Team
GK: Juan Acuna (Spain)
Juan Acuna was one of the best Spanish keeper in his times. From 1941 to 1951, he won four Zamora trophies, tied for 2nd in the total number of awards won. Deportivo La Coruna named one of its award after him. He played 278 times for Deportivo La Coruna. Internationally, he played once for Spain in 1941 in a match against Switzerland. He narrowly missed a spot on the 1950 World Cup team.
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Juan Acuna |
GK: Jacques Songo'o (Cameroon)
He was voted the 6th African best keeper of the Century behind Bell and N'Kono. He appeared in over 200 games for Deportivo La Coruna and won Ricardo Zamora award for 1995-1996. Although he was younger than Bell and N'Kono, his international career was limited by playing behind two of the best keepers in African history. He was on the WC team in 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. He only started at the WC Finals in 1998.
GK: Paco Liaño (Spain)
Liaño began his football career at hometown's Racing de Santander in 1983, but never established himself. He played briefly for Sestao. He signed for Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 1991. He played for them until 1996. Over here, he won two Zamora Trophy awards as the best goalkeeper in la Liga in addition to another one he won in Sestao for the best goalkeeper in the 3rd level.
RB: Manuel Pablo (Spain)
Manuel Pablo came from the Canary Islands. He started with his hometown club Las Palmas. He moved to Deportivo La Coruna in 1998, where he almost spent his entire career and helped them to win their first ever la Liga title in 2000. He retired in 2016 at the age of 40 after over 450 games for them. He was capped 13 times for Spain between 2000 and 2004.
RB: Luis Rekarte (Spain)
Luis Rekarte started with Alves, but made his name with Real Real Sociedad. He had a brief spell with Barcelona before joining Deportivo La Coruna in 1991. He spent 5 seasons there. He was a member of the team that was known as "Super Depor". He had 4 caps for Spain in 1988. He also represented Basque county. His brother Aitor also played for Spain.
CB: Noureddine Naybet (Morocco)
Naybet was one of the best African defenders ever. He played a record 115 matches for the Moroccan national team, representing the country in two World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He spent most successful period of his career with Deportivo La Coruña in Spain. He won the 1999-2000 league title with them. He was one of the best center-back in La Liga during his prime.  |
Noureddine Naybet |
CB: Jorge Andrade (Portugal)
Jorge Andrade started with Estrela da Amadora and was bought by Porto FC in 2000. After the 2002 World Cup Finals, he joined Deportivo La Coruna. In 2007, he joined Juventus, but this spell was very unsuccessful due to injuries. He was capped 51 times by Portugal and went to the World Cup in 2002 and the European Championship in 2004.
CB: Miroslav Dukic (Yugoslavia/Serbia)
He spent 14 years of his professional career in Spain, notably at the service of Deportivo de La Coruña and Valencia, amassing La Liga totals of 368 games and 11 goals, and winning six major titles for the two clubs combined. In 1994, Đukić missed a penalty kick in the game's last minute (eventual 0–0 draw).As a result FC Barcelona were crowned champions instead. He had 48 caps and played at Euro 2000 for Yugoslavia.
Pedro Lopez Crespo better known as "Pedrito" played for 14 years between 1934 and 1952 for his hometown club Deportivo a Coruña, playing around 300 games, 154 of them in the Primeira División, a category in which he debuted in 1941, after participating in the first promotion in the club's history to the top category. In 1945, he played his only game for Spain against Portugal.
Joan Capedevilla started his career with Espanyol in 1998. He played for many clubs, but his longest and most famous spells were with Deportivo la Coruna and Villareal. He also played for Atletico Madrid and Benfica. He was capped 60 times for Spain, in a period where Spain won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship. He was their disputed starting leftback in that era. He also played for Catalonia.
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Joan Capdevila |
LB: Enrique Romero (Spain)
Romero played for many clubs in his career. After having represented Valencia CF and RCD Mallorca, never appearing in less than 30 league matches during his spell with both clubs combined, he joined Deportivo de La Coruña in 1998. With them, he won the La Liga in 1999-2000. He left them in 2006. He earned 10 caps for Spain between 2000 and 2004. He went to the World Cup Finals in 2002.
CB/DM: Donato (Brazil/Spain)
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Donato began his career with America Football Club in his hometown, switching to neighbours CR Vasco da Gama in 1984. From 1988 to 2003, he played in Spain. He started with Atletico Madrid. He became a star with Deportivo La Coruna during the most successful period in the club's history. They won La Liga in the 1999-2000 season. He earned 12 caps for Spain and went to Euro 1996 in England.
DM: Mauro Silva (Brazil)
Mauro Silva was a member of Brazil's World Cup winning team in 1994. He was capped 59 times. He played for Brigantine in Brazil before joining Deportivo La Coruna in 1992. For Deportivo La Coruna, he amassed competitive totals of 458 games and one goal over 13 La Liga seasons, winning six major titles. One of them was the La Liga title in 2000. Silva represented Brazil at the 1994 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments, winning the former tournament.
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Mauro Silva |
DM/CM: Sergio (Spain)
Sergio Gonzalez spent nearly one decade as a professional at Deportivo de La Coruña after starting at Espanyol. Over 14 La Liga seasons, he amassed totals of 418 matches and 34 goals. In Deportivo, he wona Copa del Rey with him scoring in the Final. He played 11 times for Spain between 2001 and 2005. He represented Spain in the 2002 World Cup playing once in the Finals against South Africa.
RM/CM: Victor Sanchez (Spain)
Victor Sanchez played for Real Madrid for two seasons and Racing Santander for one season before making a name with Deportivo La Coruna. He won the league title in his first season with the club. He played for them from 1999 to 2006. He later had a relative quiet career in Greece before playing for Elche. He represented Spain for 8 times between 2000 and 2004.
Nicknamed "El Brujo", Amancio Amaro played outside right for Deportivo de La Coruña before joining Real Madrid in 1962. He was considered the star of the team in the 1960's. He scored one of the most beautiful goal in European Cup history when Real Madrid lifted the title in 1966. He was capped 42 times. He won the 1964 European Football Championship.
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Amancio Amaro |
LM/LW: Fran (Spain)Fran made it to Deportivo La Coruna first team in 1988. He is considered one of the greatest players for the club. He played 17 seasons with them, winning the 1999-2000 La Liga. He amassed more than 600 overall appearances. He was capped 16 times. He played for Spain at Euro 2000. His last international was against Yugoslavia over there.
AM: Juan Carlos Valeron (Spain)
Juan Carlos Valeron started his career with La Palmas. He played for Mallocra and Atletico Madrid before he moving to Deprtivo La Coruna, where he would play 13 seasons between 2000 and 2013. He was widely considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, but injuries had limited his career. He only played 46 times for Spain between 1998 and 2005. He went to the Euro 2000, the World Cup Finals in 2002 and Euro 2004.
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Juan Carlos Valeron |
AM/FW: Rivaldo (Brazil)
Rivaldo was a part of the attacking trio known as "Three R's" with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho at the 2002 World Cup Finals. He scored 5 goals in 5 games as Brazil took its 5th World Cup. He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1998. He won the 1999 Ballon d' Or. He played for many clubs in his career. He spent five years with Spanish club Barcelona. He also played for AC Milan after the World Cup Finals in 2002.
AM: Djalminha (Brazil)
Djalminha played for many clubs in Brazil and Japan before he signed with Deportivo La Coruna in 1997. He spent 7 seasons with the club. He was one of the key players at the club's greatest period in history. He later played for Club America in Mexico. He only received 17 caps due to stiff completion for his position in Brazil during his time. He lost his place on the 2002 team to Kaka, due to an ugly incident with his Deportivo coach.
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Djalminha |
ST: Diego Tristan (Spain)
Diego Tristan made his name with Mallorca. He would have joined Real Madrid in 2000, but his deal fell. He is best known for his Deportivo de La Coruña spell, where he spent six years, but an injury in 2002 gradually affected his career. He played for many clubs at the end of his career. He was capped 15 times. He was a member of the 2002 World Cup team.
ST: Roy Makaay (Netherlands)
Roy Makaay played for Vitesse and CD Tenerife before becoming a big star with Deportivo La Coruna. He helped them to win their first ever La Liga title in 1999-2000. In 2002-2003, he scored 29 goals and became the European Golden Boot winner. In 2003, he moved to Bayern Muinch. He won two Bundesliga title there. For Netherlands, he was only capped 43 times, largely because he was playing at the same time as Patrick Kuivert, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, etc. He only went to the European Championship in 2000 and 2004.
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Roy Makaay |
ST/SS: Rafael Franco (Argentina)
Born in 1923, Franco played for Newell's Old Boys, Chacarita Juniors, River Plate, Nacional and CD Marte, in Argentina before signing for Deportivo La Coruna in 1948. Over there, he played for a line dubbed as "Orquesta Canaria". In Spain, he also played for Real Valladolid, Racing de Ferrol and Estoril Praia.
During his career he played for Atlético de Madrid (1934–1936) and Deportivo de La Coruña (1927–1934, 1936–1946). He later coached Deportivo, and a statue erected in his name can be found by the Riazor stadium. He managed to score 7 goals for the Spain national football team in only 3 caps, in part thanks to a 6-goal haul against Bulgaria in 1933, in a 13–0 win. He also participated in the 1934 FIFA World Cup.
ST: Bebeto (Brazil)
Bebeto played 75 times for Brazil. He is the sixth highest goalscorer for his national team. At the 1994 World Cup, he formed a formidable strike partnership with Romário to lead Brazil to their fourth World Cup title. His best club career was with Deportivo La Coruna, where won the Pichichi Trophy in 1993. He played for Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Sevilla, Toros Neza, Kashima Antlers, and Al Ittihad.
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Bebeto |
Honorable Mention
Jose Molina (Spain), Francisco Buyo (Spain), Juan Emery (Spain), Antonio Betancort (Spain), Jorge García (Spain), Benito Joanet (Spain), Dani Aranzubía (Spain), Germán Lux (Argentina), Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Cheché Martín (Spain), Luis Otero (Spain), Carlos Ballesta (Spain), Martín Lasarte (Uruguay), Luis García Mosquera (Spain), Voro (Spain), Diego Colotto (Aregentina), Alberto Lopo (Spain), Juan Carlos Piris (Spain), Enrique Ponte (Spain), Claudio Barragán (Spain), Ramón Piña (Spain), Juan Carlos Piris (Argentina), Nando (Spain, Luisinho (Brazil), Álex Bergantiños (Spain), Manolete (Spain), Pacho Garcia (Spain), Cuqui Bienzobas (Spain), Jose Ramon (Spain), Mateo Aldana (Spain), Manuel Guimeráns (Spain), Francisco Reboredo (Spain), Antonio Villar Chao (Spain), Albert Luque (Spain), Pedro Munitis (Spain), Javier Manjarín (Spain), Antonio Bello (Spain), Jose Luis Vara (Spain), Flávio Conceição (Brazil), Turu Flores (Argentina), Arsenio Iglesias (Spain), Riki (Spain), Walter Pandiani (Uruguay), Tino (Spain), Julio Corcuera (Argentina), Oswaldo García (Argentina), Dagoberto Moll (Uruguay), Amancio Amaro (Spain), José Luis Veloso (Spain), Pahiño (Spain), José Manuel Traba (Spain).
Squad Explanation
The original team was created in 2018. I redid in July 2025.
-- The team was created in 2016, but since 2018, Deportivo La Coruna no longer played in the topflight. At the time of writing (July 2025), they are playing in the Segunda División. From 2020 to 2024, they were in the third level.
-- Most of the players selected here played during the period in the 2000's when Deprtivo La Coruna was one of the best clubs in Spain. They won the league title for the 1999-2000 season. They became the second-smallest Spanish city (with a population of roughly 250,000, behind San Sebastián (home of Real Sociedad), which has a population of roughly 180,000), to have ever won La Liga. Jacques Songo'o, Noureddine Naybet, Roy Makaay, Donato, Djalminha, Victor Sanchez, Fran, Mauro Silva and Enrique Romero were on the La Liga winning team. Basically, the same group of players plus Juan Carlos Valeron won the Copa del Roy against Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Real Madrid's on the 100th anniversary in 2002.
-- In the 1950's, Deportivo La Coruna had a good team. They stayed in the top division for 9 straight seasons, which was an achievement. Two players selected here, namely goalkeeper Juan Acuña and striker Rafael Franco, were from that era. They were the only players selected who played for the club before 1990's.
-- In 2021, El Espano created an Ideal Best XI for the club. The lineup was: Jose Molina, Manuel Pablo, Enrique Romero, Noureddine Naybet, Donato, Mauro Silva, Juan Carlos Valerón, Roy Makaay, Diego Tristan, Fran and Bebeto. Their bench players were Juan Acuña, Francisco Liaño, Jorge Andrade, José Luis Vara, Amancio Amaro and Djalminha. -- The Riazor.org is the leading website for information about the Deportivo de La Coruña on the Internet. They selected their 5 greatest players for the club. They were Juan Carlos Valerón, Mauro Silva, Roy Makaay, Bebeto and Fran. -- In 2016, AS created their list of the 10 greatest footballers for Deportivo de La Coruña. They were Mauro Silva, Bebeto, Juan Carlos Valerón, Djalminha, Fran, Donato, Roy Makaay, Manuel Pablo, Juan Acuña and Luis Suárez Miramontes. I don't think this was a ranking. Goalkeepers
-- Deportivo is the fifth Spanish team with the most Ricardo Zamora Trophy winners after Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia. Juan Acuña (4), Juan Otero (1), Francisco Liaño (2), and Jacques Songo'o (1) were the former winners. It was safe to say that four keepers alongside Jose Molina were my prime candidates for the team.
-- The trophy of club's summer football tournament was named in honor of Juan Acuña. He was considered the club's greatest goalkeeper.
-- Paco Liaño was a key figure of the new Superdepor. His first Zamora trophy won in the 1994-1994 season is still the lowest goals-to-games ratio in the league's history (along with Jan Oblak in 2015–16 season). He won his second trophy the following year. In that season, he also became the most goalkeeper to achieve a clean sheet in one season in the history of La Liga, with 26 clean sheets.
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Paco Liaño |
-- Jacques Songo'o was considered one of the best goalkeepers playing in la Liga at his prime. He won the 1996–97 Ricardo Zamora Trophy. He was also an undisputed starter with their first-ever title in La Liga. But he lost his starting position the following season to Jose Molina. Molina, however, was a better known for his career with Atletico Madrid. I went with Songo'o largely because of the league title. -- Francisco Buyo played 280 matches for the club before joining Sevilla and becoming a legend with Real Madrid. During Francisco his time at Deportivo, he was selected to the Spain under-21 team. He also represented the nation at the 1980 Summer Olympics, being eliminated in the first round. Juan Emery who is Unai Emery's father also played three seasons here. Antonio Betancort defended the goal here for a season while on loan from Real Madrid before finding glories in the European Cup. Jorge García played 15 years for the club. Dani Aranzubía became the first goalkeeper in La Liga to score a valid goal (against Almería in 2011). He was also an undisputed starter for five seasons. Germán Lux was voted as the "Best Goalkeeper of the 2013-14 Liga Adelante. I also came across a player named Benito Joanet.
Defenders
-- Deportivo has a long tradition of strong center-back partnerships in defense. This started in the 1970s with Carlos Ballesta and Ramón Piña when the team was in Segunda. Over the years, other great duos followed, like Donato and Noureddine Naybet, who played 134 games together over seven seasons—a club record. There were also solid pairings like Voro-Miroslav Djukic, Djukic-Jose Luis Ribera, Voro-Ribera, and later Jorge Andrade- Fabricio Coloccini.
-- Miroslav Dukic and Noureddine Naybet were the obvious choices for the centerbacks. Donato was also on this team, but I put hm as a defensive midfielder.
-- Miroslav Dukic missed the penalty that would give Deportivo La Coruna the league title, but a single play should not define a career. He won the Don Balón Award for the best foreign player for the 1992-1993 season. During Naybet's 8 seasons with the club, Deportivo la Coruna won La Liga with him being one of the best defenders in the league.
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Miroslav Dukic |
-- I took Jorge Andrade for the third central defender. He had a great international career during his stay here. He went to the European Championship in 2004 with Portugal.-- I seriously considered Fabricio Coloccini for the fourth defender. His reputation was destroyed while playing with AC Milan. He later recovered at Deportivo La Coruna. He was a good player here. He had a better name recognition than Voro, Diego Colotto or Alberto Lopo. Carlos Ballestra and Juan Carlos Piris played in the lower division for the club. Piris scored 40 goals in only 5 seasons here as a defender. Enrique Ponte was listed as one of Deportrivo legends on their website. Luis Otero played on Spain first ever national team game. He was also an Olympic medalist in 1920, but he did not join Deportivo until 1924.
-- Instead of them, I went with an old-timer, Pedrito. He was an important defender in the early history of the club when he played with goalkeeper Juan Acuña and Enrique Ponte. He helped the club to reach the top-flight for the first time in 1941. He played his entire career with the club. I found a list that ranked him as the 6th greatest central defender from him.
-- Manuel Pablo was consistently named as one of the club's greatest players. He is second in appearance for the club. Then, I took righback Luis Rekarte over Lionel Scaloni because Rekarte was more of an undisputed starter during his career here. Lionel Scaloni shared the position with Manuel Pablo and Víctor. Rekarte was a member of "Super Depor". He never played less than 25 matches during his 5 years with the team. I believed that Pedro López Crespo "Pedrito might be a rightback at his time, but he would be a central defender in the modern era. Cheché Martín also made honorable mention.
-- Filipe Luís, Joan Capdevila, and Enrique Romero competed for two left-back spots. El Español selected Enrique Romero in their All-Time Ideal Best XI, so I initially chose him. Both Filipe Luís and Joan Capdevila were still emerging talents during their time at the club, and each earned their first international cap while playing here. I later discovered José Domínguez Rial, who is listed as a club legend on Deportivo’s official website and ranks seventh in all-time appearances. After learning this, I realized that neither Filipe Luís nor Capdevila would likely achieve the same legendary status at the club. In the end, I took Capdvila because I had less question mark about him. He also played 247 matches as a Deportivo player. Nando and Luisinho were also put on honorable mentions.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- Both Mauro Silva and Donato were undisputed selections. Along with Fran, they were the only three players to win all of the club's major titles. Mauro Silva was usually listed among the greatest players ever for the club. arrived together with Bebeto in 1992. They transformed the club into one of the best of their generations in Spain. Mauro Silva would spend 13 years at the club. Donato was usually a central defender, but he also played in the midfielder alongside Mauro Silva.
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Donato |
-- The two no-nonsense midfielders complemented Djalminha well, who was the flamboyant showman of the team. Djalminha arguably had a better career at Deportivo La Coruña than Rivaldo, but his international recognition was limited due to the fierce competition among Brazil’s Golden Generation of attacking midfielders. As a result, he had fewer opportunities to represent Brazil. Juan Carlos Valeron was one of the most underrated players of his generation. Injuries had kept him from reaching superstardom. At , he spent thirteen seasons, totaling 422 games, 32 goals and 57 assists. Both Djalminha and Valeron were almost certain listed as the club's greatest players.-- Luis Suárez Miramontes was a Galician who came up through Deportivo’s youth system. He is sometimes mentioned among the club’s all-time greats due to his Ballon d'Or win. However, he only made 17 appearances and scored 3 goals for Deportivo before moving on to FC Barcelona. For that reason, I couldn’t realistically include him. Rivaldo spent just a single season at Deportivo. Like Suárez, he later won the Ballon d'Or—but both awards were earned for their performances at Barcelona, not at Deportivo. Therefore, those accolades shouldn’t factor into their legacy at this club. However, Rivaldo's sole season at Deportivo La Coruña was still remembered as "The Rivaldo Season." Arriving as Bebeto’s replacement for a club-record fee, he was not yet the global superstar he would become—instead, he was a player overlooked by the Brazilian national team. Yet he quickly silenced any doubts, scoring five goals in his first five games in Spain. By the end of the campaign, he had netted 21 times in 41 matches, propelling Deportivo from mid-table obscurity to a stunning third-place finish in La Liga. While Luis Suárez may have been the hometown hero, Rivaldo’s electrifying performances that season were unlike anything the club had ever witnessed. So, I took him as additional attack midfielder behind Valeron and Djalminha.
-- I believed Manolete was a playmaker. He was capped twice by Spain while playing for the club. He was a home-grown talent whose career was left unfulfilled because of injuries. Pacho Garcia at one point was the second in appearance records. I also do not know the type of midfielder he was. I also came across a midfielder named Cuqui Bienzobas, but information about him was limited to a wikipedia page. Fran's brother Jose Ramon was also a star midfielder over here.
-- Instead of those old-times, I added Sergio to the team. he was another no non-sense midfielder.
-- Amancio Amaro was a home-grown player who played about 4 years for the club before switching to Real Madrid. He spent his time here in the lower division, but he brought them to the topflight by scoring 25 goals in 26 games. Real Madrid paid 10 million pesetas for and an additional five players to acquire him in 1962. As of 2025, he is still among the top 10 scorers for the club. I also decided to take Victor Sanchez (Spain) who was from their La Liga winning side.
-- On the left, Fran is often mentioned as the club's greatest player. He played a record 700 matches for the club. Rivaldo would serve as the other left-side attacker. Francisco Reboredo was listed as a left-wing forward. He helped the club to get promoted to the topflight in 1941. Antonio Villar Chao made his debut after Deportivo the season after. I do not know how they played with each other. Both were listed among legends of the club on their website. They only made honorable mentions.
Forwards
-- Bebeto won the Pichichi Trophy in 1993 as the highest goal scorer in La Liga. However, his reputation was hurt by refusing to take a penalty on the last match against Valencia in the 1993-1994 season. A goal would have given Deportivo La Coruna the title. Miroslav Đukić took the penalty and failed to score; hence, the match ended with a 0–0 draw, effectively handing Barcelona the title. However, the episode did not hurt Bebeto's status with this all-time team. He was always listed among the greatest players for the club.
-- Roy Makaay won the European Golden Boot winner in the 2002-2003 season. He made almost list of great players for the club I came across. Diego Tristán was overshadowed by Makaay, but he still enjoyed a successful career, despite having problems with injuries. Tristian is their all-time leading scorer while Makaay fifth.
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Diego Tristán |
-- Pahino's three seasons with Deportivo La Coruna was not as good his years with Real Madrid. He did not make the team.-- "Chacho" who represented Spain at the 1934 World Cup, left an indelible mark in just four international appearances—scoring an astonishing seven goals. His most iconic performance came in a record-breaking six-goal demolition of Bulgaria, a feat that still stands unmatched in Spanish national team history. Such was his legacy that Deportivo La Coruña honored him with a statue outside the Estadio Riazor—a rare tribute reserved only for the most iconic figures in the club’s history. If the club immortalized him in bronze, it could only mean one thing: Chacho was a legend.
-- Ángel García Docampo "Angelito" was one of the first idols of the club. he would later play as a defender. José Luis Veloso who was Amanico's strike partner is the club's third all-time leading scorer.
-- In the 1950s, the so-called "Orquestra Canaro" line was one of the greatest in the history of the club. They almost won the league title. I only selected Rafael Franco. He was a false 9, a concept new to football at the time. Dagoberto Moll, Tino, Julio Corcuera and Oswaldo García only made honorable mentions.
Formation
I have a lot of affection for Deportivo La Coruña.
ReplyDeleteAcuna
ReplyDeleteM.Pablo Đukić Donato Capdevila
Sergio-Gonzalez M.Silva
Valeron Fran
Bebeto Djalminha
https://www.pesmaster.com/sergio-gonzalez/pes-5/player/3936/
Sergio is ranked 6th for most games with Super Depor. His DBS stats show atleast 2 outstanding seasons. Donato also rates well as a center.
Ilian Kiriakos is another option for the left back slot.