[[Image:396px-Boisko PositionsMidfield.png|thumb|right|350px|The Midfield in relation to the football positions]]
In [[association football]], a '''midfielder''' is a [[Position (team sports)|position]].<ref name="BBCsport1">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/rules_and_equipment/4197190.stm|title=Positions guide: Central midfield|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=2008-06-21 | date=2005-09-01 | location=London}}</ref> Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards.<ref name="ExpertFootball1">{{cite web|url=http://expertfootball.com/coaching/positions.php|title=Football / Soccer Positions|publisher=Expert Football|accessdate=2008-06-21}}</ref> The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's [[formation (football)|formation]] and each individual player's role. The group of midfielders in a team is called '''the midfield'''.
More complete midfielders require a number of skills on top of fitness: they [[tackle (football move)|tackle]], [[dribble]], shoot and pass during any match. Most [[Manager (association football)|managers]] field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while the rest are more adept to creating goals or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. At either side of the pitch a manager can field a right or left midfielder, who are used equally for both attack and defence, or a winger, a more attacking player used primarily for attack.
In essence, a good midfield must possess the ability to be combative while also being creative. A good striker without midfield support could lack attacking chances, while a defense likewise could be severely tested. Because they occupy the most influential parts of the pitch, midfielders are perhaps more likely to influence the outcome of a match than other positions,<ref name="Talk">{{cite web|url=http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/positions_in_football.html|title=Positions in football|publisher=talkfootball.co.uk|accessdate=2008-06-21}}</ref> especially if they have vision for a good pass or ability to score.