I can’t remember any great goal or assist that he made that was impactful enough to be remembered at a club like R Madrid

I understand he had an amazing World Cup which prob got him the move and it’s hard for players to turn down R Madrid but I just wonder if in hindsight players like him, Hazard, Jovic etc…… realise that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and a move like that hurts your legacy and standing in the game as your demoted to the bench

However looking at Jude Bellingham, Benzema, C Ronaldo when u make it good at the big clubs it’s so rewarding, so I guess it depends on the player and the manager/s that it is at the club at the time

Pele

Zidane

Maradona

Messi

Totti

Sorry to leave out players like Platini, Zico, Ozil (Real Madrid), Rivaldo & Hazard but Totti was my No.10 of my youth along with Zizou

Ronaldinho vs Real Madrid in the Bernabeu for Barcelona 2008, their aren’t many players that get a standing ovation from the Real Madrid crowd but he deserved it that night, he was unplayable

Another performance I have to mention is Thierry Henry vs Liverpool in a 4-2 win for the Gunners at Highbury in 2004 (the unbeaten season)

Titi scored a hat trick, the 2nd goal a masterful goal of skill, composure, speed and lethal finishing against a good defence that was left in his wake

Oh damn I completely forgot bout Cesc Fabregas but to b fair he left in 2011 so are we counting that one season in 2010 where he was injured quite a bit, im also not happy that I’ve left out Ozil (who is one of my fave players all time) but I feel watching him at Arsenal his best and only good position was as a No.10 CAM so for me he just wouldn’t fit in this 11

Granit Xhaka has to be in for a shout here in the left 8 position, he was the perfect partner for Partey last season as he could do all 3 things that are needed in that position - control the tempo of play when it’s needed, win the ball high up in the midfield press and get into the box to score and create chances

As good as Santi and Ozil were they couldn’t do all those 3 things to make u a box to box midfielder

Santi cud prob play the RCM position coz with Partey and Xhaka he would have the licence to attack and cause trouble with his quick feet and vision

My 2 choices are Xhaka and Cazorla

Are they destined to b in that category of world class players who will never make a major International tournament because of the deficiencies of the rest of the team, I hope not but like Ryan Giggs before them and George Best before him it is a possibility 🤯

Jamie Vardy - I just thought he was limited technically but what he lacked in technique he made up for with searing pace and a great attitude to never give a defender a minutes rest which worked in that Leicester team who were frightening on the counter attack

The fact my club were heavily interested and were knocked back by him meant I had to respect his quality and loyalty to the club that made him what he is

I hold my hands up and admit I was so wrong about him and it’s made me a lot more hesitant in judging players before u see them progress in the league

Carlos Tevez at West Ham single handedly kept the Hammers up in that season where he scored huge goals including the winner at Old Trafford to give them a 0-1 away win

Boca Juniors and River Plate are 2 clubs that come to mind, huge rivalry that is known about worldwide, Copa Libertadores winning history, the amount of top class players that have played for both clubs and then moved to Europe and both clubs have incredible fan bases

Ben Thatcher - knocked a player unconscious from the dirtiest elbow charge which would of looked more appropriate in an NFL game 🤕

Reece James before the injuries was doing everything, defending which is his bread and butter, running the whole right side from RB position, crossing, taking set pieces and scoring a few goals

Peter Crouch for sure - Villa, Stoke, Liverpool, Spurs, Portsmouth twice, Burnley, Southampton

Kim Kallstrom to Arsenal, now don’t get me wrong he was quite a good player especially in his Lyon days but the signing just didn’t work, we had enough good players in his position so he was never gonna make a big impact at his advancing age and then to find out he had a bad back in the medical just made it even worse

To his credit he came up with a big moment, scoring a pen in a shootout which helped us eventually win an FA Cup that season, but it was signings like this which made the fans sceptical bout what Wenger was doing