South West England All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Hapgood, Bowden, Britton and Bastin (Battle of Highbury) 

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

England
Greater London
North East England, NorthWest England.

Yorkshire and Humber

West Midlands
East Midlands

South East England

East of England
Black English players
United Kingdom World Cup 1970
United Kingdom World Cup 1982
England World Cup 1974
England After 1966 All-Time Team

England with Haaland and Musiala in Euro 2024

South West England is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Large cities and towns in the region include Bristol, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth and Swindon. It is geographically the largest of the nine regions of England covering 9,200 square miles (23,800 km2), but the third least-populous, with approximately five million residents.

South West England is not known for associated football. It is a region for rugby. At the time of writing, approximately 40 footballers from South West England have played for England.  The region produces the least amount of English international footballers.  As compared, South East England has about 110 players while the Greater London area has about 170.  The region has 9 teams in the English Football League: Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, AFC Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon, Yeovil and Forest Green Rovers. All of them usually spent their time in the lower division. 

Team

GK: Nigel Martyn (St. Austell)

Having started his career with Bristol Rovers he moved to Crystal Palace where he became the first £1million goalkeeper in British football and was a member of the Palace side that lost the 1990 Cup Final and won the Full Members Cup in 1991. Subsequently, Martyn spent six seasons at Leeds United. He went on to win 23 England caps. An ankle injury forced him to retire in 2006, following three seasons at Everton.

Nigel Martyn 

GK: Jack Butland (Bristol)

Butland began his career with Birmingham City, but mainly sent out for loans. He transferred to Premier League club Stoke City in January 2013 for a fee of £3.3 million, but spent his career on loan elsewhere until 2015 where he became first choice. Butland was the first choice for Great Britain squad at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2012, he received his senior cap at the age of 19, the youngest ever England's keeper.

GK: Dick Pym (Devon)

Pym was best known for being the Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper at the first ever FA Cup final to be played at Wembley Stadium in 1923.  The match was known as the "White Horse" Final.  In total, he won three FA Cups. In 1921, he was sold from Exeter City to Bolton Wanderers for 5000 pounds, which was a record.  From 1925 to 1926, he was capped 3 times for England.

FB: Edward Haygarth (Gloucestershire)

Born in 1854, Haygarth represented the England national football team and played first-class cricket with Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Haygarth was capped just once for England, in a 2–2 draw against Scotland where he played as a full-back.  He played club football for Reading and Swifts.  He was a member of Reading Hall of Fame.

CB/RB: Gary Mabbutt  (Bristol)
Gary Mabbutt became one of the best known defenders in English football in the 1980s, playing initially for Bristol Rovers before joining the first division club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became captain. With Spurs, he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and the FA Cup in 1991 (as captain). However, he scored an own goal in the 1987 FA Cup that gave Coventry the cup. He played 16 times for England between 1982 and 1992. He scored his only international goal against Yugoslavia. 

Gary Mabbutt

CB/RB: Keith Curle (Bristol)

Curle  played notably for Manchester City between 1991 and 1995, where he was also the club captain. He also played for Bristol Rovers, Torquay United, Bristol City, Reading, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Barnsley. He became player-manager of Mansfield Town in 2002, where he remained until 2005.  He earned a total of 3 caps for England.  He played against Denmark at Euro 1992.

CB: Larry Lloyd  (Bristol)
Larry Lloyd was remembered for his stints with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. He was a part of Bill Shankly's great side from 1969 to 1974.  He helped Liverpool winning the First Division in 1972-1973, the FA Cup 1973-1974 and the UEFA Cup 1972-1973. He was also a part of Brian Clough's team that won back-to-back European Cup. For England, he played 4 times between 1971 and 1980.

Larry Lloyd 

CB/GK: Charles Wreford-Brown (Bristol)

Charles Wredord-Brown was credited of creating the term "soccer" for the sport to separate it from rugby football. He played both football and cricket while in Oxford University.  He played for Old Carthusians and Corinthian FC won 4 England caps over a 9 year period, captaining the side on 2 occasions in 1894 and 1895.  He later served as the Vice-President of the English Football Association.

LB: Eddie Hapgood (Bristol)

Hapgood captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s. He was one of first star players in England.  His image was used for advertisement which was a pioneer at his time. He started his Arsenal career in 1927 and ended in 1944.  Internationally, he had 30 caps with 21 times as its captain.  He captained England during the famous "the Battle of Highbury" against World Cup winner Italy in 1934.

Eddie Hapgood 

MF: Phil Taylor  (Bristol) 

Taylor played for his hometown club Bristol Rovers as an apprentice before he was signed by Liverpool in March 1936.  He played for them until 1954.  Liverpool won the Football league in the 1946–47  season.  He represented England 3 times, making his debut on 18 October 1947 in a British Home Championship alongside Tom Finney, Stan Mortensen and Tommy Lawton. 

 

LH/LM/LB: Ray Barlow (Wiltshire)

Ray Barlow was considered West Bromwich Albion's greatest footballer.  He played for them between 1944 and 1960, helping them to win the 1954 FA Cup.  That year, they also finished second in the league.  He also played briefly for Birmingham City.  For England, he played once in 1954 against Norther Ireland.  He also played twice for England B.

LM/LWF/DM: Maurice Setters (Devon)

Setters was known for his 6 seasons with Manchester United.  He was the club's captian. He also played for Exeter City, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City, Coventry City and Charlton Athletic, and in the United Soccer Association with the Cleveland Stokers.  Setters was included in the provisional England squad for the 1958 World Cup squad but was not selected for the main team. 

DM: Eric Dier (Cheltenham)

Eric Dier grew up in Portugal with British parents and was signed by Sporting CP at an early age. He spent two seasons on the first there. In 2014, he joined Tottenham Hotspurs in England. Dier was one of models for England's Umbro kit in 2011 as a 16 years old before he was considered by England at any level. In 2015, he received his first senior cap.  He was a part of the team at Euro 2016 in France and the World Cup 2018 in Russia, where he captained one of the games.

 Eric Dier 

WH/RH/RB: Cliff Britton (Hanham)

His professional playing career began when he signed for Bristol Rovers in 1928, where he played with his brother Frank.  In 1930, he joined Everton.  He was one of the stars of Everton's 1933 FA Cup win. He was one of the classiest playmakers of his era.  He was a member Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame (Everton FC).  Between 1934 and 1937 Britton also played nine times for England

CH/CB: Billy Wedlock  (Bristol)

William John Wedlock was also known as "Fatty" or the "India Rubber Man".  He played for Bristol City in 1900–01 and from 1905 until his retirement in 1921. Between 1901 and 1905 he played for Aberdare.He He won 26 England caps between 1907 and 1914. The East End at Ashton Gate Stadium was named the Wedlock Stand in his honour, before being demolished in 2014 as part of the Ashton Gate Stadium redevelopment.

HB/CM: Jimmy Allen (Poole)

Allen played for his local club Poole Town and transfered to Portsmouth in 1930.  Allen joined Aston Villa in 1934 for a record transfer fee of £10,775.  Allen was in his prime when his career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. He was forced to retire through injury in 1944. Allen made his international debut for England at the age of 23.  He has two caps.

RW: Tim Ward (Cheltenham)

Ward started with  Cheltenham Town before joining Derby in 1937, whete he played until 1951.  Ward's career was adversely affected by the outbreak of World War II, and during his time in the army Ward made guest appearances for Notts County, Hamilton Academical and Leeds United and also played for the Scottish Army XI before he was sent to fight in Europe.  He earned two caps.

LW: Cliff Bastin (Devon)
Cliff Bastin played for Arsenal between 1929 and 1937.  He was one of the best player on the Arsenal team that dominated football in the 1930's.  Arsenal won 5 league titles in the decade. He was the Arsenal all-time leading scorer from 1939 to 1997. He also played for Exeter City, where he started his career in 1928. At the international level, Bastin played 21 times for England national team. He played against Italy in 1934 at the "Battle of Highbury".

Cliff Bastin

FW: Ray Bowden (Looe)

Bowden began his football career with the local non-league club, Looe F.C.  Between 1926 and 1933, he played for Plymouth Argle.  He signed for Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in March 1933 for £4,500.  It was one of Arsenal's greatest periods.  Between 1937 and 1939, he played for Newcastle United.  In all Bowden represented England six times and scored once, against Wales in February 1936.

FW/CB: Roy Bentley (Shirehampton, Bristol)
Started with Newcastle United, Roy Bentley joined Chelsea in 1948. He played 367 games for Chelsea and captained the club to their first League Championship in the 1954-55 season. He also won 12 caps for the England national side. He played at the World Cup Finals in 1950, including the 1-0 loss against the United States.

SS/WF/ST: Trevor Francis (Plymouth)
From 1971 to 1979, Francis played for Birmigham Town.  He was England's first £1 million player when he moved from there to Nottingham Forrest. He was known for winning the European Cup with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980.  His career also took him to Manchester City, Birmingham, Detroit Express, Sampdoria, Atlanta, etc. He played for England 52 times. He went to the 1982 World Cup Finals.

Trevor Francis

FW: Walpole Vidal (Abbotsham)

Vidal was well known as the "prince of dribblers".  He played in the first three FA Cup Finals, of 1872, 1873 and 1874. He was a member of the Wanderers F.C. team when they won the first ever FA Cup.   He then played for Oxford.   In March 1870 he played in the first ever international football match, which took place at Kennington Oval, London. He represented England again in 1871.  Vidal also played for Old Westminsters and Remnants football clubs and in representative matches for London and The South v The North. 

ST: Mick Channon (Wiltshire)

Mick Channon played notably for Southampton from 1965 and 1977, and then from 1979 and 1982.  Between the two stints, he played for Manchester City. At the age of 34, he joined Norwich, where he played form 1982 and 1985. For England, he was capped 46 times, but England failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals during his career. He also became known for his trademark windmill goal celebration.  He is from South West England.

Mick Channon

Honorable Mention

John Hillman, Freddie Fox, Tyrone Mings, Stuart Taylor, Bert Lee, Ralph Birkett, Ronnie Dix, Stanley Harris, Harold Fleming, Dean Ashton, Henry Hammond, Geoff Bradford, Jack Cock, Joe Cottle.

Squad Explanation

-- Eddie Hapgood and Cliff Bastin are automatic selections.  Both are members of my England All-Time team.  In their lifetime, they also played together for Arsenal and England.  I also quickly selected Mick Channon and Trevor Francis.  They are household names at their time.

-- At the time of writing, approximately 40 footballers from South West England have played for England.  The region produces the least amount of English international footballers.  As compared, South East England has about 110 players while the Greater London area has about 170.  The region has 9 teams in the English Football League: Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, AFC Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon, Yeovil and Forest Green Rovers. All of them usually spent their time in the lower division. 

-- South West England is known for rugby union football.  In 2019, the region had the highest number (6) of players on England's Rugby World Cup squad.  By contrast, only two players (Jack Butland and Eric Dier) from this area went to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. So twenty-three percentage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup came from here while South West born players consisted only 8% of the 2018 World Cup football team.

-- In 1934, England played against World Cup holder Italy in a match that was later known as the "Battle of Highbury".  It was Italy's first match after winning the World Cup while England who did not participated at the tournament was considered one of best teams in the world.  The match was often billed as the 'real' World Cup Final. England started 4 players from South West England and won 3–2 in a highly violent match.  The South West footballers were Eddie Hapgood, Ray Bowden, Cliff Britton and Cliff Bastin. 

-- Ray Bowden, Eddie Hapgood and Cliff Bastin played together for Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in the 1930's.  The club was one of the pre-war greatest club sides. As mentioned, they played on the "Battle of Highbury".  Ralph Birkett (Devon) was also on that team, but his career with the club was limited.  He only made honorable mention.  

-- Nigel Martyn is the obvious choice for keepers.  Then, I selected Jack Butland who went to some bigger tournaments with England.  He was also the youngest ever England international goalkeeper at 19 years 158 days.  Dick Pym earned the third spot for winning three FA Cups.  His transfer fees of 5000 pounds in 1920 were listed as a record. He also played on the first ever FA Cup held at the Wembley Stadium. The match was known as the "White Horse Final".

-- I admitted not knowing the other goalkeepers.   It also seemed that John Hillman would be a good candidate for this team.  Charles Wreford-Brown also played goalkeeper, but I selected him as a defender.

-- For fullbacks, I had Eddie Hapgood, but I am unfamiliar with the rest of them.  In actuality, I do not have many candidates.  I took Edward Haygarth even through the role of fullback in the 19th Century was not the same as the modern game.  Besides, I do not know which side he played on.  His inclusion is still a question mark.  

-- Ray Barlow was ranked as one of England's top 100 players on a website.  He was West Bromwich Albion's greatest player. His position was a cross between the leftback and left midfielder.  It was believed Bobby Moore modelled his game after him. Bobby Robson described him as the greatest footballer he ever played against. I listed him as a midfielder, but he would be my backup leftback.

-- I do not have a natural rightback.  Gary Mabbut who also played as a rightback would be my starting rightback.  He would have made the team as a centerback as well.   Centerback Keith Curle was England's cover for the rightback position at Euro 1992.

-- For central defenders, Larry Lloyd and Gary Mabbut were all-timers at their respective clubs.   Curle had experience (as a backup) at Euro 1992.  Then, I took Charles Wreford-Brown from the 19th Century who captained England twice.  I already mentioned him above.

-- Charles Wredord-Brown captained England twice.  He also was credited of creating the term "soccer" for the sport to separate it from rugby football. He later served as the Vice-President of the English Football Association.  He was selected based upon his contribution to the game as well.

Charles Wredord-Brown

-- Larry Lloyd played in two of England's most painful defeats(he only had a total of four caps).  Nevertheless, he helped Nottingham Forest to win the European Cup.

-- At the time of writing, Tyrone Mings is still 28 years old.  He is too young to be considered.  He might one day take over Curle's spot.  Stuart Taylor is an all-timer for local club Bristol, but he was a lower division player.

-- The midfield lacked a big time player.  Eric Dier is probably the most famous midfielders due to his performance at the 2018 World Cup Finals.

-- Some of the positions of the older players were confusing.  I actually moved Billy Wedlock  who was a centre-half to the midfield. 

-- Maurice Setters was an uncapped player.  He was selected for the 1958 World Cup Finals, but only twenty players travelled to Sweden. He also was famous due to his association with Manchester United in the 1950's.  He was Bobby Charlton’s best man at his wedding in 1961.  He was known for his combative style.  He would be a defensive midfielder.

-- In 1934, Jimmy Allen joined Aston Villa for a record transfer fee of £10,775.  However, his performance over there did not justify his fees.  Nevertheless, it was still a milestone for South West England.  Besides, he had been a stalwart of the Portsmouth team.  

-- Despite the lack of midfielders, Bert Lee was the last player dropped.  I took forward Ray Bowden over him.  Bowden's successes with Arsenal were the main reason.

-- I need a right winger or outside-right (a wide player on the right). Right winger Mike Summerbee who was born in Lancashire was raised in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.  He should easily make the team, but birthplace remains as my only criteria. 

-- Cliff Britton was a fine crosser of the ball according to Dixie Deane. He was listed as a Wing-Half or Right-Half.  

-- Arthur Milton (Bristol) was the last man, and the last survivor, of the twelve people to have played at the highest international level for both England's football and cricket teams.  However, he seemed to be a better cricket player than a footballer.  Instead, I studied the careers with Ralph Birkett and Tim Ward.  Both players played around the same time and their careers were cut short by the Second World War.  Brikett was only 26 when the War began, but was 33 by the time league football resumed.   He did not seem to play football after 1939 (see above about Arsenal).  Tim Ward, on the other hand, played until the 1950's.  Based upon that, I took Tim Ward.

-- Ronnie Dix holds the record for being the youngest goalscorer in Football League history, when he scored for Bristol Rovers aged 15 years 180 days in 1928.  Harold Fleming was among Swansea's greatest player.  Stanley Harris captained the first ever England Amateurs.  Geoff Bradford is the most successful player in the history of Bristol Rovers, and still holds the club records for most goals scored in a season (33) and most career league goals (242).  He had a single cap. Jack Cock had the distinction of being the first Cornishman to play for the England national team. But I took more famous English international over them.

-- The five attackers I selected were Mick Channon, Trevor Francis, Walpole Vidal, Roy Bentley and Ray Bowden.  Channon, Francis and Bentley were establish English internationals. 

-- Walpole Vidal played oor England on the first international match.  He seemed to be a dominating player in the 1870's.  

-- Roy Bentley is a member of my Chelsea All-time team while Bowden had a great career with Arsenal.

Formation

Billy Wedlock's position was probably a centerback in the modern game so I out him there. I also moved Gary Mabbut to the rightback where he also played in his career.   Cliff Britton was a fine crosser of the ball.  Alternatively, I could have played Roy Bentley and move Trevor Francis out in the wide.  Francis was a natural striker, but he had played as a right wing.  The left side could be England's greatest since both Hapgood and Bastin are on my England All-Time team.  Some website ranked Ray Barlow very high, but I admitted not knowing much about him. Dier started over Settlers because he had World Cup experiences.

Top 10 Real Madrid Greatest leftbacks

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

Real Madrid

Real Madrid All-Time Team Under Florentina Perez

Real Madrid All-Time Team Under Miguel Munoz

Real Madrid Argentine Best XI

Real Madrid Castilla Greatest All-Time

Real Madrid All-Time Team for Spanish Players

Atletico Madrid All-Time Team for Foreign Players

Ronaldo, Ronald, Ronnie, Ron etc All-Time Team

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Goalkeepers

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Rightbacks

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest central defenders

Real Madrid is the most successful club in soccer's history.  They have won more titles in Europe than any other clubs. Of course, their players were among the greatest of all-time.  This post is about my Top 10 ranking of greatest leftbacks in Real Madrid's history.  But every fan has their favourites and opinions.  The ranking is extremely subjective.  Some player played in multi-positions.  Sometimes, people would even argue about the position of each player considered.  For this goalkeeper blog, I do not have this issue.

1st: Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
Roberto Carlos was regarded one of the best leftbacks in history.  He had 125 caps for Brazil playing in three World Cup Finals. He won 3 Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one World Cup title with Brazil in 2002.  In 1997, he was runner-up in the World Player of the Year.  He is especially famous for a free kick from 35m out against France in the  Tournoi de France 1997. The goal is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored.

Roberto Carlos

2nd:  Jose Antonio Camacho (Spain)

Jose Camacho is widely considered to be Spain's greatest leftback.  He earned 81 caps for Spain.  He played at the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, as well as the Euro 1984 and 1988. Spain reached the Euro Final in 1984.  He spent 15 seasons with Real Madrid. He played with the great Real Madrid side of the 1980's.  He won 19 titles with Real Madrid, including two back-to-back UEFA Cups: 1984–85, 1985–86.

Camacho 

3rd: Marcelo (Brazil)
Marcelo started his career with Fluminense before making a dream move to Real Madrid in 2007.  He spent several years in and out of the lineup before establishing himself as one of the stars of the team.  With them, he won four Champions' League titles from 2014 to 2018.  He was known for his partnership with Cristano Ronaldo. At the time of writing, he has over 58 caps for Brazil and played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup in Brazil.

Marcelo

4th: Rafael Gordillo (Spain)
Rafael Gordillo was known as the greatest left wingback in Spanish history.  He played at the same time as Camacho for both club and country.  Both players started on the left side.  Camacho supported him defensively.  He was a legend at both Real Betis and Real Madrid. He was voted the Best Player in Spain for 1979-1980 season.  He played with the great Real Madrid side of the 1980's, winning an UEFA Cup.

Rafael Gordillo 

5th: Manuel Sanchís Martínez (Spain)

Like his son Manuel, Sanchis Senior represented Real Madrid and Spain. They were one of only three father/son pairs to have won the European Cup/Champions League.  He played in 213 La Liga games over the course of ten seasons for Real Madrid.  He also represented for CD Condal, Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF.  An international during nearly two years, Sanchís appeared with the national team at the 1966 World Cup.  He had 11 caps between 1965 and 1967.

Manuel Sanchís Martínez 

6th: Rafael Lesmes (Spain)

Over 12 La Liga seasons Rafael Lesmes played for Real Valladolid (two spells) and Real Madrid, appearing in 263 games in the competition. He began his career with local Atlético Tetuán, and retired in 1962 at the age of 35.  With Real Madrid, Lesmes was part of the team that won five consecutive European Cups. Lesmes was an unsused player at the 1950 World Cup.  In total, he played twice for Spain in 1955 and 1958 respectively.

Rafael Lesmes

7th: Pachín (Spain)

Pachín signed for Real Madrid in 1959 from Segunda División club CA Osasuna. Pachín left the Merengues in May 1968, having appeared in 218 competitive games and scored two goals. He won 11 major titles during his spell, including seven national championships and the 1960 and 1966 editions of the European Cup.  He earned 8 caps and played in the World Cup Finals in 1962.

Pachín 

8th Mikel Lasa (Spain)

Mikel Lasa made his debut at the age 17 with Real Sociedad.  From 1991 to 1997, he played for Real Madrid.  Then, he played for , Athletic Bilbao, in 1997–98, between 1997 and 2001.  Then, he ended his career with Murcia and Ciudad de Murcia.  For international football, he played 3 times for Spain 1993.  In addition, he was also a member of the side that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics, in Barcelona.

Mikel Lasa 

9th Juan Carlos Touriño (Spain)

Born in Argentina, Touriño made his debut aged 22 in 1966 for Quilmes. Then, Touriño played over 100 league games for Real Madrid between 1970 and 1976, during which time he was part of three La Liga championship and two Spanish cup winning squads. He also played for Independiente Medellín of Colombia and Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata.  Touriño made his only international appearance on 12 January 1972 in Spain's 1–0 victory over Hungary.

Juan Carlos Touriño

10th: Jesús Ángel Solana (Spain)

"Chucho" Jesús Ángel Solana was a product of Real Madrid's youth ranks. He was used regularly in five of his six seasons with the capital club's first team, as it won five La Liga titles in a row in the 1980's.  However, Solana would be most known for his spell at Real Zaragoza, where he won a Copa del Rey as well as the memorable 1994–95 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against Arsenal.  He was capped once in 1988.

"Chucho"  Solana 

Honorable Mention

Fábio Coentrão, Robert Jarni, Gabriel Heinze, Rafael  García Cortés, Raul Bravo.

Ranking Explanation

-- Roberto Carlos was probably one of the greatest leftbacks in football's history.  His half-volley goal against Tenerife in 1998 is undoubtedly one of Real Madrid's most defining goals of all time.  I personally thought that it was much more impossible than the freekick he scored for Brazil against France in 1997.

-- Roberto Carlos took Marcelo under the wing when Marcelo arrived in 2007.   He personally mentored the young Brazilian who considered Roberto Carlos as his idol when he grew up in Brazil.  He even invited him to his home for Christmas dinner shortly after arriving.

-- Marcelo's grandfather Pedro was the most important person in his life. He died just two days before the semifinal against Germany in the 2014 World Cup.  Marcelo was devastated and his performance was by huis death.

-- Rafael Gordillo was a natural wingback, but used mainly as a left winger in Madrid.  At Madrid, Rafael Gordillo often played as a winger in front of Camacho.  I was debating whether I should put him on the left wing section.

-- Rafael Gordillo was one of the greatest footballers from Andalusia.  He was born in Extremadura, but he is an Andalusian. 

--  When Red Star Belgrade played against Real Madrid in the 1974-1975 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quaterfinal, the game was billed as the "Dragan Džajić vs Camacho" show.  Džajić was the best left winger in the world at that time and Camacho was one of the best defenders.  Real Madrid was coached by Miljan Miljanić who was the long time coach of Red Star. In Madrid, he promoted Camacho to the first team.  

-- Rafael Lesmes played as a left-sided centerback on  a 3 men defence.  He was also one of the pioneers attacking defender.

-- While playing for Osasuna against Real Madrid, Pachín was assigned to mark Ferenc Puskas, in which Puskas completely destroyed him.  In the second half, however, he was switched to guard Alfredo Di Stefano.  Di Stefano was so impressed with his performance that he recommended Real Madrid to sign him.

-- Pachín was considered one of the first all purpose defender because he could play across the backline.  

-- Pachín played between 1959 and 1968 in which he won two European Cups and seven Leagues.  He won a title every single season in Madrid.  He was very decorated. 

-- At one point, Fábio Coentrão was a challenge to Marcelo's starting position.  He even started at the 2014 Champions' League Final ahead of Marcelo.  Marcelo suffered an injury on the previous round.  Later, Coentrão's career was affected by injuries and other issues.  

-- Gabriel Heinze played both as a leftback and centerback.  He was a transitional player between Roberto Carlos and Marcelo.  Real Madrid also bought Royston Drenthe soon after Marcelo joined the club.

-- Gabriel Heinze and Royston Drenthe would take care of left-back duties for new coach Bernd Schuster during the 2007/08 season,  Heinze was steady while Drenthe was a bust.

-- Mikel Lasa played in the years between Camacho and Roberto Carlos.  In the beginning of his career, he was battling for a position with Francisco Villarroya whom I considered to be a winger.

-- Juan Carlos Tourino was born in Buenos Aires to Spanish parents, but he represented Spain for football.  In Argentina, he was also known as to get Argentine footballers unionized.

-- Jesús Ángel Solana (Spain) is also on my Real Zaragoza All-Time team.

-- Robert Jarnis career here did not stand out. 

-- Raul Bravo did not play much as a leftback because of Roberto Carlos.

Top 10 Real Madrid Greatest Rightbacks

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

Real Madrid

Real Madrid All-Time Team Under Florentina Perez

Real Madrid All-Time Team Under Miguel Munoz

Real Madrid Argentine Best XI

Real Madrid Castilla Greatest All-Time

Real Madrid All-Time Team for Spanish Players

Atletico Madrid All-Time Team for Foreign Players

Ronaldo, Ronald, Ronnie, Ron etc All-Time Team

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Goalkeepers

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Leftbacks

Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Central defenders

Real Madrid is the most successful club in soccer's history.  They have won more titles in Europe than any other clubs. Of course, their players were among the greatest of all-time.  This post is about my Top 10 ranking of greatest rightbacks in Real Madrid's history.  But every fan has their favourites and opinions.  The ranking is extremely subjective.  Some player played in multi-positions.  Sometimes, people would even argue about the position of each player considered.  For this goalkeeper blog, I do not have this issue.

1st: Chendo (Spain) 
Chendo was a product of Real Madrid's academy.  He played his entire career with Real Madrid between 1982 and 1998.  He won 17 major trophies with the club. He was a part of the team that won back-to-back UEFA Cup titles in the mid-1980's.  He retired after the 1998 European Champions' League Final.  For international football, he had 26 caps for Spain.  He represented them at both World Cup Finals in 1986 and 1990., where he was the starter in 1990 edition.

Chendo

2nd: Michel Salgado  (Spain)
Known as a hard player,  Michel Salgado started with Celta before moving to Real Madrid in 1999, where he stayed until 2009.  In 2009, he joined Blackburn Rovers and played three seasons.  Salgado earned 53 caps for Spain between 1998 and 2006.  He went to Euro 2000 and Germany 2006, but missed Euro 2004 and Japan/Korea 2002 due to injuries.  He is married to Malula Sanz, daughter of former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz.

Michel Salgado  

3rd: Dani Carvajal (Spain)
Dani Carvajal went through Real Madrid's academy.  In 2012, he was sold to Bayer Leverkusen. In his only season there, he established himself among the best fullback in Bundesliga.  He returned to Real Madrid in a buyback clause in 2013. He was a contributor as Real Madrid won four Champions' League in his first 5 seasons.  At the time of writing, he is a member of the national team since 2014.  He went to the 2018 World Cup Finals.

Dani Carvajal 

4th: Marquitos (Spain)
During his career, Marquitos played for hometown's Racing de Santander, Real Madrid, Hércules CF, Real Murcia, Calvo Sotelo and Toluca de Santander. With the Merengues, he won six La Liga championships and five European Cups: in the 1955–56 edition of the latter, he scored a rare goal as he equalized 3–3 against Stade de Reims, in an eventual 4–3 success. He was capped twice for Spain.  Both his son and grandson also played for Spain.

Marquitos

5th: Atienza II  (Spain)

Atienza was born in Madrid and retired from professional football on 1 July 1960. Over the course of his career, he played for Real Zaragoza (1951-1954) and Real Madrid (1954-1959), winning La Liga and the European Cup thrice each for the latter. Already interested in art, he worked as an artist in the period between playing for Zaragoza and Madrid.  His older brother Adolfo Atienza also played for Real Madrid.

Atienza 

6th: Calpe (Spain)

Calpe played with Levante UD  from 1963 to 1965.  In 1965, he joined Real Madrid, being part of the squads during their Yé-yé era and winning five major trophies, including three league titles and the 1966 European Cup.  In 1971, he returnd to Levante, playing the vast majority of his second spell in Tercera División. The only exception to this occurred in the 1973–74 season, spent in Segunda División, and he retired from the game in June 1975.

Calpe

7th: Alvaro Arbeloa (Spain)

Alvaro Arbeloa started his career with Real Madrid, but he made a name with Liverpool in England before making a return to his mother club in 2009.  He helped Real Madrid to win their 10th European Cup in 2014.  For Spain, he was mainly used as a sub during Spain's glorious run at Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010, but he was their starting rightback at the 2012 European Championship.

Alvaro Arbeloa 

8th: Christian Panucci  (Italy)

Christian Panucci's breakout season was the season 1993-1994, when he played 19 games for AC Milan and won the 1994 UEFA Champions' League.  The highlight of his career was perhaps his three seasons with Real Madrid.  He helped them to win the UEFA Champions' League in 1998.  His longest stint was, however, with AS Roma.  At the international level, he had 57 caps with Italy, but his career was very rocky.  He never secured a regular place with the team.

Christian Panucci

9th: Joaquín Navarro (Spain)

Navarro moved FC Barcelona in 1941 from hometown club CF Gavà. 

Subsequently, Navarro joined neighbouring CE Sabadell FC in Segunda División, where he played six seasons.  In 1949, Navarro signed for Real Madrid.  He was a part of their 1956 European Cup winning team.  Navarro was the first Spanish player to be selected to a World XI FIFA team.  He played 5 times for Spain

Joaquín Navarro

10th: Isidoro San José (Spain)

Born in Madrid, Isidoro came from Real Madrid academy.  He was promoted to the first team in 1976.  He spent 10 seasons at the club.  He was a part of the back-to-back UEFA Cup in the 1980's, but by that time, he was a backyp to Chendo.  He spent a season with Mallorca before retiring. For Spain, he played 13 times between 1977 and 1979.  He played three matches at the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina.

Isidoro San José 

Honorable Mention

Isidro Sánchez García-Figueras, Clemente Fernández, Vicente Miera Rafael Lesmes, Manuel Torres, Quique Sánchez Flores, Jose Luis Peinado, Juan Carlos Touriño, Antonio García Navajas.

Ranking Explanation

-- Not everyone here were fullbacks.  Some players were right-sided centerbacks of a three-man defence.

-- Real Madrid bought Sergio Ramos from Sevilla to play as a centerback.  He spent roughy two seasons as a centerback before switching to rightback in 2007. During the 2010-2011 season, he moved back to the centerback position.  So I put him as a centerback where he is a legend with the club.  I probably placed him as the 5th rightback if I considered him.  He also won a World Cup with Spain as a rightback. 

-- Most people considered Chendo as the best ever rightback for Real Madrid. He served for the club from 1982 to 1998.  He was the undisputed starter for most of his time.  However, he was a backup by the time of the 1998 Champions League winning campaign, where he retired after the Final. 

-- The second rightback position was between Michel Salgado and Dani Carvajal.  In time, Carvajal will be named the greatest rightback even ahead of Chendo.  At this point, he still needs to spend more time with the club.  Salgado had played 10 seasons with the club. Dani rejoined the club in 2013 from Bayer Leverkusen.  

-- Salgado was married to Malula Sanz, the daughter of former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz.  Florentino Perez defeated Sanz to become the president of Real Madrid.  He continued to play for the club under Perez.

-- In 2004, a young Dani Carvajal was chosen to stand next club legend Alfredo di Stefano to laid the foundation stone of the new Valdebebas training ground.  Thus, he became a symbolic icon of the club's academy.

-- Alfredo Di Stefano led Real Madrid winning 5 European Cups in the 1950's.  The team played with a 3 men defence.  Three different defenders played on the right side.  Marquitos played in two of those years.  Rafael Lesmes, Manuel Torres and Angel Atienza played in the remaining years.

-- Marquitos's son Marcos was a winger who was also capped by Spain.  His grandson Marcos Alonso is currently with Chelsea.  He is a left wingback.  

-- From the 5th to 10th place, I do not have much preference.

-- Isidro Diaz was the father of Quique Sanchez Flores, who also played as a rightback under Jorge Valdano in the 1990s.  He made honorable mentions.

-- Sergio Ramos was moved to the centerback position after the return of Alvaro Arbeloa to Real Madrid in 2009.  Arbeloa was the starting rightback before the emerge of Dani Carvajal.  He was steady throughout his years.  I see him ahead of Christian Panucci.

-- Alvaro Arbeloa arrived in the summer of 2009, where Cristano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Esteban Granero, , Ezequiel Garay and Raul Albiol also arrived.  Xabi Alonso was also his teammate with Liverpool FC.

-- Christian Panucci was the first Italian to play for the club.  Half a season before his arrival, Real Madrid signed Carlos Secretário from Porto FC.  Panucci kept him from succeeding in Madrid.  He was an important member of the team that won the Septima (the seventh European Cup).

-- Both Nando and Luis Enrique also played in the position after Chendo's departure.  Nando was an ex-Barcelona player whose career here was unfulfilled.  Luis Enrique's transfer to Barcelona does not affect his selection, but I simply do not consider him a rightback.  Joaquín Navarro spent a season with Barcelona.  In that period, the rivalry between the two clubs have not intensified.

-- Four of the top ten came from the academy.  They were Chendo, Dani Carvajal, Isidoro and Alvaro Arbeloa.  

-- Juanfran wasa rightback of note in his prime.  However, he only played a handful of games here when he first turned professional.  His peak was with Atletico Madrid.  Of course, he was not considered.  In Real Madrid's history, he was remembered as the Atletico Madrid player who failed to convert his penalty against Real Madrid in the 2016 Champions' League Final.

-- With the exception of Christian Panucci, every player seriously considered are from Spain.  Danilo and Cicinho were the only foreign rightbacks that I could think of.  Both did not play much.  Jose Mourinho also used Michael Essien briefly in that position.

-- Essien had an injury prone career here.  He was on loan from Chelsea.

-- I used this as a reference.

-- Please see Real Madrid Top Ten Greatest Goalkeepers.