If Tiger Woods played soccer: central midfielder, rated 83

Tiger Woods as a soccer player: scouting report

Tiger Woods would play central midfield, because no athlete of his era was better at hitting a ball exactly where he meant to. He won fifteen major championships, including the 1997 Masters by twelve strokes, and that control of distance and shape maps straight onto passing. It is the strongest part of his card. Think of a midfielder who can bend a forty yard diagonal onto a winger's front foot, then thread a short ball through a crowded center on the next touch.

His focus is the other half of his game. He was a famous name in golf before he was a teenager, appearing on television as a small child, and he spent his career grinding through every detail of preparation. In midfield that becomes discipline: his defending is right behind his passing, so he holds his position, reads the opponent's playmaker and steps in to win the ball before an attack starts. His shooting is solid too, especially from distance, where a clean strike matters more than power. He won all four majors in a row across 2000 and 2001, which says something about consistency week to week.

Pace is the weak spot. He should not be asked to chase quick counterattacks, so pair him with a busy, mobile partner in the midfield three who covers ground for him. His goalkeeping is surprisingly strong, making goalkeeper his next best spot, and he can play on the wing in a pinch. For a drafter, he is a steady, high floor midfielder in the middle rounds. Put him at the heart of the midfield and let him control the game shot by shot.

Plays like A precise, patient playmaker who rarely gives the ball away

Put Tiger Woods in your lineup

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