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Another name for an inverted full-back - a full-back who moves inside into midfield rather than staying wide. "False" because they're not playing as a traditional full-back. The term gets used interchangeably with inverted full-back, though some coaches distinguish between the two based on exactly where the player ends up (how deep, how central).
Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal plays as a false full-back - nominally left-back, he moves inside to become an auxiliary midfielder, overloading the center of the pitch while Saka and Martinelli provide all the width.
Robbie
Jan 17, 2026
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