Andrea Barzagli, 2011-2012 - Best CB in the world by a country mile. Just epic stuff.

@OP: You're right: In 2002-2003, Nesta was at least as good as Maldini. Maldini's third place in Ballon d'Or was indeed more of a lifetime achievement award or was over-appraised out of respect.

 

Andrea Barzagli, 2011-2012 - Best CB in the world by a country mile. Just epic stuff.

Lasciatemi trollare...

 

@OP:

I preferred Dani Alves Sevilla performance in 06/07 to any of his Barca seasons.

 

Cafu was not that special in 94.

talking about sao paulo defender.

Ricardo Rocha in 91 was unbeliavable.
After that he went to Real madrid to be one of the 3 foreigners on the team (no Bosman at the time)

pity he got injured in the 94 world cup. Would be hailed as a semi god nowadays

 

Gheorge Popescu - 00/01? However he was consistently great during the entire 90s.

Wysyłane z mojego HUAWEI U8815 za pomocą Tapatalk 2

 

I should add that that in 02-03 Maldini ended the season with an average rating of 6.53 in Gazzetta dello Sport, quite unheard of by a defender.

 

Thiago Silva in 2010-11 was great too. Vidic 2010-11 is another one, especially in the league.

 

By Elías Figueroa is needed add that he got 3rd place in the South american player of year 1977, more best player in Brazilian league in 76 and 72 more best player in the Uruguayan league 1967-1968- 1971(in the best time in this league), plus other great recognitions more.



Passarella in 78, was fourth best player of the year in South America and best defense of America (above Figueroa 6° in place), was champion with River Plate also with the Argentina team in the World Cup, and he got many goals.

Source:

http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/sampoy78.html

 

River did not win anything 78, and 78 was probably Passarella's worst club season while playing in South America (he only played 19 games). I would guess that his best seasons were either in 76 (they year he scored 24 goals in 36 games) or 79 when river won everything with him as captain.

 

Walter Samuel 09/10

 

Walter Samuel 09-10 among the greatest defensive performances? Highly doubt. His scudetto-winning season with Roma was more impressive.

 

I would agree. I saw 09-10's excellent defense as more of a collective effort for Inter, with Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti, and Maicon all playing at or near a world class level, but no individual season was an all time great performance. Cambiasso also did a great job shielding them.

 

Franz Beckenbauer. Hard to choose a season, maybe '74 when he won the World Cup, European Cup and the Bundesliga.

 

des walker 89 for nottingham forest... the guy was a wall

 

Good shout.

 

loved him play roy.

One of the best center backs i have ever seen for sure

if he was italian, XT would dwell on him

 

as a sampdoriano I have awful memories of him, but I understand a player can be awful in a different league for many reasons different from him being really an awful player.

 

While I agree, Walker is probably treated poorly in retrospect, the idea he had one of the best seasons ever by a defender is kind of laughable

 

What English players have really stood out in the last 20 years playing abroad?

 

How many English players have played abroad? I mean there's not that many really, certainly not the better English players.

 

Gascoigne, Walker, Platt, Beckham and that other guy that plays for stoke.... Pennant?


add to that wilkins, hately, lineker, rush, waddle and hoddle

out of these players, probably only hoddle and waddle have had the same level as of playing in england... the rest all played well below their capablities

 

Roberto Carlos 2001/2002 should have been WPOTY.
Roberto Carlos 2003 also.And how about Passarella 76 and Santamaria 60??

 

lol

 

1991 - Oscar Ruggeri: South American Footballer of the Year, Vélez Sársfield. Always assumed this was related to the Copa America as he did not win anything with the club, let me know if this is incorrect.

His SAPotY award was basically for his NT performance.

At club level, he doesn't make the top-20 for Clausura '91, not even Best-XI.

And for the 1991-92 season, he was the 3rd best rated defender and 8th placed in the overall ranking, according El Grafico.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...om/community/threads/primera-división-rankings-of-argentinean-football.1862688/

 

Figueroa did not become three consecutive times the best American player because of magic. He had a brilliant career that is necessary highlighted.

With respect to Figueroa I can tell you that the 1966-67 season he had 19 year and played the World Cup and by few votes was not elected the best youth player (Beckenbauer won the votes because reached the final of the tournament) . That same year Figueroa he was recruited by world champion team , Peñarol of Uruguay . In addition and more importantly was elected at that age (19-20 years) as the best player of the Uruguayan league above other legendary players as Mazurkiewicz , Pedro Rocha, Manga, Atilio Ancheta ( Bola de Ouro 73 ), Juan Joya or Alberto Spencer. I reiterate , Figueroa was 19-20 years old.

He was also best player of Uruguayan league in 1968 and 1971, in total three times in five years in this league (then, was the best league in the world with two championship teams of the Intercontinental Cup in those years).

When Figueroa arrived in Brazil (rejecting the offer from Real Madrid * ) and in his first season he got the highest score to be considered the best player in Brazil in 1972 ( Bola de Ouro award )

Dude, you talk about the 1975 and 1976 seasons . all this is true.
but many forget the 1974 season. According FIFA.COM Elias Figueroa was voted best defender in the world cup above Beckenbauer . Beckenbauer after the tournament , admits to being the "European Figueroa " *. Figueroa was elected to the All-Star team of 1974 Worl Cup and won the recognized as the best American player.

1975 and 1976 were great years for Figueroa , besides being champion in Brazil in the 76 consigió your second bola de ouro and third consecutive award as best American player.

In 1977 he was elected in third place as best player in America, despite playing with a smaller team . The Palestinian Club of Chile won its first Chilean league (the team only won two leagues in all history ) , reached semi final of the Copa Libertadores and also beat Sao Paulo in Brazil. That year was the best year in the history of the Chilean club Palestino.

In 1979 Elias Figueroa was in the twilight of his career and reached the final of the Copa America with Chile team . Unfortunately he could not play the first of three matches of final. Macht in which Chile lost 3-0 . But while he was on the field no one could make a goal against Chile in this continental final.

In this brief recount I feature the year 1966-1967 because Figueroa was only 19 years old. I also underlined the years 72, 74 and 77.

*Source FIFA.COM
http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/players/player=49415/

Elsewhere, I want to add that in 1976 Passarella got a high number of goals that no defender has achieved in a single year.