Nomenclature of the DM role

In football, the defensive midfielder (DM) or deep lying playmaker (DLP) is the number 4.

Attempts have been made by the people who “own the game” to normalize calling them number 6 – which many of us gladly and unconsciously accepted. But something in me knew that whatever brought about Nigerians and Africans as a whole calling best of friends “5 & 6” because of how central defenders were close knit, was not based on patoism.

So normal was the term that a Nigerian music artiste Naetochukwu Chikwe – popularly known as Naeto-C – used it to compose his 2011 hit, “5 & 6”. In the song, he professed his admiration for his lover, citing how their love would be strong and untouchable like “5 & 6”. This, and some other thoughts did not allow me to seamlessly flow with the newer “number 6” term, as I would cringe at the mention of it during pre-match, halftime and post match analyses.

During the early days of football and even today, squad numbers were used to identify a player’s position on the field. Everyone agrees that number 1 is goalkeeper, while number 9 is the striker. Every other position has been subject to debate because of formation evolution and traditional changes. Some of these formations and ideals originated from Europe, while some came from other parts of the world.

In the first international game, Scotland against England on 30 November 1872, England played with seven or eight forwards in a 1–1–8 or 1–2–7 formation, and Scotland with six, in a 2–2–6 formation. For England, one player would remain in defence, picking up loose balls, and one or two players would hang around midfield and kick the ball upfield for the other players to chase. The English style of play at the time was all about individual excellence and English players were renowned for their dribbling skills. Players would attempt to take the ball forward as far as possible and only when they could proceed no further, would they kick it ahead for someone else to chase. Scotland surprised England by actually passing the ball among players. The Scottish outfield players were organized into pairs and each player would always attempt to pass the ball to his assigned partner. Ironically, with so much attention given to attacking play, the game ended in a 0–0 draw. There were no number roles then. Football went on to evolve into more contemporary, identifiable formations like 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1 etc.

Later, in Brazil, the 4-2-4 formation was developed independently from Europe, thus leading to a different numbering. In that formation, the centerbacks are 3 and 4, while the defensive midfielder donns number 5.

As football evolved, the traditional 4-4-2 in England now had 5 and 6 as the center backs, while the DM wears the number 4. The formation evolved to a point where the number 4 defended behind the two CBs when out of possession and moved forward to join the attack when in possession. This allowed either of the CBs(the 6 usually) to step forward when pressing to win the ball. The formation evolved further as coaches now let the usually physically bigger number 6 move forward in search of goals when the team is trailing, while the 4 sits back to protect the last line.

It was the British that brought football to Nigeria at the start of the 20th century. The first recorded football match in Nigeria was in 1904. By 1950, football had become the national game of the country. During this time in African history, many nations began to partake in nationalist movements where they protested colonial power. In Nigeria, football gave citizens a sense of national pride and inspired them to achieve political freedom.

Add these up, and you may understand why the parlance widely used in Nigeria, Africa and some other parts of the world are not the same with the modern ones that are coming to the limelight recently.

You are correct if you say the number 4 is the Defensive Midfielder.