In this post we explain the phrase ‘deft touch’ which is used in football to describe a piece of skill from a player. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. If you have questions or comments, please email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.
Football Language: Deft touch
If a player demonstrates a deft touch it means that they have shown some skill to control, pass or maybe even score with the ball. To have a deft touch or to show a deftness of touch shows real talent from a player as they control how the ball moves and they do this in a delicate manner. Many dictionary definitions suggest that deft means something that is skillful, clever or quick so in football when a player does something clever with the ball, such as a cushioned pass, a flick of the ball, a dink over the keeper or a cultured pass we can say that they used a deft touch or they demonstrated a deftness of touch.
- Example: He did it better 10 minutes later turning in a Thomas Mueller cutback with a deft touch. (ESPN.co.uk, 14th Nov 2021)
- Example: Beckham’s deft touch shows no sign of waning (Independent 11 June 2009)
- Example: Norwich’s Grant Holt shows deft touch worthy of an England striker (Guardian.co.uk, March 2021)
- Example: Holt’s first goal against Wolves on Saturday demonstrated a deftness of touch (Guardian.co.uk, March 2021)
Related Vocabulary
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