If Meryl Streep played soccer: central midfielder, rated 82

Meryl Streep as a soccer player: scouting report

Meryl Streep plays central midfield, and the reason is range. She has more Oscar nominations than any other actor and has won three, and she earned them by becoming whoever the role needed, accents and all. A deep lying playmaker has to do the same thing every match: adapt to the shape in front of her, play whichever pass the moment demands and make the whole thing look effortless. Passing is the best part of her card, and it is the foundation of everything she does on the ball.

She trained at the Yale School of Drama, and the preparation shows: she reads where the press is coming from before she receives the ball and already knows where it is going next. Her shooting is good enough to threaten from distance, her dribbling keeps the ball safe under pressure, and her defending is solid enough to screen the back four. She has played everyone from a fearsome fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada to a singing innkeeper on a Greek island in Mamma Mia, and a midfielder with that kind of range can be a calm controller one week and a driving creator the next. Goalkeeping is the surprise second best mark on her card.

Pace is the honest weakness, so she should not be asked to cover huge distances. Keep her central, surrounded by runners, and let the ball do the work. Pair her with a mobile box to box partner and a pair of fast wingers who live on the shoulder of the last defender. Winger is a fallback but costs her real value. Draft her as the director of your midfield and let her run every scene.

Plays like A deep lying playmaker who can play any role the match demands

Put Meryl Streep in your lineup

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