"Strength is life, weakness is death,” so goes the saying by the great Swami Vivekananda. The Indian scholar always preached the values of strength and how to avoid weakness by letting go of fragile thoughts.
However, weakness doesn’t always play out in a negative way. In football, they are two types of weak players: ones who are technically weak and the others who are physically weak. And this is a slideshow about the latter.
One of the most common phrases we are used to hearing is that a player with a small stature is unlikely to succeed in the Premier League. However, the performances of Spanish players in England have rubbished those claims – so it proves that physical weakness doesn’t equate to weakness as a player.
And here are five players who are physically weak…
#5 David Silva
Manchester City’s Arab project started to take shape after the signing of the former Valencia player. Before him, the first influx at the Etihad consisted of the likes of Jo, Robinho, Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor and so on – who, to be honest, weren’t world-beaters.
The arrival of David Silva marked the beginning of City’s dawn. Fondly known as Merlin for his magical abilities on the ball, the Spaniard is a bag of creativity and skill. In the zone between the D and the attacking centre-circle, there are few players better than him.
However, if there is one thing that he lacks, it is strength. The World Cup winner has a small stature and it doesn't take much force to send him sprawling. Despite that, he has established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, opening the gates to a new era of Spanish revolution.
#4 Juan Mata
Following David Silva’s move to Manchester City, Premier League clubs started shifting their focus towards Spanish talent. After all, Silva had quashed all the ‘too small to succeed in the PL’ talks with his majestic displays for the Citizens in his first season at the Etihad.
In came another Valencia player the next year: Juan Mata. The Spaniard joined Chelsea in 2011 and became an instant fan-favourite courtesy of his energetic displays filled with creativity. He was Chelsea’s best player and played a crucial role in their Champions League-winning campaign.
In the end, however, it was his weak frame that became his undoing as Jose Mourinho wasn’t convinced of his abilities to defend and, as a result, sold him to Manchester United. But destiny has a mysterious way of operating and both of them are now once again united at United (yes! I did it!).
#3 Jesus Navas
Had it not been for his anxiety issues, Jesus Navas might have had a more glorious career than what he has had thus far. Nonetheless, the winger has won it all, except for the Champions League and can look back at his career with much delight.
When Manchester City signed him in 2013, some fans were worried as to whether he would be able to adjust away from home. He did well, but could never really reach his Sevilla highs with Manchester City.
He had the sprint speed and agility to get past defenders, but his final delivery was always lacking. A look at him will make you wonder how he doesn’t fall down every time a gust of wind blows. Perhaps it was this light-weight that allowed him to run so quickly.
#2 Angel Di Maria
They nicknamed him El Fideo, which translates to The Noodle, because of his very thin and long legs. When he receives the ball and runs at full speed, it feels as though Bugs Bunny has just taken a carrot from his archenemy before sprinting off, saying, ‘what’s up doc?!’
Di Maria is one of those players that is very pleasing to watch. The tenacity in his game is something every youngster should emulate. It is this tenacity and diligence that allowed Carlo Ancelotti to build a winning machine at Madrid.
Real Madrid sold Di Maria to accommodate James Rodriguez, but he has done well for himself at Paris Saint-Germain. Many might label his time at United as a failure, but the truth is that Louis van Gaal didn’t know how to use him adequately.
#1 Neymar
Di Maria’s new team-mate is just as thin as him. Neymar has just completed a world record €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain; a record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon. Neymar dazzled Europe with his performances at Barcelona and won everything there was to win with them.
PSG, according to him, is a new challenge that he needed. For Barcelona, his move comes as a shock given that he was bought to be the eventual successor to Messi. Despite being supremely skilled, the Brazilian’s very skinny figure makes it quite easy to brush him off physically – that is if they can catch him.
At France, he will be protected much more, which is one of the reasons why we will get to see the best of him.