TARCISIO BURGNICH RATING

'The Rock' was alongside Djalma Santos, the best pure defensive right back in the history of the game. Such was his reputation, he was equipped with man-marking Pele during the 1970 World Cup final and whilst the scoreline suggests otherwise, aged 31, he still was a very tough opponent for Pele to overcome.

What made him such a astute defender was that he was a great reader of the game in addition to being uncompromising in the tackle. Able to sit off an attacker, or press and win the ball back in equal measure. He was also surprisingly nimble, thus allowing him to twist and turn reacting to the various ball-carrying wizards of his era. He didn't need to resort to the 'Dark Arts' but he did it anyway in order to psychologically leave a mark on his opponent.

Technically he was decent, solid close control, a fairly accurate passer but what lets him down in terms of inter-generational comparisons is that there was an absence of a 'two-way' game and he simply did not contribute enough in an attacking sense to establish good ratings across the board. He did not overlap often, nor contribute much to the midfield battle. He was in many ways an auxiliary defender - sent to man-mark the best player of the opposition and therefore his overall talent as a footballer was not really allowed to be on display. Contrast that to Djalma Santos, who whilst being renowned as a defensive wall had the freedom in the 4-2-4 set up to get forward and showcase his attacking skills too.

In conclusion, Burgnich undoubtedly holds his own in a pure defensive full back context. He read the game better from a defensive perspective better than the likes of Thuram and even Vogts, but unfortunately he wasn't afforded the tactical licence to demonstrate an all-round game otherwise his rating may have been a lot higher.