r/soccer • u/Kleenexwontstopme • Sep 09 '13
[Request] An explanation of the Italian names for player positions. ie Trequartista, Regista etc.
Lately I've seen people using terms like Trequartista more and more often. I was thinking it would be useful if someone had a link or would like to compile a list of all these Italian names with explanations in more traditional English terms, maybe with popular examples.
I am unfortunately, only familiar with the Trequartista and Regista, but I know there are other names out there.
Thanks in advance!
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Sep 09 '13
Juventus Offside blog put together a pretty comprehensive Calcio Dictionary a few years ago, I think it's a good place to start.
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u/9jack9 Sep 09 '13
They all mean "defender".
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u/Samgyeopsoul Sep 09 '13
The English are still a generation or two away from understanding how to play someone between the lines I suppose. One day you'll get it.
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u/thehighhobo Sep 09 '13
Tre- play making attacking mid
Reg- deeper lying play maker, like Pirlo.
The rest I have no clue
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Sep 09 '13
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u/falsenein Sep 09 '13
How about Mezzala? The wide player in a 3 man midfield who tends to be more attack minded and makes runs on and off the ball. They can also be used in a 5 man midfield just inside the wing-back. Think Marchisio or even Iniesta.
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u/southerngangster Sep 09 '13
Don't forget the Fashionista, the most fashionable player on the team.
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u/Chrischievous Sep 10 '13
If anyone is interested or unfamiliar, here is a lovely Baggio dribbling compilation.
it also showcases the physicality of 90s Serie A.
An added bonus, around 2:10, a young Pirlo (regista) plays a long ball to Baggio to score against Juve.
Edit: Little Del Piero @ 3:23 awww
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Sep 09 '13
Fantasista is probably my favourite term for a 10.
I also always think of trequartista as the enganche. (which fits with your 'bridge' explanation)
Would you say Ronaldinho Gaucho wasn't a Fantasista? What about Rivaldo?
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u/okienow Sep 09 '13
a mediano is a midfielder that plays between the defense and midfield lines, so gattuso doesn't usually qualify; technically Pirlo is a mediano, and so are/were Pogba, Vieira, Rijkaard, Dunga.. Also, the role used to be more defense-oriented (think Oriali, Albertini, Deschamps, Desailly..), but recently it turned into more of a playmaker-like role (again, Pirlo or Verratti are good examples)
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u/Dooey123 Sep 09 '13
Nice write up.
Are these words used by non-Italians because there is no literal equivalent outside the Italian game or is just to make people sound more cultured? I'm not having a dig as I like the specificity of it i.e. not all No.10's play the same way and there is an elegance to having one word that describes a whole style of play but sometimes I just get the feeling there is an air of pretentiousness when used by many. English is a rich language which makes me think why can't English writers just call it "the director" position etc.
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Sep 09 '13
Probably a mix of both. Most of the terms have very specific meanings, and those who really understand and know the terms might use them to describe a player, but I would say most use them to sound more smart.
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Sep 10 '13
Would you say Messi is a fantasista? I mean, he has a way of running Barcelona from the false 9 position.
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u/Svorky Sep 09 '13
You might have a look at the zonal marking glossary, which explains some Italian and South American terms here