The year of rebirths

With everything decided, with the exception of the great European finals, the first brushstrokes of a season can already be slipped with an asterisk even larger than the previous one. The pandemic has put a mask on the fans, a forbidden to pass in front of the stadium lathes and has squeezed the calendar in such a way that it was difficult to know which day was at stake. All this has been overcome and, with the curve of normality in crescendo, there are several footballers who have used all these obstacles as a springboard towards their personal rebirth. At AS we want to take a look at some of the highlights. Although, as in all these lists, there are not all that are, but they are all that are.

Between Manchester and London

Let's save the Spanish LaLiga for the end, which we have closer to hand, and let's start with an international review. In the Premier there are several names that stand out in this regard, although one of those who best embodies the role of Ave Fénix play in the champion and accompany Rúben 'MVP' Dias in the center of the rear: John Stones. The defender was transfer meat in summer and the signings of Aké and Dias himself, together with the presence of Laporte, sounded like a slam to his future as citizen. However, he has emerged as the undisputed rock of Guardiola, beating the French-Spanish by more than 500 '(2,774' against 2,249 ').

Y without leaving Manchester we found Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw. The midfielder began the course with the eternal doubt of his future and little by little he even lost the starting lineup, but Raiola's “Pogba-United relationship is over” seemed to ignite the flame of Solskjaer's confidence in the world champion., which has been key in the final sprint for the runner-up. While the full-back, discussed since his signing, has been reborn after the arrival in summer of Alex Telles to fill the gap that former Southampton had not been able to achieve. Answer? The best season of his career, with a guaranteed presence in the upcoming Eurocup hand in hand.

But in a piece of this type it could not be missing Chelsea, which deserves its own article. Tuchel the bottle that Lampard left with hardly any gas until he qualified for the Champions League and played the final of that competition against City. The FA Cup loss to Leicester cannot cloud the recovery work that has been done. Y If there is a name whose paradigm changed with the former PSG, without forgetting a worthy Marcos Alonso, it is Antonio Rüdiger. It sounded for Barça as a low-cost option due to the lack of confidence of its previous coach, but the German has given him the keys to the defense and it has been an impregnable wall that obtained a plate of honor in the semifinal of the maximum continental competition against the real Madrid.

Ligue 1 as a springboard and balm

France is our next stop and two young men whose career was fallow are our protagonists. A year and a half after arriving at Milan as a potential star, Lucas Paquetá's flame was going out until he was transferred to Olympique de Lyon for practically half the price that Flamengo entered (20 million against the 38 paid by the rossoneri). Les Gones They finished in fourth position and the Brazilian midfielder has been fundamental in Rudi García's scheme. Third top scorer and assistant of the team, only behind Depay and Ekambi, with 10 goals and 6 assists, the one from Rio de Janeiro has even managed to return to the Brazilian team.

Renato Sanches is the other name to stand out. Although finishing the course alternating titles and substitutions with Lille that has dethroned PSG in Ligue 1, an injury has been the culprit of its intermittency and before the physical mishap he remembered the player who conquered the Golden boy not so long ago and that his time at Bayern had left questions behind. Even Liverpool came to show interest in the Portuguese midfielder when the course dawned between lights and artifice.

Crosshair recalibrated

André Silva and his 29 goals and 10 assists with Eintracht Frankfurt they could not be unrelated to a list of this type. The Portuguese arrived between bells and whistles at Milan in 2017 and after irregular steps at San Siro and on his loan to Sevilla, in the Bundesliga he has become one of the fittest strikers on the planet. And if the thing is going forward, Sebastien haller it also has a place. The Ivory Coast international failed to fit in at West Ham and in January he arrived as the most expensive signing in Ajax history. A bureaucratic error left him without the Europa League, but 13 goals and 7 assists in just half a season show that their gunpowder has lost the moisture of the Premier.

LaLiga of vindication

Finally, we are going to park in Spain, where the season of Atlético de Madrid has had Luis Suárez and Marcos Llorente as its highest standards and masters of vindication. The Spanish midfielder already made some touches last year of wanting to wake up, but this was when he became one of the best footballers in LaLiga after not working for much of last season, his first as a rojiblanco. While the case of Suárez is special, as evidenced by his tears, caused by the lack of confidence that they professed from Barcelona. He has responded with goals of all colors, in addition to the decisive ones that have ended up elevating the rojiblancos. Mario Hermoso has also done a fantastic course after a premiere a year ago with many more doubts than certainties.

At Real Madrid, injuries have given disputed footballers opportunities and Nacho, Militao or Lucas Vázquez They have managed to clear the criticism to jump on the bandwagon of eternal praise. One similar to the one occupied by Frenkie de Jong in BarcelonaAfter not waking up in the season of his debut as a Blaugrana, this season has proven to be the midfielder on which the Culé engine room must be founded, although an even greater growth is expected on his part. And let's remember, others would have a place in this type of list, since there have been many who have used adversity to show strength. They are not all who are, but they are all who are.