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| Baptista, Malaga and Arsenal |
By my count there are 30 former EPL players currently in La Liga. Where are they now? Naturally we only tend to hear about the headline stars but I'm generally more excited to notice some obscure lurker, who loiters on the periphery untroubled by the burdens of superstardom. The likes of Julio Baptista, Noe Pamarot and Xisco. They barely registered in England. What are they doing in Spain?
And what do their Fantasy Football scores look like? As there's 30, this will need to be a staggered project over the coming weeks. I'll particularly want to focus on the forgotten men: those fly-by nighters who barely caressed our skin before vanishing from view leaving us wondering whether they were really ever there at all. Firstly, allow me to present the comprehensive list. In due course, I will undertake the in depth analysis into individuals' performances this season.
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| Pamarot celebrates with Hercules |
Fran Merida, Jose Reyes, (both Arsenal) Tiago (Chelsea), Diego Forlan (Man Utd)
Barcelona
Gerard Pique (Man Utd), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)
Deportivo
Xisco (loan - Newcastle)Hercules
Noe Pamarot (Portsmouth, Tottenham)
Levante
Asier Del Horno (Chelsea), Felipe Caicedo (Man City)
Malaga
Julio Baptista (Arsenal), Quincy Owusu Abeye (Portsmouth, Arsenal)
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| Pandiani, Osasuna and Birmingham |
Osasuna
Nico Medina (Sunderland), Ricardo (Man Utd), Pandiani (Birmingham)
Racing Santander
Dos Santos (loan Spurs)
Real Madrid
Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa, Dudek (all Liverpool) Ronaldo (Man Utd), Carvalho (Chelsea), Lass Diarra (Chelsea, Portsmouth, Arsenal), Adebayor (loan - Man City)
Sevilla
Kanoute, Zokora (both Spurs)
Villarreal
Altidore (Hull), Borja Valero (WBA), Rossi (Man Utd)
Zaragoza
Florent Sinama Pongolle (Liverpool), Jiri Jarosik (Birmingham, Chelsea)
Please note that the majority of Spanish players were formed in Spain at their home or cantera team. (Reyes Sevilla, Alonso Real Sociedad) Baptista got his big break in Spain at Sevilla. Some needed to leave Spain because of cheaper South American imports and influx of foreigners squeezed them out. Not to mention economy and currency issues. All clubs are selling clubs except for Athletic, RM, and Barca, to be fair.
ReplyDeletePique's issue was political. Though he never got much playing time in England. Also players like Arbeloa would never had a great career, had he not moved abroad. He would have just been another journeyman, sadly.
Maybe I should do a blog on your blog. :P Good stuff.