If Margaret Thatcher played soccer: striker, rated 83

Margaret Thatcher as a soccer player: scouting report

Margaret Thatcher would lead the line, but not as a poacher. She would be the center forward who sets the tone for the whole team by refusing to give an inch. She was known for her determination, and her card reflects it: her defending is the best part of her game and her physical strength is right behind. She presses center backs relentlessly, wins headers and holds the ball up under heavy pressure.

Before politics she studied chemistry at Oxford and worked as a research chemist, and later she qualified as a barrister, so there is a methodical, prepared side to her game. She would know every defender's habits before kickoff. She grew up in Grantham, above her family's grocery shop, and she became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She led the government for more than eleven years, from 1979 to 1990, which suggests a forward who is still chasing defenders in stoppage time. Her passing grades out well, so she links play when she drops in and sets up runners around her. Her shooting is steady enough to finish the chances her work creates.

Pace is the weak spot, and it is a clear one. She will not run in behind a defense, so pair her with fast wingers who attack the space she opens by dragging center backs out of position. Her defending and strength make center back her next best spot, and central midfield is a reasonable fallback. For a drafter, she is a pressing forward for a team that wants to win the ball high up the pitch. Take her when you want a focal point that defenders hate to play against.

Plays like An immovable target forward who wins every duel up top

Put Margaret Thatcher in your lineup

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