Opinion – Tostão: To be a special player, you need to find your place on the pitch

To stand out in football and in any other activity, in addition to talent, professionals need to be satisfied, do what they do best, according to their characteristics, and have the company of a good team, of great teammates.

Hulk, who has always been a good player, surprised at Atlético by playing football at the highest level. This happened because he is in shape, because he played in an excellent team and because he found facilities, which he would not have if he played in the biggest championships in the world.

Lewandowski is an exceptional and classic striker because he is tall, he heads very well, he positions himself correctly, he anticipates the defenders and he finishes with precision. But he shines so much because he plays for Bayern, a team that presses throughout the match, against all opponents, and makes the ball always close to or inside the other team’s area.

Salah, who has never been a great player in another team, stands out a lot in Liverpool and in world football for having the ideal conditions for his characteristics. He, in addition to having incredible speed, receives many balls in the back and between defenders, in addition to dribbling and finishing well.

Messi, perhaps the second greatest player in history, had at Barcelona the company of great stars and the ideal way for him to play, the conditions to develop his masterful talent. Guardiola helped him to be much more than a striker on the right, who dribbled to the middle to finish, as he was at the beginning of his career.

Neymar’s best moments were also at Barcelona, ​​as he did at Santos, from left to centre, in addition to having the company of Messi and other exceptional players. Messi dribbled from the right to the center and, when the entire defense closed to prevent his passage, it played for Neymar, on the left, free, close to the area, to define the plays with absolute precision. At PSG, Neymar tried to be the center of the team, acting more in the middle, where it is less difficult to be marked.

Cristiano Ronaldo, in his first spell at Manchester United, was an exceptional striker on the left, who dribbled to the side to cross or to the middle to finish. At Real Madrid, under the guidance of coach Ancelotti, he became a second striker, the greatest finisher in the world and one of the greatest in football history.

Mbappé and Vinicius Junior are forwards capable of returning to score in their own field and, in a fraction of a second, reaching the opponent’s area to execute a decisive move. In the 2018 World Cup, the world champion, France, even with so many stars, retreated to counterattack with Mbappé.

At Real Madrid, with Ancelotti, the same thing happens. The best moments of the team are when the team recovers the ball in its own field and plays for Vinicius Junior to pass from one intermediate to another, with space, to receive the ball in front and enjoy the skill and speed.

The ace Benzema is decisive in the evolution of Vinicius Junior. In the formation of a team, more important than the tactical system is to have close players that complement each other in their characteristics.

The modern concept that great players need to have more than one position and perform more than one role is correct. However, to be a special, phenomenal player, it is necessary to find your best place on the field, your reference and your ability to execute great plays. Everyone does it in their own way.