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DEFENCE
Right-back: Daniel Carvajal
Carvajal signed for Real Madrid last summer and immediately make the right-back spot his own. In total, he made 31 appearances in La Liga, scoring two goals and creating 35 chances.
The 22-year-old’s Performance Score of 685 is the third-best out of defenders at the club, which is a very decent effort considering the two ahead of him are Sergio Ramos (1138) and Pepe (1016).
Carvajal was also selected to be a part of Spain’s World Cup squad, capping off a strong season.
Centre-back: Joel Matip
Matip was Schalke’s best defender last season. His Performance Score of 899 was not only the best for a defender at the German club, but no one else at Schalke topped that Score.
He was a colossus in defence, winning 68% of his headed duels – a total of 120. That is a staggering number and certainly one of the highest in Europe. To add to that, he also scored three goals, all with his head, proving how dominant he is in the air.
Matip is sure to become one of the best defenders in Europe and the last season provided us with another reason to believe exactly that.
Centre-back: Aymeric Laporte
Laporte achieved a Performance Score of 663 which was the second-highest at Athletic Bilbao last season. Only Ander Herrera (729) grabbed a higher Score.
He was excellent in defence, winning 82 headed duels at a success rate of 61%. He also completed 23/34 take-ons – a success of 68%. He was superb last season for Athletic and has a bright future ahead of him.
Laporte may end up staying with Bilbao next season but a repeat of last season, he could be on his way to a much bigger club.
Left-back: Ricardo Rodriguez
Rodriguez posted the most impressive figures from any young player in Europe last season. The Swiss left-back was the only player aged 21 or under in Germany to break the 1000-point mark in Squawka’s Performance Score. He finished the season in Germany with a Performance Score of 1283, exactly 400 ahead of anyone else at Wolfsburg.
He had a superb campaign, creating a mammoth 78 chances and scoring five goals, from full-back no less. It doesn’t end there either, he completed 87 take ons at a success rate of 77%.
Rodriguez also won 102 headed duels and 90 tackles. Most players average out overall and some have one or two standout statistics but Rodriguez’s figures are absolutely sensational across the board. He will not be at Wolfsburg for long, especially if he carries his form into the World Cup this summer with Switzerland.
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