Defenders
Left-back: Maxwell
Full-back Maxwell has been an unheralded player for the vast majority of his career, shunning the spotlight and being largely ignored by the Brazilian national team. More popularly known for his close friendship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic – whom he’s played with at Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain – Maxwell played for Barcelona between 2009 and 2012 making a total of 57 appearances.
An excellent crosser of the ball, Maxwell initially got his opportunity with Barca after an injury to Eric Abidal. Even though he did manage to win 2 league titles, 2 Super Cups, a Champions League, and 2 FIFA Club World Cups with the club, he was mostly used as a backup or in more advanced positions on the wing rather than his preferred role in defence.
Having left for Paris in January 2012, he made over 30 appearances in each of his 4 full seasons with the club and won 13 domestic trophies, becoming a key member of the team that dominated the French domestic scene.
Right-back: Hector Bellerin
A player who is only just beginning to realise his tremendous potential, Bellerin joined Arsenal for a paltry sum of €425,000 in 2011; only a week before Fabregas made the controversial move back to the Catalan giants.
He made his breakthrough into the Gunners’ first team when a piling injury list forced Arsene Wenger to start him against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
After initial struggles, the 21-year-old has rapidly matured into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. Using his incredible pace and dribbling ability in both attack and defence, the Spaniard helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in his first season with the squad.
Repeatedly linked with a move back to the Blaugrana, one can imagine that they are regretting letting him go so easily and cheaply back then.
Center-back: Thomas Vermaelen
Vermaelen has always been a center-back on the cusp of greatness, but marred by consistent injury problems, the Belgian hasn’t managed to reach his true potential.
Coming through the famed Ajax academy, he won the Eredivisie with the Dutch giants in 2003-04 in his first season with the team. He won a further 4 domestic trophies and became club captain before eventually moving to Arsenal. In North-London, he put in some stellar performances in the centre of defence and was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the year in 2009.
Niggling injuries saw him regularly sit out games and though he made 150 appearances for the Gunners and was appointed club captain, he followed the footsteps of many before him to join Barcelona in 2014. He made only 1 appearance in the club’s treble-winning season and a further 20 in the next before eventually leaving for Roma.
While he had the potential to become a starter at one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he failed to usurp any of Barca’s centre-backs and establish himself in the team.
Center-back: Laurent Blanc
Arguably one of the greatest centre-backs to have ever played the game, Laurent Blanc played for the Blaugrana between 1996 and 1997 winning a Copa Del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in the process. However, his time with the club was a less than happy one.
The legendary Frenchman, who was a ‘sweeper’ by nature, had a professional playing career spanning clubs such as Napoli, Saint-Etienne, Marseille, Inter Milan and Manchester United. He stayed with the Catalans for just a solitary season, making 28 appearances and scoring 1 goal, joining at the behest of Johan Cruyff, who was unfortunately sacked the day Blanc joined the club.
After leaving the Spanish giants, he enjoyed fair amounts of success with Marseille and Inter Milan – winning the World Cup and European Championships during his stints with the clubs – before winning the Premier League with United and finally retiring from football at the end of his time with the club.
