Outside forward

Vittorio Pozzo’s Metodo system from the 1930s was one of the many variants of 2-3-5 formation which featured attacking wingers

Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants. As football tactics have developed, and wingers have dropped back to become midfielders, the terminology has changed and "outside forward" has become a historical term. Many commentators and football analysts still refer to the wing positions as "outside right" and "outside left".

The responsibilities of an outside forward include:

• They should always be looking to score: their first option should be to shoot, while their second option should be to find another way to create a goal opportunity for the team.
• They must know how to set up some of the attacks in the game: when they run into a shooting angle that is unlikely to become a goal, they must find a way to pass the ball to the middle of the penalty box area allowing the centre forwards to finish the job.

Due to these responsibilities some of the most important attributes include:

• They must be good dribblers and have more than one consistent move to beat defenders.
• Speed is a also necessary to make counter attacks more effective.

Famous players who played outside right include Jimmy Johnstone, Stanley Matthews, Eddie Chapman, Tom Finney, Billy Meredith, Alcides Ghiggia, Julinho Botelho, Garrincha, Tesourinha while famous outside lefts include Félix Loustau, Zoltán Czibor, Francisco Gento, Pepe, Canhoteiro, Dragan Džajić, Eric Brook and Cliff Bastin.