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.