In recent football, the false 9 plays a crucial role in the teams build up and attack. The false 9 pattern of play makes the opponent defenders jobless, he falls deep into play to assist his midfielders. The false 9 role was first introduced in the 1890s but was fully used by Johan Cruyff during his era, the Cruyff false 9 pattern was one reason why Manchester United had a better attack. The question is who are the best false 9 players?
Top 5 Best False 9 players of all time
below is a list of our top 5 best false 9 across the top leagues in Europe, cutting across premier league, La liga, French Ligue1, Serie A.
5. Thomas Muller
The German International has always wanted to play behind a striker as a false 9. During his time at Bayern Munich, Muller could read the game, falling deep into midfield linking up with his teammates to build a strong attack.
| Thomas Muller’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 927 |
| Goals | 331 |
| Assists | 315 |
| Trophies | 33 |
Known as “Raumdeuter” (space interpreter) from Bayern Munich, Müller’s movement and awareness are a nightmare for defenders. He pops up in unexpected areas, creating scoring chances for himself and his teammates.
4. Antoine Griezmann
French player Antoine Griezmann performs better when he plays with a striker as a false 9. We saw how good Griezmann was during the 2018 World Cup.
| Antoine Griezmann’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 829 |
| Goals | 312 |
| Assists | 158 |
| Trophies | 7 |
The pair between him and Olivier Giroud was the key to the team’s success at the tournament.
Playing behind a striker like Morata at Atletico Madrid made him one among the best false 9 the sport has ever seen.
Scoring over 300+ goals as a second striker shows how good the French man can be if given the role to play up front.
3. Wayne Rooney
Manchester United and England national team legend Wayne Rooney is a versatile player who has played in several positions.
He played a key role for Manchester United during Sir Alex Ferguson, and was able to adapt with any striker. Rooney created several records as a false 9 player and as a midfielder, Ferguson sometimes plays the English man as the main striker.
| Wayne Rooney’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 884 |
| Goals | 366 |
| Assists | 185 |
| Trophies | 18 |
Rooney is no doubt one of the best false 9 in the world, his ability to fall deep into midfield to setup attack was exceptional.
4. Karim Benzema
2022 Ballon d’or winner Karim Benzema deserves to be in the top list of best false 9 players of all time. Despite having several talented players at Madrid, players like Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Ozil Benzema were able to create and score goals as a second striker behind Ronaldo.
| Karim Benzema’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 923 |
| Goals | 470 |
| Assists | 220 |
| Trophies | 33 |
It was more like the French player was playing for Ronaldo, he objective was just to create chances for the Portuguese to score. But after Ronaldo’s departure Benzema took over from where Ronaldo stopped.
Scoring 27 goals in the spanish La liga to make him the top scorer in the Champions league and Spanish league.
1. Lionel Messi
The king of False 9 football is no other person but Lionel Messi, the GOAT of football. His ability to play anywhere up front is unique, scoring goals and creating chances for teammates.
The Argentine had a good run at Barcelona winning several ballon d’or as a winger, midfielder and false 9.
| Lionel Messi’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 1091 |
| Goals | 844 |
| Assists | 413 |
| Trophies | 43 |
Lionel Messi stats makes him the greatest of all time and the best false 9 player of all time. Pep admitted Lionel Messi was the best Centre forward of all time.
What do you think about our list? leave your thought below and tell us your best false 9 player.
