false nine

American  

[fawls nahyn] / ˈfɔls ˈnaɪn /

Or false 9

noun

false nines plural

1. Soccer. a center forward player who drops back into the midfield to receive the ball, creating space and opportunity for teammates further up the field by drawing the opposing team’s defense out of their positions.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• false nines
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

false nine

The 25-year-old might be better known as a left-sided wide player, but he has already shown his ability as a false nine.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Dembele plays as a roaming false nine who can drop deep for Paris St-Germain - hence Deschamps fielding him just behind Mbappe - and so on.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Tuchel fielded experimental line-ups against Uruguay and Japan, with Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden featuring as a false nine against the latter in the absence of injured Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

But he failed to fill the void left by striker Harry Kane's absence when he played in a false nine role in the defeat by Japan on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden was trialled as a false nine and did not have a good night but Tuchel has said this window has provided him "more clarity" than questions about his side.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026