Utility player
As central defenders are usually taller, slower, and less technically adept in crossing and attacking play, such a change in position is often accompanied by a tactical shift designed to ensure the player remains in a more defensive posture than regular full-backs would be in.
Another defender, Bjørn Paulsen from Denmark, is also adept on the wing or in the centre of midfield and has also successfully taken the role of striker, especially when his teams were losing.
[1][2][3][4] Chinese international Yu Dabao started his career as a striker, but has transitioned between defence and attack ever since Roger Schmidt took charge of his club Beijing Guoan.
Ivaylo Yordanov, Lee McCulloch, Magnus Erlingmark and especially Ruud Gullit had played in many outfield roles, with the Dutchman in particular having the ability to change positions within a single game to fill in gaps caused by substitutions.
In the women's game, notable examples are China's Wang Shanshan and the United States' Crystal Dunn, as well as Germans Simone Laudehr and Linda Bresonik.
[5] But in the case of goalkeepers playing as outfield players, it is extremely rare; David James for Manchester City in 2005 match against Middlesbrough for one instance.
Babe Ruth began his career as a pitcher, but proved to be such a strong hitter that he briefly alternated in the two roles until becoming a full-time position player.
Because of increased injury risk awareness, since the AFL-NFL merger these types of players are increasingly rare, and true utility players usually end up specializing in one position (for example, Lane Johnson played quarterback, tight end, defensive end and offensive tackle through college but was tagged specifically at offensive tackle when drafted into the NFL, and Lorenzo Alexander, who earned a reputation as a "one-man gang" for his ability to play multiple positions, had settled in as a linebacker for most of his career in the NFL[9]).
Those that do play multiple positions for any extended period of time are mostly backups (e.g. Guido Merkens and Brad Smith) or career minor-league players (e.g. Don Jonas, Eric Crouch, and Charles Puleri).
It is still very common in smaller high schools to see top players play two or even three ways (offense, defense, and special teams), in multiple positions, but in college and pro ball, where rosters are larger and the talent pool is more elite, the injury risk outweighs potential benefits.
The 6' 5" Watt played tight end in high school and his first year of college at Central Michigan before becoming a full-time defensive player.
Likewise, Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams played sparingly as a fullback in the last two years of his career, catching a pass, rushing for a touchdown, and blocking for another.
William "The Refrigerator" Perry, a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, famously played as a fullback to score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX.
Examples of those who used this play notably include Jason Peters, Warren Sapp, Jumbo Elliott, Mitch Frerotte, Anthony Muñoz, Joe Staley, and Donald Penn.
Another example of a type of utility player is the halfback option play, in which a running back performs the passing duties of a quarterback.
With the exception of the now defunct NFL Europe, almost all European American Football leagues have players that play offense, defense, and special teams.
Along with Bergeron and Foster, other notable defencemen that have played forward at some point in their careers include Phil Housley, Brent Burns, Mark Streit,[10] Christoph Schubert, Ian White and Chris Campoli.
[11] Notable forwards who have played defence include Sergei Fedorov,[12] Mathieu Dandenault, Brooks Laich and Sami Kapanen.
Wendel Clark was a star defenceman in junior before converting to left wing and scoring over 300 goals and 500 points in 15 NHL seasons.
(Some junior hockey teams have a tendency to put their best offensive players on defence instead of as forwards, since defencemen generally have more time on the ice.)
Notable examples in New Zealand include Daniel Bowden, Luke McAlister and Cory Jane, but Australia also has many utility backs like Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Matt Giteau and James O'Connor.
Many players in the back row of the scrum (flankers and number eights) will frequently switch between the two positions, like Grégory Alldritt, David Pocock or Kieran Read.
