EURO 2008: ESPAÑA THREAD

[Madridista612]

Thought I'd make a thread to speak about the Spanish national team.

SQUAD FOR EURO 2008

GK Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF)
GK Jose Reina (Liverpool FC)
GK Andres Palop (Sevilla CF)

DF Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF)
DF Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool FC)
DF Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
DF Carlos Marchena (Valencia CF)
DF Raul Albiol (Valencia CF)
DF Juan Moreno "Juanito" (Real Betis)
DF Joan Capdevila (Villareal CF)
DF Fernando Navarro (RCD Mallorca)

MF Marcos Senna (Villareal CF)
MF Xabi Alonso (Liverpool FC)
MF Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona)
MF Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC)
MF Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
MF Ruben De La Red (Getafe CF)
MF David Silva (Valencia CF)
MF Santi Cazorla (Villareal CF)

FW David Villa (Valencia CF)
FW Dani Güiza (RCD Mallorca)
FW Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza)
FW Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC)

[ComeOnYouBlues]

i would have thought Bojan would be useful to take.

How good is Sergio Garcia?

[delfino_1936]

as if Raul didn't make it

[Madridista612]

GK Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)
GK Manuel Almunia (Arsenal FC)

DF Pablo Ibañez (Atlético Madrid)
DF Mariano Pernía (Atlético Madrid)
DF Pablo Hernández (Getafe CF)
DF Antonio López (Atlético Madrid)
DF Alberto Lopo (Deportivo)
DF Míchel Salgado (Real Madrid CF)

MF David Albelda (Valencia CF)
MF Joaquín (Valencia CF)
MF Albert Riera (Espanyol)
MF Borja Oubiña (Birmingham City)
MF Luis García Sanz (Atletico Madrid)
MF José Antonio Reyes (Atletico Madrid)
MF Mikel Arteta (Everton FC)

FW Luis García Fernández (Espanyol)
FW Bojan (FC Barcelona)
FW Raúl Tamudo (Espanyol)

were all chances of making the Spain squad, more than a few notable absenses in the squad.

[Madridista612]

How good is Sergio Garcia?

Sergio Garcia is a young Spanish talent who plays for Real Zaragoza (recently demoted to Spanish Segunda) He came through the ranks at FC Barcelona but found little to no opportunities (4 appearances in 2 years, 0 goals). He moved to Levante UD in 2004 and played 31 games in the season scoring 7 goals. Real Zaragoza signed him at the beginning of the 2005 season and since joining has played 89 games scoring 14 goals. Sergio Garcia is a good talent, he works very hard but isn't the most natural finisher. Aragones probably could've chosed 3 or 4 better strikers.

[Ignite_10]

i have a feeling about spain that they can do something, i dont mind them

[LFTWNG11]

as if Raul didn't make it

Raul dives too much.

Spain to crash out... whos in their group?

[Piola]

as if Raul didn't make it

Raul dives too much.

Spain to crash out... whos in their group?

greco merda
sweden the match fixing cunts
russia

Hope Russia and the match fixers go through

[Roman Gladiator 04]

bunch of showpony's

[Madridista612]

Lol now now don't be nasty, Raul doesn't dive at all and Spain aren't showponys they just play more entertaining football than Italy.

[Roman Gladiator 04]

spain along with most spanish players are overated and therefore cannot achieve the success they think they are able to..

[Madridista612]

spain along with most spanish players are overated and therefore cannot achieve the success they think they are able to..

It's true, Spain as a nation does have a rather unusual inferiority complex, not just in football either, but I feel that this year we have the most quality of any team and that no one will be able to stop the immense quality that we have, plus with Cesc stepping up to the plate, we have a solid playmaker. Time will tell.

[Piola]

I feel that this year we have the most quality of any team and that no one will be able to stop the immense quality that we have

firstly on paper Spain is NOT the best team

secondly, this is said at every tournament. you havent won anything for 44 years

[Madridista612]

On paper Spain has by far the best team. Fernando Torres 2nd top goalscorer in English Premier League, Dani Guiza top goalscorer for La Liga, Iker Casillas, best goalkeeper in the world (arguably), Sergio Ramos, best right back in the world (arguably), Cesc Fabregas (1 of the top 3 best midfielders in the world), Xavi and Iniesta (certainly 2 of the top 10 midfielders at Euro 2008), Puyol (undisputedly 1 of the top 5 centre backs at Euro 2008). Italy may have Toni (top goalscorer in a 2nd class league) Pirlo (whos won no major trophies this season but still one of the top midfielders at Euro 2008), Cassano (no major trophies this season), Gattuso (nothing), Chiellini (who the f.uck is Chiellini), Zambrotta (waste of space at Barcelona). The only decent players you have in your squad these days are Cannavaro and Buffon. Maybe France is the only team that has a better squad on paper than Spain.

[LFTWNG11]

On paper Spain has by far the best team. Fernando Torres 2nd top goalscorer in English Premier League, Dani Guiza top goalscorer for La Liga, Iker Casillas, best goalkeeper in the world (arguably), Sergio Ramos, best right back in the world (arguably), Cesc Fabregas (1 of the top 3 best midfielders in the world), Xavi and Iniesta (certainly 2 of the top 10 midfielders at Euro 2008), Puyol (undisputedly 1 of the top 5 centre backs at Euro 2008). Italy may have Toni (top goalscorer in a 2nd class league) Pirlo (whos won no major trophies this season but still one of the top midfielders at Euro 2008), Cassano (no major trophies this season), Gattuso (nothing), Chiellini (who the f.uck is Chiellini), Zambrotta (waste of space at Barcelona). The only decent players you have in your squad these days are Cannavaro and Buffon. Maybe France is the only team that has a better squad on paper than Spain.

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

Im pretty Luca Toni could score goals in any league in the world... he did win the European Golden Boot while in Italy, which includes every league in Europe ;) how many Spanish players have done that? oh and how many Spanish players are world champions???

[pires7]

One big lol about spain having the best squad

Just rememer Fabrgas and Torres didn't win any major titles this year either!

[joker]

SPAIN

[Madridista612]

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Capdevila....all 3 of them are MUCH better than Zambrotta, in fact Dani Alves is supposed to be the one that replaces Zambrotta at Barcelona because Barcelona feel that they are getting a raw deal by paying him so much and him playing so badly. Should make a move to UEFA Cup qualifiers AC Milan

Im pretty Luca Toni could score goals in any league in the world...

Not in Spain....because no one there wants him. He can stay at Bayern and NOT win UEFA Cups lol....or maybe he can move to Milan.....and NOT win UEFA Cups.

[Madridista612]

This morning Spain recorded yet another victory in pre Eurocup friendly's at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino in Huelva. The line ups were experimental on both sides as Spain played a 4-4-2 line up with Casillas in goals, Sergio Ramos at right back, Capdevila at left back with Puyol and Marchena in the middle completing the defence. Starting on the right flank was Iniesta with Silva on the left and Xabi Alonso and Xavi in the middle, up front Torres and Villa formed a partnership up front something that Luis Aragones has not done in some time.

Peru lined up with Butron in goals, Salas, Rodríguez, Vílchez and Luis Hernandez completing the defence. Rainer Torres, Cruzado, Solano and Hidalgo in midfield with Chavez and Guerrero partnering each other up front.

Spain started off the game on the attack. After 4 minutes Iniesta had a fantastic chance to put Spain 1 - 0 up, with a stunning play between Xavi, Villa and Iniesta getting around the keeper but not being able to beat the defender who blocked well denying Spain the first goal. 8 minutes later Spain would again have cause for complaint after Sergio Ramos was clearly pushed inside the box which the referee somehow managed to see as a foul to Peru. Never mind, Spain kept at it and just 1 minute later Xavi took a shot which hammered the post leaving Peru very lucky not to be at least 1 - 0 down if not more.

Peru had to wait until the 21st minute to get their first chance. A free kick to Peru which was hit with authority saw the ball deflected by the wall. The ref did not however see the deflection and Spain escaped with a goalkick rather than the corner to Peru. The Peruvian coach must not have liked what he was seeing as he made the first substitution in the 24th minute, Rodriguez left the field for Villalta. This substitution seemed to quieten down the game with a bit of tustle back and forth in the midfield before Real Madrid right back Sergio Ramos decided to put some spark back into the game. A great play between Iniesta and Ramos saw the right back with space to shoot or cross, Sergio Ramos took the first option and blasted wide. Spain were starting to pick up the pace.

As if the Sergio Ramos chance had woken Spain up, Xavi played a beautiful ball into Villa leaving him 1 on 1 with Butron. Villa finished cooly with the inside of his foot to give Spain the lead. Spain kept trying to find the second goal with little luck, until the 44th minute in which Villa again had a magnificent chance to score. Silva centred for Villa who was all alone at the far post but Villa just couldn't reach the ball. Peru had dodged an enormous bullet just before half time.

The second half started with 4 changes to the line ups. 3 on behalf of Spain that saw Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Torres take a seat on the bench, with Marcos Senna, Cesc, and Guiza taking their spots and 1 more change to Peru's line up with Mariño occupying Cruzado's position.

It didn't take Spain long to assert their dominance again with Silva right in front of Butron, the winger shot straight at Butron. Another bullet dodged by Spain, but would the missed chances come back to haunt them? Not for the moment at least as the game was stopped because of a fan jumping over the barriers and running onto the field in the 52nd minute of the game. He was immediately detained though and the game continued. However the break in play seemed to have an effect on Spain's momemtum as Peru started to control the game and create chances. There first good one coming in the 56th minute with a miraculous double save by "San Iker" saving Spain's bacon, sending the ball from a corner. The corner was whipped in long to the far post where a Peruvian striker was left all by himself but he blasted the header over the post. Luis Aragones obviously thought it was time for another change as Villa left the field in place of Spanish debutant De La Red and then just a couple of minutes later Santi Cazorla for Barca man Andres Iniesta.

The changes seemed to do the trick,at least in the short term as Santi Cazorla crossed the ball for Dani Guiza who headed the ball down but was saved spectacularlyby Butron. The Peruvian coach made a change in the 73rd minute with Hidalgo making way for Neyra, and just a minute later the goal that all Spanish fans were hoping wouldn't come. A defensive mix up between Casillas and Marchena, who headed the ball straight to Rengifo who was able to head the ball, looping over Casillas and finding the back of the net. 1 - 1 and the Huelva crowd was silent.

The equaliser again sparked Spain into action, 5 minutes after Peru's equaliser, it was Santi Cazorla who sent a fierce shot from just outside the box on target but again Butron saved the day, palming the ball away for a corner kick. The 83rd minute came and again Spain wasted a fabulous 1 on 1 chance, this time it was Mallorca forward Guiza committing the crime with Butron getting his foot to the ball to save it, De La Red also had a chance to net the ball but the strike hit a defender and Peru had survived again.

The last change for the night for Spain in the 84th minute as Aragones gave Sergio Garcia his debut, on for Silva who had drifted out of the match. Unfortunately the game was disrupted again by another fan who jumped the barriers, he was detained and play resumed with Spain desperately trying to find the winning goal but not getting any luck. The 90th minute came and Peru made yet another change with Solano making way for Cevasco, Peru looked to have the draw all but sealed. However someone failed to tell that to Capdevila as he popped up in the 93rd minute with a sensational volley that found the roof of the Butron's net and gave the win to Spain much to the delight of all the fans. Spain had just done enough.

With the 2 - 1 result being the final score Spain had won, hardly the performance they displayed against Italy though. Some doubts still in the minds of the Spanish fans but never the less a win is a win. A good result for Spain leading up to the Euro Championships with 1 friendly to go against USA on Thursday before they start their Euro campaign against Guus Hiddink's Russia.

[ruud]

SPAIN

ahaahahahaahaah

[Piola]

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Capdevila....all 3 of them are MUCH better than Zambrotta, in fact Dani Alves is supposed to be the one that replaces Zambrotta at Barcelona because Barcelona feel that they are getting a raw deal by paying him so much and him playing so badly. Should make a move to UEFA Cup qualifiers AC Milan

Im pretty Luca Toni could score goals in any league in the world...

Not in Spain....because no one there wants him. He can stay at Bayern and NOT win UEFA Cups lol....or maybe he can move to Milan.....and NOT win UEFA Cups.

Madridista I think everyone on this forum thinks you are a tool, not just the Italians.

Firstly to suggest the most versatile full back and a world class player is a waste of space is a joke.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Your talking to LFTWNG who supports Lazio and having a crack at Milan playing UEFA Cup, doesnt make sense. i doubt lefty cares about Milan playing uefa cup football

[delfino_1936]

Madridista I think everyone on this forum thinks you are a tool, not just the Italians.

Firstly to suggest the most versatile full back and a world class player is a waste of space is a joke.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Your talking to LFTWNG who supports Lazio and having a crack at Milan playing UEFA Cup, doesnt make sense. i doubt lefty cares about Milan playing uefa cup football

ridiculous amount of pwnage there

[Piola]

Madridista I think everyone on this forum thinks you are a tool, not just the Italians.

Firstly to suggest the most versatile full back and a world class player is a waste of space is a joke.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Your talking to LFTWNG who supports Lazio and having a crack at Milan playing UEFA Cup, doesnt make sense. i doubt lefty cares about Milan playing uefa cup football

ridiculous amount of pwnage there

the bloke is a

[LFTWNG11]

il duce you also forgot that when talking about Zambrotta, Madridista bought up Dani Alves and that he is better, I'm pretty sure he is BRAZILIAN, not Spanish... dumb cunt and Sergio Ramos will be a fantastic player no doubt, better than Zambrotta at full-back? Not yet.

Spain also has Arbeloa, Cadevilia and Navarro... talk about waste of space... none of those would make first team at a top Italian club. Arbeloa is crap, i have to watch him for Liverpool every weekend, its annoying.

[Madridista612]

people on a forum don't like me

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

I interpreted "from Spain" as being from the Spanish league but anyway i'll concede that was probably my misinterpretation. The truth with Zambrotta is that he is a huge failure in the Spanish league, no one liked him, the Barca fans thought he was crap, the Madrid fans thought he was crap, in fact the whole of Europe thought he was crap.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Well I didn't hear any offers from Spanish teams, in fairness though, the Spanish league buys the best and sells the rest so it's not surprising.

Anyway i'm just going to do what everyone else does and kiss all your asses considering there's no other way on this forum. I did think that forums were about expressing differing opinions but it seems that really what it's about is a few Italians expressing their opinions and sh.itting on the rest.

[Piola]

people on a forum don't like me

have a f*cking cry, its just a forum.

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

I interpreted "from Spain" as being from the Spanish league but anyway i'll concede that was probably my misinterpretation. The truth with Zambrotta is that he is a huge failure in the Spanish league, no one liked him, the Barca fans thought he was crap, the Madrid fans thought he was crap, in fact the whole of Europe thought he was crap.

some people are more suited to certain leagues.. others aren't. Zambrotta has played well for Italy, even during his time at Barca and to be fair.. Barca is a f*cking shambles right now.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Well I didn't hear any offers from Spanish teams, in fairness though, the Spanish league buys the best and sells the rest so it's not surprising.

Anyway i'm just going to do what everyone else does and kiss all your asses considering there's no other way on this forum. I did think that forums were about expressing differing opinions but it seems that really what it's about is a few Italians expressing their opinions and sh.itting on the rest.[/quote]

yes.

lol, very few here agrees with what we say so I dont know where you pull this shite from.

People who cant get facts straight dont get their opinions taken seriously either. ie hawkesy is English and doesnt like the Serie A but we take his opinion seriously because he at least knows what he is talking about. more of your posts are anti-Italy than anything else, you have the world's greatest complex.

[LFTWNG11]

people on a forum don't like me

keep deluding yourself buddy... Zambrotta a waste of space... let me think of a full back better from Spain, oh wait I cant!

I interpreted "from Spain" as being from the Spanish league but anyway i'll concede that was probably my misinterpretation. The truth with Zambrotta is that he is a huge failure in the Spanish league, no one liked him, the Barca fans thought he was crap, the Madrid fans thought he was crap, in fact the whole of Europe thought he was crap.

Then you say no one in Spain wants Toni, did you ever think he may not want to go there even if they did want him??

Well I didn't hear any offers from Spanish teams, in fairness though, the Spanish league buys the best and sells the rest so it's not surprising.

Anyway i'm just going to do what everyone else does and kiss all your asses considering there's no other way on this forum. I did think that forums were about expressing differing opinions but it seems that really what it's about is a few Italians expressing their opinions and sh.itting on the rest.

much like on the football pitch

have your opinion mate, some respect for THE WORLD CHAMPIONS wouldnt go astray though...

and on Zambrotta, this point gets me... the fact he hasnt played well in Spain means he is a waste of space. I for one can admit that he hasnt been close to his best in Spain, but there has to other contributing factors, first and formost, completely different league. Are you going to say that doesnt have effect, cos you know you would be an idiot if you said... case in point... Fernando Morientes, absolute gun at Real Madrid (admitally one of my favourite players of all time) went to to Liverpool (much to my pleasure) scored 9 goals in 60-odd appearances!! Not cause he is a shit player, but cos for whatever reason it didnt work out for him. Same situation for Zambrotta, he plays average for Barca yet his national team performances have only gotten better since the world cup!!! He just didnt suit Spanish football, doesnt mean his shit... no way is Fernando Morientes shit!!! Secondly, Barca as a team have been shambles the last seasons, where players such as Ronaldinho (who Madrid clapped off the pitch only 2/3 seasons ago at Santiago) have not been able to perform either. Finally, his performacnes in Champions League have been solid if not better... i doubt you would find a European club who wouldnt want him in their squad (outside of Spain). Finally Zambrotta has one of the hottest missus you would ever want to fuck... that my friend is success itself!

[Madridista612]

Madridista612 wrote:
people on a forum don't like me


have a f*shiraz cry, its just a forum.

Yeh I was being sarcastic but went over your head.

People who cant get facts straight dont get their opinions taken seriously either. ie hawkesy is English and doesnt like the Serie A but we take his opinion seriously because he at least knows what he is talking about. more of your posts are anti-Italy than anything else, you have the world's greatest complex.

When have my facts not been right? An example or two wouldn't go astray. Also....my posts aren't anti-Italy it's not like I go around saying, "Italian people suck a big fat co.ck"....and I would never say that (except in the example just given) because I'm not racist, I just hate Italian football because it's for the most part boring and there's atleast 5 or 6 other leagues that are more exciting than the Serie A plus they cheat a lot (don't want to start another arguement but I think you'll agree that a lot of Italy's football history has been wrapped in controversy, match fixing, diving and wrong decisions etc) and there are at least 5 or 6 national teams that are more exciting than the Italian national team.

The thing thats really funny though is that when someone says well, "I think (insert team here) play better than Italy/Lazio/Roma/Juventus etc etc" you guys bust a nut to try and discredit the opinion...and when you can't because derrr opinions can't be discredited as they're personal preferences you result to childish antics such as calling people clowns (strong argument by the way). What's up with that seriously??

Back on the Zambrotta topic though. Good players for me should be judged on their ability to adapt and that doesn't necessarily mean how they play in different leagues, but how they react and come out of different situations. For example, Inzaghi is a great player because he has been able to score many goals in various teams, in various competitions, Maldini, despite seeing his club embroilled in huge controversy, he still manages to maintain his high level of play. Raul as well is a legend as he has been able to adapt to a multitude of changes. Coaching changes, presidential changes, player changes and positional changes and still manages to score a multitude of goals. Seedorf is another example, he's been in 3 different leagues and won major trophies in each of them. These for me are champion players. Zambrotta may have won a world cup and done well with Juventus and what not but as soon as Juventus went through some tough times he left them behind. He's finding it hard at Barca so instead of sticking it out and trying harder he's quit and decided to move back to Italy.

[Piola]

When have my facts not been right? An example or two wouldn't go astray. Also....my posts aren't anti-Italy it's not like I go around saying, "Italian people suck a big fat grenache"....and I would never say that (except in the example just given) because I'm not racist, I just hate Italian football because it's for the most part boring and there's atleast 5 or 6 other leagues that are more exciting than the Serie A plus they cheat a lot (don't want to start another arguement but I think you'll agree that a lot of Italy's football history has been wrapped in controversy, match fixing, diving and wrong decisions etc) and there are at least 5 or 6 national teams that are more exciting than the Italian national team.

there's the first example of your fact being wrong. not that you think they're boring - that's opinion. but that you think they play defensively and have no intention to score.

as for the cheating, I dont think anyone has ever denied the corruption in Italian football, just strange that people forget the Bundesliga match fixing scandal (you've praised the bundesliga many times), the Porto match fixing scandal, Brazil etc. I would be sure that even in Spain and England, there is corruption. Its not right but its there.

and I remember you once saying that only Italians like Italian football. you would be very surprised at that.

The thing thats really funny though is that when someone says well, "I think (insert team here) play better than Italy/Lazio/Roma/Juventus etc etc" you guys bust a nut to try and discredit the opinion...and when you can't because derrr opinions can't be discredited as they're personal preferences you result to childish antics such as calling people clowns (strong argument by the way). What's up with that seriously??

read the thread "merda". dont tell me you think we're being serious

Back on the Zambrotta topic though. Good players for me should be judged on their ability to adapt and that doesn't necessarily mean how they play in different leagues, but how they react and come out of different situations. For example, Inzaghi is a great player because he has been able to score many goals in various teams, in various competitions, Maldini, despite seeing his club embroilled in huge controversy, he still manages to maintain his high level of play. Raul as well is a legend as he has been able to adapt to a multitude of changes. Coaching changes, presidential changes, player changes and positional changes and still manages to score a multitude of goals. Seedorf is another example, he's been in 3 different leagues and won major trophies in each of them. These for me are champion players. Zambrotta may have won a world cup and done well with Juventus and what not but as soon as Juventus went through some tough times he left them behind. He's finding it hard at Barca so instead of sticking it out and trying harder he's quit and decided to move back to Italy.

That's a fair call. Zambrotta is no all time great and will never be up there with the likes of Maldini, but in the current day, there is no player who can play all of left back, right back and on the right side of midfield equally as well as he can. Many fans would love Zambro to play for them.

the same goes both ways. Mendieta was considered a megastar in Spain before..... There is a long list of Brits who failed in Italy.

Robinho is a good example IMO of a player who wont make it in EPL/Serie A. Not physical enough for England, not tactical enough for Serie A. Great in La Liga cause it suits him perfectly.

[Madridista612]

there's the first example of your fact being wrong. not that you think they're boring - that's opinion. but that you think they play defensively and have no intention to score.

as for the cheating, I dont think anyone has ever denied the corruption in Italian football, just strange that people forget the Bundesliga match fixing scandal (you've praised the bundesliga many times), the Porto match fixing scandal, Brazil etc. I would be sure that even in Spain and England, there is corruption. Its not right but its there.

and I remember you once saying that only Italians like Italian football. you would be very surprised at that.

Against a superior team, an Italian team will almost always, pack out the middle of the field and place a centre forward up in the middle of the field so they can break out quickly with the full backs bursting down the wings, I've seen it so many times it's not funny, always the same, and yeh it's effective because against so many other times it's resulted in a win but it's just boring to watch because the scenario is always the same, either 1. The defensive team will make a mistake and leak a goal or 2. They'll frustrate the opposition into committing too much into attack and then the counter attack will result in a goal which will almost always take the game.

On the corruption thing, well it's true, but Italian football just has so many more examples of it. I don't doubt that at one stage or another each major league has had a few scorelines fixed but with Italian football it just seems to have been happening right throughout their history.

That's a fair call. Zambrotta is no all time great and will never be up there with the likes of Maldini, but in the current day, there is no player who can play all of left back, right back and on the right side of midfield equally as well as he can. Many fans would love Zambro to play for them.

Yeh but I'll bet there's no player in the world that can play centre defensive mid, centre attacking mid, left mid, right mid, centre forward and striker as well as Julio Baptista can (not very well at all), just because he's versatile doesn't make him a great player though.