Zanetti and Maicon: Who Was the Better Right Back?

[vex]

Maicon for me, zanneti being overall better player given that he could play multiple positions on the pitch, and his longevity.

But maicon as rb in that short period of time when he was in his prime was one of the most impressive things I watched from any inter player. Basically every attack started from him, technique wise he was out of this world for a rb. Just look at the manner in which he scored goals, juve one immediately pops in my mind, some video game shit.

 

[Bluenine]

The only reason of why I'm choosing Maicon, is because at his peak prime, he made everyone else in his position look awful.

Zaneti never did that. He was constantly good. Constantly top 10/15, but never ever close to top3.

Wait, what? I am assuming some people here were too young to watch/remember football in the 90s. One mistake that some people are making is comparing fullbacks of a bygone era by requirements/tactics of the current era. In the 90s for example, the defensive skills of a fullback were much more important than they are now. Tactics have changed, football has evolved. Hence it is hard to compare players of different eras. Perhaps the best way to look at this is to see how good a player of the 90s was as compared to his peers, vs how good a player today is as compared to his peers.

I have watched Zanetti from his first game at Inter. Zanetti was one of the greatest RBs in the world for like a decade. He was simply unbelievable, a force of nature, a complete RB. By the time Maicon joined Inter, Zanetti was 33+ (an age when most fullbacks retired those days) and already considered as one of the best RBs of all time. A legend. The other positions & versatility came later, when he was in his mid-30s and his skills + experience could be used all over the pitch. Maicon was world class for perhaps 2-3 years. I have never even heard him being considered as one of the best RBs of all time.

Of course, they were very different type of RBs. Zanetti was well rounded, great in defence, attack, work rate, skills, mentality, professionalism... pretty much the entire package. Maicon was a crack when it came to attacking, at his peak his attacking was better than prime Zanetti, I will give you that. But not even close when it comes to defence, work rate, etc. I would actually argue that Maicon became so good after coming to Inter coz he has a legend like Zanetti to mentor him.

What next, is Theo Hernandez a better LB than Maldini? Coz Maldini was not really an LB? (I have actually heard that argument from younger fans who think Maldini was more of a CB coz thats where they have mostly seen him play, and it always makes me laugh).

If you want to compare Zanetti as an RB, maybe you could compare him with Djalma Santos or Cafu. He is that level.

 

[Umbari]

Zanetti was well rounded, great in defence, attack, work rate, skills, mentality, professionalism... pretty much the entire package. Maicon was a crack when it came to attacking, at his peak his attacking was better than prime Zanetti, I will give you that. But not even close when it comes to defence, work rate, etc.

Exactly what I think. Maicon was great at what he did. But what's the point of being a right back if you don't have good defensive skills?

 

[.h.]

but clearly we didnt need maicons defensive skills, as we won the treble with him at RB. This is my earlier point about tactics etc - we need to know what the rest of the team looks like. If I didnt know jack about the wider team, I'd pick Zanetti. But there are absolutely teams in this world - like this current Inter side - where Maicon would be without a second of doubt, the more contributing player.

 

[Bluenine]

but clearly we didnt need maicons defensive skills, as we won the treble with him at RB. This is my earlier point about tactics etc - we need to know what the rest of the team looks like. If I didnt know jack about the wider team, I'd pick Zanetti. But there are absolutely teams in this world - like this current Inter side - where Maicon would be without a second of doubt, the more contributing player.

If the question was more specific like "Who would make a better RWB for Inter this season, prime Maicon or prime Zanetti", I would totally agree with you. Prime Maicon would suit us more today. We don't even play RB.

But the question was a more vague "who was a better RB". In which case, its not even a comparison. We are talking about one of the all time legends of RB position here.

 

[.h.]

but for example in the treble, I dont think we#d have won it with Zanetti at RB.

That's my point - it depends a lot on the tactics, formation, and the other players. With an ultra attacking LB, I'd sooner go Zanetti. If I had to do it without any knowledge of the other players, I'd probably go Zanetti. But there are definitely scenarios where it's blatnatly Maicon.

 

[kurt0411]

If the question was more specific like "Who would make a better RWB for Inter this season, prime Maicon or prime Zanetti", I would totally agree with you. Prime Maicon would suit us more today. We don't even play RB.

But the question was a more vague "who was a better RB". In which case, its not even a comparison. We are talking about one of the all time legends of RB position here.

The problem is the last paragraph. The question as you say is who was a better RB. How can you say it’s not even a comparison when Maicon reached a higher level for that position?

Zanetti is ranked higher in the all time because those rankings are mostly based on consistency and longevity as well as ability in which case Zanetti obliterates almost everybody.

 

[brehme1989]

but for example in the treble, I dont think we#d have won it with Zanetti at RB.

That's my point - it depends a lot on the tactics, formation, and the other players. With an ultra attacking LB, I'd sooner go Zanetti. If I had to do it without any knowledge of the other players, I'd probably go Zanetti. But there are definitely scenarios where it's blatnatly Maicon.

With 37 year old Zanetti? Of course not.

With 27 year old Zanetti? Different method, same result.

Maicon's peak is one of the greatest ever for a full back. Zanetti never peaked that way.

But to answer the ridiculous notion that Zanetti was barely top 10-15 EVERY SEASON DURING HIS CAREER, consider that the "best" right backs were from 1995 to 2005 [Zanetti was 22 to 32 years old in this period], not throughout the period but simply during any given season during that time, were:
- A former winger in Cafu (he was even wearing #10 and #11 at Sao Paulo) that came to Europe when he was 27 which was the first time he played right back at club level iirc.
- Giuseppe Bergomi. For 1-2 years as teammates, then he transitioned into a center back.
- Michel Salgado....
- Lilian Thuram... (was a center back that played on the right as well)
- Gary Neville...
- Steve Finnan...
- Paulo Fereira...
- Yiourkas Seitaridis..
- Hatem Trabelsi...
- Cosmin Contra...
- Christian Panucci...
- Juliano Belletti...
- Jocelyn Angloma...
- Lauren Bisan-Etame....
- Michael Reiziger...
- Stephen Carr...
- Albert Ferrer...
- Abel Xavier....
- Willy Sagnol..
- Hasan Salihamidzic (more of a wing back)
- Alessandro Birindelli....
- Massimo Oddo...
- Paolo Negro....
- Moreno Torricelli.....
- Francisco Arce...
- Markus Babbel...
- Dan Petrescu...
- Andreas Hinkel...
- Thomas Helveg....
- Ze Maria...
- Miguel...
- Antonio Bennarivo...

Zambrotta is not a RB rival as he switched to right back from left back in 2005 or so.


Now maybe I'm forgetting some people, but honestly I don't see anyone, even Cafu, that tops Zanetti. Our friend can find up to 9 or up to 14 PER SEASON, maybe he can shed some light there. And I cannot name a season where there were more than a couple right backs that had better seasons than Zanetti during his prime.


Shitting on Zanetti's quality remains a thing on FIF apparently.

 

[K.I.]

Maicon, Zanetti and Zambrotta are my full backs and DM. Cafu and Daniel Alves are also up there as far as RBs go, cant think of others that i would consider the best ever from players i personally saw play.

Trent, Cancelo and Hakimi are def getting to that level but they have to show they can sustain that throughout their whole careers.

Zanetti is not really a player appreciated worldwide, not just amongst FIF.

 

[Damageplan]

Prime Maicon was something else. Overall id have to choose Zanetti, my idol and one of the best in history.

 

[ADRossi]

2010 Maicon might have been one of the most impressive seasons by a footballer, ever.

 

[brehme1989]

2010 Maicon might have been one of the most impressive seasons by a footballer, ever.

Even more impressive that he was drunk half the time

 

[K.I.]

Thats what people always say about Brazilians and talented South American players, i think its more myth than truth though.

 

[bubba zanetti]

Zanetti is perhaps best RB of alltime, top 5 alltime definitely, some people are smoking here weird shit

 

[bubba zanetti]

The Boss

 

[brehme1989]

Thats what people always say about Brazilians and talented South American players, i think its more myth than truth though.

It was true about Maicon, Romario, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and several others (Djalminha, Denlison, Vampeta, Adriano after he lost his father etc)
Not true for guys like Rivaldo, Cafu, Kaka, Gilberto Silva, Lucio, Deco, Thiago Motta, Thiago Silva etc.

If you check out interviews from former teammates or coaches, you'll see that many have mentioned that Maicon would get drunk the night before training, go there and then go out again and repeat. I recall that even Mourinho admitted this.

There's a reason why most of these guys stop playing at a high level after a certain age and only think about going back to Brazil or party. Neymar is a hybrid, he's part of a new generation that doesn't get crazy drunk all the time but he won't miss a chance to go back to Brazil for parties etc. And Romario was a freak, he kept doing that till he was 40... Nowadays you see that Brazilians tend to be more professional, but that comes at a cost of declined talent.

 

[Damageplan]

Many people forgot what prime Zanetti was able to do or they are too young. He was one of the best dribblers in the game and he used to bomb forward so often.

Tra i Nerazzurri c'e, un giocatore che, dribbla come Pele .....

 

[Glass box]

Zanetti.

 

[kurt0411]

Many people forgot what prime Zanetti was able to do or they are too young. He was one of the best dribblers in the game and he used to bomb forward so often.

Tra i Nerazzurri c'e, un giocatore che, dribbla come Pele .....

His end product unfortunately was mostly lackluster. Zanetti in the modern game would be converted to a midfielder even earlier in his career and he’d be a fantastic one at that.

But there is no comparison with Maicon I’m sorry as a RB unless it’s longevity. People are too nostalgic. Maicon literally won us games on his own, his end product was way too decisive for there to even be an argument. He was so good in this prime that he started ahead of even Dani Alves.

 

[bubba zanetti]

His end product unfortunately was mostly lackluster. Zanetti in the modern game would be converted to a midfielder even earlier in his career and he’d be a fantastic one at that.

But there is no comparison with Maicon I’m sorry as a RB unless it’s longevity. People are too nostalgic. Maicon literally won us games on his own, his end product was way too decisive for there to even be an argument. He was so good in this prime that he started ahead of even Dani Alves.

Buhahaha one od the stupidest post I ever read in my entire life.