What is a Trequartista?

What is a Trequartista?

A trequartista is the advanced playmaker who lives in the “three-quarters” space behind the strikers, the creative wizard who turns chaos into chances, a footballing poet who prefers through-balls to small talk A.

Think Maradona, Riquelme, Cruyff-level mischief: chief architect of attacks, dribbler, passer and occasional goal scorer rolled into one B.

Messi
Cruyff
Platini
And now,
Lamine Yamal is playing the most sacred position in football, one that only all-time greats have played, beginning the modern day trequartista pic.twitter.com/c9RxQgCgzQ

— sar (@Cinefanaticsam) November 5, 2025

Tactical traits you’ll actually see

• Drops between the centre-backs and midfield, not standing still, but drifting into the half-space to pull a marker out of position.
• One-touch vision, a threaded pass to a forward’s toe, or a disguised lob to the far post.
• Small, explosive dribbles, doesn’t beat five players every time, but glides past one and creates a lane.
• Tempo control, slows the game with a cheeky backheel or speeds it with a flick into the box.

Imagine Riquelme with 2010s fitness: slow tempo, killer pass, striker nods it in. That’s the image.

Where to spot one on matchday

Look at minute 12 or 57, when your team seems stuck, watch the space between the opponent’s midfield and defence.

Crazy suggestion: Move Salah from the wing and have him play as a second striker in the trequartista role.
No reason why he can't do that with Isak or Ekitike. What's the worst that could happen?

— Ari (@Ari_U_7) November 10, 2025

If a midfielder receives there, faces forward, and immediately finds a runner, you’re watching trequartista instincts in action. Modern variants hide in false nines and inverted forwards who drift to that pocket.

Short verdict—how to enjoy one

When a trequartista gets space and runners, football becomes cinematic: dinked chips, late runs, that winning assist you’ll show your mates.

When denied space, we get tidy possession and no magic. Either way, it’s the little acts, the flick, the glance, the perfect weight on a pass, that make the role feel like pure football romance.