder, where he was able to use his supreme technical ability to spray passes and dictate the play.

Rooney’s midfield ability was best showcased during his time with DC United, where in the last minute of the game he sprinted half the length of the pitch to stop an opposition counter-attack, before hitting a pinpoint cross to the back post to set up his team’s winning goal.

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10

Bernardo Silva

Career Span: 2013-Present

During his time at Manchester City, there are very few players who have delivered as consistently for the club as Bernardo Silva.

An eight out of ten minimum each week, the Portuguese, who is one of the highest paid midfielders in the Premier League in 2024, is not only a joy to watch on the ball for spectators, but also works extremely hard for the team, wherever he is asked to play. Sometimes he is tasked with sitting deep alongside Rodri, or operating just in front at the tip of the midfield triangle, and other times he plays out wide, as part of the supply line to Erling Haaland.

His versatility and work rate make him one of the first names on the Manchester City team sheet, particularly for the biggest of games.

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9

Gareth Bale

Career Span: 2006-2023

Not many players have followed the same career trajectory as Gareth Bale. At the end of the 2000s, it looked like Bale was set for the Tottenham exit door. As a struggling left-back, it didn’t appear as though things were going to work out for the Welshman in North London. Harry Redknapp then decided to give him a chance as a winger, and that was where this superstar’s career really took off.

Considered one of the greatest wingers in football history, a hat-trick away against Inter Milan introduced Bale to the world, before constant improvement earnt him a move to Real Madrid. Bale continued to go from strength to strength in Madrid, winning five Champions League trophies in the process.

Often, for Wales, as their talisman, Bale played as a striker, spearheading attacks and further displaying his versatility across the pitch.

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8

Thomas Muller

Career Span: 2007-Present

Thomas Muller is widely regarded as the greatest German footballers of all time. Comfortable playing anywhere across the front line, and being a pivotal player for both Germany and Bayern Munich, it is hard to argue against it.

The two attributes that sum up the German are intelligence, and selflessness, as he is always willing to do anything to help the team. Throughout his career, and still now, Muller has been vital for his club and national side, which demonstrates the player he is, and the trust managers have continued to have in him.

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7

Joshua Kimmich

Career Span: 2013-Present

Joshua Kimmich is almost a carbon copy of Philipp Lahm. A German full back that is extremely comfortable in midfield, and never lets his team down.

Kimmich is world-class at both full-back and midfield, and is one of the first names on the team sheet for both his national team and club, every time. Consistent and passionate, the Germans’ versatility is crucial to his teams, as they allow for squad rotation without levels dropping so easily.

After Lahm’s retirement in 2017, there was concern about who would replace him in Germany, so up stepped Joshua Kimmich, who has barely put a foot wrong since.

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6

David Alaba

Career Span: 2007-Present

For his club sides, David Alaba has generally played as a defensive player, either operating at left-back or centre-back and being one of the best in the world in both positions. However, it is for his national team that the Austrian has best displayed his versatility.

Generally being deployed in midfield, often even as an attacking midfielder, Alaba has been the focal point of everything his national team has done on the pitch, helping them to qualify for multiple major tournaments. To be able to carry his nation on his back, all whilst playing away from his usual position, is remarkable, and highlights why he is described as one of the most versatile players around.

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5

Ruud Gullit

Career Span: 1979-1998

One of the greatest players of all-time, Ruud Gullit’s incredible ability to be absolutely elite wherever he played on the pitch was testament to his footballing ability and sheer IQ. Transfermarkt have noted down that the Dutchman played the most games of his career out on the right wing, but perhaps his best football came when he was arriving late into the box either as a box-to-box midfielder or as a second striker looking to break beyond his striker. Playing for historic clubs like PSV, Milan and Chelsea, and with a glorious international career with the Netherlands to boot too, Gullit was as good as they come.

4

Kevin Grosskreutz

Career Span: 2006-Present

A World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, Kevin Grosskreutz’s best time as a footballer came during the period Jurgen Klopp was manager of his side at club level, Borussia Dortmund. Grosskreutz would spend six years at the club between 2009 and 2015, and would win back-to-back Bundesliga titles between 2011 and 2012, while he would also lift the DfB-Pokal too. Most adept at playing at full-back or just in front in left or right midfield, Grosskreutz was the archetypal Swiss army knife, and could have called himself a Champions League winner had Dortmund not succumbed to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in the final.

3

Javier Zanetti

Career Span: 1992-2014

Regarded as one of the greatest right-backs of all-time, Javier Zanetti’s versatility was instrumental in the incredible success he enjoyed while at Inter Milan. Indeed, his performances during the 2009/2010 campaign saw the Argentine do the treble under Jose Mourinho’s leadership, winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League. While he was formidable at right-back, Zanetti was equally as good in central midfield, being the pivot that would help break up attacks and then keep the tempo of the side going. The Argentine didn’t venture too far forward, but you could always count on him to do his defensive work diligently.

2

James Milner

Career Span: 2002-Present

During his illustrious Premier League career, James Milner played in nearly every position during his time at six different clubs. Starting out as a tricky winger, and sometimes operating as an attacking midfielder, Milner earned himself moves to first to Newcastle, then Aston Villa, and then Manchester City, where he won two league titles.

As he got older, he started to play more centrally, and moved to Liverpool, where Jurgen Klopp generally deployed him in midfield, but then he started to cover at full-back, whenever he was needed.

At Brighton at the start of the 2024/25 season, Milner almost always plays as a full-back, and at age 38, he continues to deliver outstanding performances when called upon. Few in football history have been able to deliver as consistent performances across their career as James Milner, particularly across such a wide range of positions. He is undoubtedly the most versatile player there has been.

1

Paul Madeley

Career Span: 1963-1980

The ultimate man in terms of versatility on a football pitch, Paul Madeley quite literally played in every single position on the pitch except in goal. The Leeds United legend was a centre-back by trade, but to call him just a defender would be doing him a serious disservice. Able to play anywhere across the back-line, every position in midfield, and even doing a stint up front, Madeley was the original ‘utility man’. Over a six-year international career, he also earned 24 caps with England, while he also had the distinction of partnering legendary defender Bobby Moore in defence when the latter earned his 100th cap for the Three Lions.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 27/03/2025)