19. Maicon. 57 points
Before his reputation got completely trashed by Gareth Bale (twice), he was seen by many as potentially the best right back of his generation. He performed so good that he even kept peak Dani Alves either out of the team or, at least, out of the position for Brazil. Like Cafu reincarnated, he dominated the wing on his own — strong, fast, with good technique and capable of scoring sublime goals, in 2009/10 he was simply unplayable, and even got chosen as UEFA Club Defender of the Year. Sadly, his peak was a bit short, albeit incredible, to him to be considered for a higher position in our list.
18. Leandro. 70 points
Leandro had spent his whole career in Brazil, which, perhaps, damaged his reputation abroad, but he is still well-known and well-loved by everyone who ever saw the vintage Brazilian side of the 1982 World Cup. I won't go into much detail about him, but rather provide a link to a 3-posts long essay by
@GodShaveTheQueen — on Leandro and "the curious case of Brazilian fullbacks and Redcafe drafts" (go to the quoted post to read the rest).
So now I decide to do a bit of research on how well could Leandro play...
17. Gianluca Zambrotta. 85 points
Zambrotta spent his whole career alternating between left and right wing, being equally comfortable on either side. His versatility was highlighted by his performance at the 2006 World Cup (which Italy had won, as you all, of course, remember) — he began the tournament as a left back, then switched to the other side and even spent some time as a left midfielder in a game against Ukraine. It ensured not only a glorious international career — Zambrotta earned 98 caps for a country best known for their outstanding defenders, but also a hugely successful career in club football. He had won Serie A with both Juventus and AC Milan and spent 2 years at Rijkaard's Barcelona, which was one of the best sides in the world at the time.
16. Claudio Gentile. 112 points
Gentile: perhaps the most inappropriate name ever afforded to a professional footballer. The Italian defender wore his reputation as a tough, uncompromising defender, or as the more clickbait YouTube video titles would have you believe, ‘The Hardest Man in Soccer’, as a badge of honour. But there was nothing gentle about the man born in Libya and raised in Italy on a diet of Catenaccio and traditional Italian physicality. “My character was not to intimidate, it was to show I was the boss on the field. You have to be gritty and determined. At certain times you have to know ‘how’ to foul,” once said the Italian.
Best known for the brutal man-markings of Maradona and Zico during Italy's successful 1982 World Cup campaign, he spent most of his career in a slightly different role — as a right-sided defender in Zona Mista set up, mostly covering the movements of the opposition left winger. Zoff, Scirea, Gentile and Cabrini (signed last in 1976) would form the bedrock of Juve’s defence for the next seven years. Over those prolific seven years with the Serie A giants, Gentile and a revitalised Juventus team would win five Scudetti
, two Coppa Italias, one UEFA Cup and one Cup Winners’ Cup. Gentile would narrowly miss out on the third UEFA trophy, the European Cup, when losing to Hamburg in the 1983 final. The four players would also be first choice starters for the national team from 1975 to 1983, competing in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups as well as Euro 80.
15. Víctor Rodríguez Andrade. 115 points
The nephew of another Uruguayan international player, José Leandro Andrade (the legendary "Black Marvel" and one of the first football superstars), had achieved a lot in his career. Most notably, he matched his famous uncle's greatest achievement by winning the 1950 World Cup — 20 years after Uruguay's first ever success. Again, no need to write anything while our resident Uruguayan already made a brilliant write up on his career — please check it out if you haven't seen it.
With Zizinho starting on his (Gambetta's — harms) side and Zizinho-to-Ademir being a proven devastatingly effective route to goal, things looked ominous. So Uruguay surprised Brazil on the day by starting Rodríguez Andrade on the right and Gambetta on the left.
Within five minutes though, the entire issue was sorted. The first or second time Zizinho gets the ball Víctor puts in one of those skeleton-busting tackles which are honest but dare you to try what dishonesty could be like. Zizinho didn't want to, and was largely anonymous for most of the game.
