DJALMA SANTOS RATING

Djalma's scores from a defensive perspective are astonishing. Quite simply, he is one of the greatest 'defenders' in the game let alone just from a full-back perspective. He was a powerhouse physically but this was just one aspect of his defending.. he was positionally astute, incredibly disciplined and had the ability to anticipate the moves of opponents as well as possessing the reflexes to react quickly to a drop of the shoulder.

He was more limited in an attacking sense but was a natural footballer, one who could find a long pass as well as participate with his gifted team mates in possession play. His 23 goals, illustrate that this is a player who was not mere defender but someone who could contribute in the final third. Whilst Nilton Santos was often cited as the more flamboyant and attacking of the pair, Nilton Santos only scored 11 goals in his career and the footage suggests he was less fluent in possession and not as decisive with the ball.

In summary, Djalma is a genuine contender for the greatest right back of all time. In our opinion he's pipped to the post by Carlos Alberto, who shared many similarities but was more timeless and had a better balance between defence and attack, not to mention a superlative passing game but he was a class above the likes of Thuram.