Marcelo – the best left back in the world?
Since I play left back myself, I often notice others playing my position. This past season, I’ve seen a few games where Marcelino, the Real Madrid left back bought to replace Roberto Carlos, has been involved. He’s currently playing for Brazil in the Olympics where he set up Pato for their 2-0 goal against New Zealand today.
Marcelino is a typical Brazilian left back – more of a winger than a defender. He is more than willing to carry the ball and get involved on the offensive end and he relies on his pace and skill to compensate for lack of physique and defensive positioning, quite the opposite of yours truly. Here’s a video showing what Marcelo can do:
The question is – is he the best left back in the world? I would offer the following alternatives: Zambrotta (can play both left and right and is a great defender), Jankulovski, Ashley Cole, Evra, Lahm (though he is a liability defensively) and, based on his Euro 2008 performance, Yuri Zirkhov of Russia. Marcelo gets my vote. Who do you think is the best?
Tags: Ashley Cole, Brazil, Gianluca Zambrotta, Left back, Marcelo, Marek Jankulovski, Patrice Evra, Philip Lahm, Real Madrid, Yuri Zirkhov
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