Euro 2020 - The End for the Number 9

Like most across Europe, I am currently gripped by football fever; even after my nation, Scotland, lost it’s opening game 2-0 to the Czech Republic in a bitterly disappointing defeat.

Scotland’s goalkeeper David Marshall was beaten twice by the Czech frontman Patrik Schick. Schick beat Marshall with a towering header near the close of the first half and then followed that up in the second half with what is so far the tournaments beat goal, an audaciously taken long shot from a whopping 48 yards. Schick picked up a loose ball on the halfway line when one of his team mates blocked a Jack Hendry shot. David Marshall temporarily forgot what a goalkeeper’s main job is as he was well over 30 years from his goal. He was then immediately punished by the quick thinking Schick who whipped in a gorgeous looking long shot into the Scotland goal.

This is not me taking any pleasure from seeing a countryman be embarrassed by an opponent, this is more me as a football lover celebrating what is becoming a is dying breed in the beautiful game: The number 9, the centre forward, the 18 yard box striker, the poacher, the target man. Patrik Schick is among the last bastions of what was once the star role of every football side.

I vividly remember major tournaments of my youth in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Tournaments like France ’98, Euro 2000, Japan/Korea ’02 etc and all the major stars that were used in the marketing campaigns to ramp up the hype in the few weeks leading up to the tournament. Batistuta, Van Nistelrooy, Henry, Trezeguet, Inzaghi, Shevchenko, Shearer, Raul and maybe the greatest No.9 ever, Ronaldo. All world class talisman who averaged 25 – 30 goals per season for their clubs, all heroes who kids plastered their names and squad numbers of to the rear of their replica shirts, all players who were at the top of your shopping list of transfer targets when you bought the latest edition of Championship Manager and all guys you imagined playing as when you dribbled a ball around your back garden.

When I look at the squads and starting XI’s around Euro 2020 however, I seldom see any talisman of tbe traditional No.9 ilk. Please don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying this tournament lacks any true quality footballers because there are plenty of them – Heck, we even have Cristiano Ronaldo, probably the greatest player ever, still blowing us all away with magnificent performances. But there are very few recognisable Number 9’s. Poland have Robert Lewandowski, Italy have Ciro Immobile, Belgium have Romelu Lukaku, England have Harry Kane, France regained the services of Karim Benzema and Czech Republic have the aforementioned Schick. Really that’s it, and then you look at their ages – Lewandowski 33, Immobile 31, Lukaku and Kane both 28, Benzema 34 – Schick is the only one at 25 still arguably to hit his peak years. From there, I do not really see many red hot young talents moulded for the Number 9 position ready to step up and fill those big shoes in coming tournaments.

The point I am making is that the coveted centre forward position has gone the way of the sweeper or a full back that performs some defending. The art of being an 18 yard box striker is a dying one. Number 10 is the new number 9. Instead of millions of aspiring footballers wanting to be a towering centre forward muscling off centre-halves, they are trying be a Messi or an Mbappe, dribbling the ball bombing down the wing, taking on and beating opponents 2 at a time with some stepovers in-between and that’s a beautiful thing, but it’s also sad that something that was so fundamental to the game for generations is dying out. We have a new generation now that are being brought up performing ground keepy-up’s on YouTube instead of moulding themselves into a hurly burly striker intent on winning every headed battle or beating his/her opponents offside trap.

There is hope that the course changes route and it comes in the form of Euro 2020’s most noticeable absent superstar, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The big Norwegian has an explosiveness and a natural ability of grabbing goals that we have not seen for a long time. If he keeps this up for years to come, then we might just see a new generation of aspiring centre forwards.

No offence to you number 10’s but I really want the 9’s to become the greater number again.