If Mahatma Gandhi played soccer: winger, rated 80

Mahatma Gandhi as a soccer player: scouting report

Mahatma Gandhi has a genuine link to football. While living in South Africa he helped organize football clubs for the Indian community, known as the Passive Resisters, and he saw the game as a way to build teamwork and discipline. In this game he plays on the wing, but not as a sprinter. His passing is the best part of his card, so he is the kind of wide player who drifts inside, finds a pocket of space and slides a teammate through on goal.

Endurance is his story. In 1930 he led the Salt March, walking roughly two hundred and forty miles to the sea at Dandi, and he was known for long daily walks well into later life. That is a wide player who keeps making the same run in the ninetieth minute that he made in the first. His dribbling is solid, enough to carry the ball past a fullback with patience rather than burst, and his defending is better than most wingers, so he tracks back and helps his fullback. He trained as a barrister in London, and the methodical, reasoned approach shows in how he picks his moments.

Physical strength is the weak spot. He will not bully defenders off the ball, so keep him away from aerial duels and let him play on the ground. Central midfield is his next best spot, which suits that passing range, and his goalkeeping is surprisingly strong too. For a drafter, he works best as an inverted creator on a team that already has a fast striker. Pair him with a powerful overlapping fullback and let him pick the pass.

Plays like A patient, clever wide creator who wins with angles, not force

Put Mahatma Gandhi in your lineup

11 rolls, a starting eleven, 38 matches. Can you go 38-0? Free, no account.