5 world-class forwards who don t track back × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Football UEFA Champions League 2022-23 Listicle

5 world-class forwards who don t track back

By Shambhu Ajith Modified 29 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Kylian Mbappe (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo (right) The primary responsibility of a forward is to score goals and create chances for his teammates. He has to sniff out opportunities, get into good positions and be aggressive in the way he goes about his business as defenders won't willingly afford him an inch. However, a forward's duties are not limited to what happens in the attacking third. When his side is out of possession, he is required to help out his teammates by being an extra man in defense. He has to track back and alleviate the burden on the midfielders and defenders. To be fair, shuttling up and down the field requires an indefatigable engine and not many players possess the same. There are several forwards who shy away from contributing a great deal in defence. Without further ado, let's take a look at five world-class forwards who don't track back.

#5 Duvan Zapata Atalanta

Atalanta BC v Torino FC - Serie A Duvan Zapata used to be a hard-working forward during defensive transitions. But he has shown considerably less of that vigor in recent seasons. He presses hard and this has been crucial to Atalanta's exploits in recent campaigns but age is clearly starting to catch up with Zapata. Aside from the pressing, Zapata doesn't contribute much in defence. Once his line of defence is breached, the 31-year-old likes to stay up and wait for the ball to be played out to him. He won just one successful tackle inside the defensive third in the 2021-22 Serie A season and just four successful tackles in total in the league last term.

#4 Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan

FC Internazionale v Spezia Calcio - Serie A Chelsea made Romelu Lukaku their most expensive signing in the summer of 2021. They shelled out €113 million re-sign their former player, but the big Belgian endured an extremely underwhelming campaign upon his return to Stamford Bridge. He is currently on loan at Inter Milan. At Chelsea last term under Thomas Tuchel, Lukaku proved to be a rather passive figure when the team was out of possession. He won a total of three tackles in the league last season and all three of them came in the attacking third. The Belgium international is not one to bust his lungs in a bid to help out his defenders and is content to just stay up and break on the counter.

#3 Kylian Mbappe Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain v Gamba Osaka - Preseason Friendly Kylian Mbappe is one of the most lethal attackers in the game right now. He possesses incredible pace and is also quite intelligent with his movements. Mbappe is nearly unstoppable when he is in the mood as his exemplary dribbling skills make him an elusive presence on the pitch. However, the defensive side of his game has been found to be lacking. Mbappe often becomes a non-entity when Paris Saint-Germain go out of possession and seeing him dig in and put in a defensive shift is a bit of a rarity. Mbappe made a total of 14 tackles in Ligue 1 last term. This is quite ordinary for a player who played 35 matches in the league and started 34 of them. ODDSbible@ODDSbibleMbappe firing Pochettino after being told to track back last season2499154Mbappe firing Pochettino after being told to track back last season https://t.co/DOZfRqOkkD

#2 Lionel Messi Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain v Kawasaki Frontale - Preseason Friendly Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has made a career out of terrorizing defenders with his silky dribbling skills, burst of pace, intelligent link-up play and unreal shooting range. In recent years though, Messi's interest in helping out in defence has waned considerably. He is often reduced to a passenger during defensive transitions. He made a total of 10 tackles in his underwhelming debut campaign in Ligue 1 (2021-22). Messi has received much flak for strolling about when his team is out possession and having turned 35, he is unlikely to turn it around.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United

Manchester United v Real Sociedad: Group E - UEFA Europa League Cristiano Ronaldo is yet another world-class forward who has gained notoriety for his lack of defensive contributions. Many argue that Ronaldo's incluion in the starting lineup led to Manchester United losing their defensive solidity in the 2021-22 season. It's a fairly decent argument when you consider the fact that Ronaldo is quite poor at pressing and that he hardly ever tracks back. He made a total of 10 tackles in the Premier League last term and that's quite appalling under the circumstances. United thrived under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when Anthony Martial led the line and acted as an excellent first line of defense. In the 2019-20 season where the Frenchman was the Red Devils' first-choice striker, he made 379 presses. Ronaldo made a total of 182 last season.StatsBomb@StatsBombCristiano Ronaldo made the fewest Pressures per 90 minutes in the Big 5 leagues this season (6.2)

(minimum 1200 minutes, excluding goalkeepers and centre backs)49094Cristiano Ronaldo made the fewest Pressures per 90 minutes in the Big 5 leagues this season (6.2)(minimum 1200 minutes, excluding goalkeepers and centre backs) https://t.co/fxDI5DPPA3 Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Shambhu Ajith × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeScheduleT20 World CupT20 warm upIND vs SAENG vs PAKAUS vs ENGLegends LeagueECS T10 CroatiaWBBL 2022ECC T10SMAT 2022Bukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022ECT10 FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Crown Jewel 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxFree PicksSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी