From Henry to Raphinha: 15 footballers who excelled after changing positions

Raphinha played as a right winger in the Premier League, but he has shown great skill since joining Barcelona. The Brazil star missed out on the Ballon d'Or after an impressive 2024-25 season on the left wing. Now, he has started this season as the central striker for Hansi Flick’s team.

Here are 15 other players who did well after changing positions, as noted by Planet Football on Wednesday.

Thierry Henry

When Arsenal brought Henry from Juventus in 1999, he was a winger who struggled in Serie A. But Arsène Wenger had different plans. "At a certain point, I wanted to go to Wenger and tell him to put me back out wide," Henry said, remembering a time he did not score in his first seven Premier League games. "Then, I said to myself that I had to react, that I couldn’t fail a second time, only a few months after a negative experience in Turin." Henry ended up scoring 228 goals in 376 games for the Gunners.

Gareth Bale

Many forget that Bale became famous after scoring a hat-trick at the San Siro during Tottenham’s 4-3 loss in 2010. At that time, the speedy Welshman was wearing the No. 3 shirt, as he was mostly seen as a left-back. "The most amazing thing ever was that when we played them at home, they left Maicon at right-back, one against one, against Gareth," Harry Redknapp recalled. "He destroyed him again. It was the end of Maicon."

Cristiano Ronaldo

When Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, he could not wear his favorite No. 7 shirt because of Raúl, so he wore No. 9 in his first season. After starting as a winger, Sir Alex Ferguson later pushed Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez out wide to make way for Ronaldo as a central striker. Given how many goals Ronaldo has scored, Rooney and Tevez should not feel too bad about it.

Ousmane Dembélé

Dembélé came to Barcelona as one of the most exciting young wingers, but his time there was filled with injuries and inconsistent performances. One of his most memorable moments was missing a chance to give Barça a 4-0 lead over Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-final. No one would have guessed he would later become the main striker at Paris Saint-Germain. He has thrived in that role under Luis Enrique, winning two Champions League titles and a Ballon d'Or.

Ryan Giggs

For most of his Manchester United career, Giggs was the classic winger: fast, direct, and skillful. As he grew older, he showed he could also be a smart player in the middle of United’s midfield. He became a key player, making great passes for faster attackers like Rooney and Ronaldo.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

When Sami Khedira got injured, Christoph Kramer was concussed, and Toni Kroos struggled, Schweinsteiger had his best performance in the 2014 World Cup final. From central midfield, he fought against the whole Argentina team, leaving the Maracanã with a black eye, a bloodied face, and a winner’s medal. This was a big change from the first eight years of his career, where he mainly played wide.

Andrea Pirlo

Pirlo started as a No. 10 at Brescia, Inter, and Reggina. Carlo Ancelotti later moved him into a deeper role at AC Milan. "He changed my career, putting me in front of the defence," Pirlo said. "We shared some unforgettable moments."

Joelinton

Joelinton signed with Newcastle United for a club-record £40 million in 2019 and got the No. 9 shirt. He only scored six Premier League goals in his first two years and looked set to leave. Things changed when Eddie Howe moved him to midfield. He has since become a fan favorite and helped the team win the 2025 Carabao Cup, ending a 56-year wait for a trophy.

Philipp Lahm

Lahm was already a world-class player in both full-back positions. When Pep Guardiola arrived at Bayern Munich, he moved Lahm into midfield, where he continued to shine. "Philipp Lahm is perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career," Guardiola said. "He is at another level."

Fabinho

Fabinho started as a full-back before a call from Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim turned him into a defensive midfielder before the 2016-17 season. "Looking back, that was a life-changing moment," Fabinho said. He later joined Liverpool and became one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

Ben White

White moved to Arsenal from Brighton in a £50 million deal in 2021 and formed a strong centre-back partnership with Gabriel Magalhães. When William Saliba emerged, it put his place at risk, but a shift to right-back helped Mikel Arteta play all three in the same defense. White is now seen as one of the best in his position in the Premier League and helped the Gunners win the title in 2025-26.

Javier Mascherano

Mascherano struggled to get into a Barcelona midfield with Sergio Busquets, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta. He reinvented himself as a centre-back. "I had zero experience in that role but it happened naturally," he said. "It’s very clear to me that had that change of position not occurred, I would have been out of Barcelona many years ago." He made 334 appearances for the club.

Antonio Valencia

As a winger, Valencia shone at Manchester United after moving from Wigan, but his form dipped after he took the famous No. 7 shirt. A change in position was crucial, and by January 2017, José Mourinho called him "the best right-back in the world."

Gianluca Zambrotta

Zambrotta joined Juventus from Bari in 1999 as a top winger. An injury at the 2002 World Cup allowed Mauro Camoranesi to impress, leading Marcello Lippi to change Zambrotta into a full-back. He became capable of playing on either side and went on to win titles with Juventus, Barcelona, and Milan, plus the 2006 World Cup.

Lothar Matthäus

In 1990, Matthäus was named German Footballer of the Year after leading his country to World Cup victory, scoring four goals from midfield. In his first 12 seasons, he scored 168 goals as a midfielder. In 1998, at age 38, he was named German Footballer of the Year again, this time as a defender or sweeper at Bayern Munich.