MARTIN MONTOYA

Who is he? Where does he play?

In keeping with the recent Barcelona theme, Montoya plays for, you've guessed it, Barcelona, at right-back and is 21 years of age. The steam-train-esque Dani Alves also plays right-back in Catalonia, but is under threat for his place by Montoya who has a decent amount of first-team experience considering the competition for places and his age.

He's playing a bit then?

Oh aye, Alves's flirts with injury has bought Montoya 21 appearances in the first team squad over the past three years and new coach Tito Vilanova is a big fan, trying to integrate him into his plans by already giving him 9 appearances this season (Alves has been sidelined with a thigh injury). He is also a regular in Spain's under-21 and under-23 national squads (part of the U-21 squad that won the European Championship in 2011) whilst his progression has not gone unnoticed by Vincent Del Bosque who gave him his first call up to the full senior squad for this season's matches against Chile and Liechtenstein. 


How does he play? Like Alves?

Yes, pretty much. Montoya is a very intelligent full-back who can easily balance the need to defend with the need to push forward. He's not afraid to providing the width in Barcelona's essentially narrow 4-3-3 system whilst also proving to be dependable at the back. Stamina plays a huge role in being a Barcelona full-back and Montoya is typically motor-driven, bombing up and down that right-flank like a footballing Duracell Bunny. Like an Alves-lite if you will.

The next Alves?

I wish we could stop talking about Alves but yes, it really does look that way. In fact, Barclelona are lucky to have Montoya, as in early 2011, Valencia were on the verge of signing the right-back for his 3 million Euro buy-out clause, but he stayed at the Nou Camp, and look what's happened to him? A real Charlie and the Chocolate Factory story eh?

Eh!?

Yeah, I don't know either. Simply put, put money on the 21 year old Montoya being Barca's right-back for the next ten years, and perhaps Spain's as Del Bosque looks for a fill in as he moves Sergio Ramos to become the natural heir to the ageing Carles Puyol at centre-half.

Anything else to add?

Oh yeah... this....  LOOK... HE DENIED IT... ok?