Ruben Neves - Functionality and Skill

Functionality, the ability to perform a range of tasks well, is an underrated attribute in elite footballers. If a player is known for their capacity to thrive in different positions, roles, or systems, they’re patted on the head and praised for their utility, their aptitude at meeting the whimsical demands of their coaches.

As a result, the world’s best footballers are known for other things – perhaps their skill, vision, or technique. Utility players, though always beloved by their club’s supporters, are very rarely celebrated in the same terms.

Philipp Lahm, one of the best players of his generation, was lauded – for the most part – on account of his chameleonic nature. Whilst moving seamlessly between full-back and defensive midfield always captured the imagination of his audience, his ability to read the game, slow it down in his mind, and execute the perfect response rarely did.

Ultimately, functionality is unappreciated because football’s most functional players make the sport look so simple. They draw spectators in with the sophistication of their performances and slip under the radar thereafter, resurfacing with back-page splashes only when they do something sublime.