Eziquiel Garay

{Profile Updated 15/06/13}

Date of Birth: - 10/10/86

Height: - 6ft 4in

Position: - CB

Nationality: - Aregentinian

Current Club: - Benfica

Estimated Market Value: - £15-18m

Linked with: - Manchester United







Newells Old Boys



2004/2005 season 14 appearances,1 goal



TOTAL - 14 appearances,1 goal





Racing Santander



2005/2006 season- 7 appearances,0 goals



2006/2007 season- 31 appearances,9 goals



2007/2008 season- 29 appearances,5 goals



TOTAL - 67 appearances,14 goals





Real Madrid



2008/2009 season- 30 appearances,2 goals



2009/2010 season- 23 appearances,1 goal



2010/2011 season- 8 appearances,0 goals



TOTAL - 61 appearances,3 goals





Benfica



2011/2012 season- 41 appearances,2 goals



2012/2013 season- 45 appearances,2 goals



TOTAL - 86 appearances,4 goals









International Statistics







Argentina U-23 9 appearances,0 goals





Argentina U-23 13 appearances,0 goals













General Comments:



I would to start off by saying defender profiles are always going to be short and this one is no different but it's about quality not quantity Eh.Now onto Garay he has had a stop start career really he started of in Argentina then moved to Spain with Santander after a few good seasons with Santander he got his first 'big move' of his career to Spanish giants Real Madrid,His first season was a successful one but after that he faded out of the team and become a bench warmer.Now onto Garay as a player,He is a really good all round defender and has shown the promise at Benfica that he first showed at Santander,He is really dominant in the air and wins most of his aerial duels due to him being so tall and good In the air despite being tall he is no slouch he is a relatively quick player and shows his speed across the first ten yards.He is also a really strong player he out muscles a lot of players it is not easy to out muscle this lad. Garay starts a lot of counter attacks from the back he gives the ball to the forwards to do the business whether it be a raking 40 yard ball or just giving it to one of the creative players,He also will do anything literally anything to stop players getting past him,He will put his head where other players wouldn't put there boot.Something that he is underestimated for is his goalscoring ability he scores a lot of goals,He got 9 in one season for Santander which is more than some forwards get In terms of goals.He is also very good at reading the game he knows where a player is going to run or whether he is going to pass the ball or not this is a very important quality for a defender to have and Garay has it.Another strength for him is that he intercepts so many shots and passes I mentioned earlier that he will put his body on the line,When someone takes a shot he will just throw his body in front of the ball without thinking about it.



Garay is a 'classy' defender as well as being an old fashioned defender in many ways,He is good with the ball at his feet,He always looks very composed when he has the ball in his possession. I think he is the best defender in the Portuguese league and he deserves a move to a 'top team' possibly Manchester United who knows.If I was working for Manchester united I would go all out to sign him because it would give tham a bit of consistency at the back would do them the world of good although I have to admit him and Vidic at the back would be some partnership and that is coming from a massive Liverpool fan.He is a very good protector of his goal and will do his best to stop anyone getting a shot away at goal.Garay gives everything he possibly can when he plays,He never gives up or just lets a player cruise past him.



Now onto his weaknesses he doesn't really have that many,Maybe 1 or 2,The first one is that he is Injury prone he might well still be at Madrid now if it wasn't for Injuries,In his second and third seasons at Madrid he suffered from a lot of Injuries that is why Madrid decided to sell him and Benfica took the chance and got him (part of the Di Maria deal).The other is that he despite winning a lot of balls in the air he doesn't really get of the floor he has a really limited jumping ability if he was not so tall is he was 6ft I doubt he would win many headers has he hardly gets of the floor.











Would Garay cut it in Europe?



Yes I think he would he has every attribute needed to become a top premier league defender I believe he should choose a move to Utd him and Vidic would benefit from playing with each other they would be the perfect centre back pairing in one of the worlds best Imo.I think he would adapt to the premier league straight away.







Summary of Garay:





Strengths: Good tackler,Good in the air,good reader of the game



Weaknesses: Jumping ability,Injury prone







The Business End of the Profile:



Manchester United,Barcelona and Chelsea are interested In Garay I think his performances warrant the interest from these three clubs and I think he will end up playing in a Manchester United shirt next season as he has been subject to long term interest from the club.







thanks!!!



{A profile by Ed030}