Bettor.com's Football Team of the decade - Left Sided Midfielder
We have got Luis Figo on the right side of our team, but now we search for the player who can terrorise the right backs. We take a look at the three best possible options for a place on the left hand side of our midfield:
Clerance Seedorf:
Seedorf seems to have been an ever present footballer. During the last decade, he has played for rivals, Inter and AC Milan. He previously had won two Champions League medals with Ajax in 1995 and with Real Madrid in 1998.
Over the past decade, Seedorf has produced magical displays in big games. He has won two champions League medals with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007. This made Seedorf the only player to have won Champions League with three different clubs.
Seedorf has only won a solitary Seria A title in 2004. However, he has been an exemplary professional. With all his talent and ability, he has managed to stay focused on football and do his talking on the pitch.
It was a different story in his international career. It has been said that Seedorf could have achieved a lot more had he been able to build better rapport with his national team managers. His last major tournament with the Dutch team was Euro 2004.
Seedorf was a class act with Milan and won the UEFA best midfielder of the year award in 2007. He was also named in UEFA team of the year twice in 2002 and 2007.
Seedorf will always be remembered for his neat touches, close control and a ferocious right foot. He was a class act of the last decade, without a shadow of a doubt.
Andres Iniesta:
Iniesta was born to play football; everything seems to come naturally to him. The ball seems to stick to his feet and his first touch leaves everyone in absolute awe.
Iniesta is yet another product of the famous Barcelona youth academy. He is a Catalan through and through. His versatility has been key to his progress, the boy has so much talent that he can play anywhere in the midfield or attack.
Iniesta came to the forefront in 2004/05 season when he played 37 of 38 La Liga games. He was hailed for his unselfish play and superb interplay with Ronaldinho and Eto’o. Since then, Iniesta has grown as a player and has been the craftsman of the Barcelona
team along with his Spanish team mate, Xavi.
Iniesta has won the Champions League twice and La Liga four times. He also helped Spain to win the European Championships in 2008 and scored the winning goal in 2010 World Cup.
Iniesta was part of UEFA team of the year in 2009 and Euro team of the tournament in 2008. His recent rise to fame has led to many pundits suggesting that if Iniesta can add goals to his game than he certainly has the potential to be the best in the world.
Ronaldinho:
Most of the players who have been mentioned in this series are those who performed over a longer period in the decade; however Ronaldinho was at the top of his game between 2003 and 2006 when at Barcelona. But, during this time he was the closest thing anyone
had ever seen, to Maradona.
Simply put, he was unstoppable. Ronaldinho was by far the most pleasing player to the eye from the last decade. He would enter the pitch and enjoy the game for 90 minutes with a smile on his face; he was truly a genuine entertainer.
Ronaldinho won FIFA World player of the year award in 2005 and 2006. He was part of UEFA team of the year for three consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2006.
In 2007/08 season, he only managed to make 26 appearances and fell out with the coach, after which he decided to move to AC Milan. At Milan, he failed to rediscover his form in his first season but has shown an improvement since then.
Ronaldinho was a star performer during Brazil’s World cup triumph in 2002. He also won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005.
If we were to choose one player who played the most stunning football at their prime, then it would be difficult to look past this man. No matter what he does in the future, but what he did during his peak time, will be hard to repeat by any footballer in
future.
It is because his prime was better than the other two; Ronaldinho seems to be the automatic choice on the left hand side of our team of the decade.
Verdict: Left Sided Midfielder of the decade = Ronaldinho
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