Nicolás Otamendi

Nicolás Otamendi joined Vélez Sarsfield's youth ranks in 1995 and did not make his professional debut until May 2010, but by then he already had a Primera División title with the club, having won the Clausura 2009. That season proved the springboard for a move to Porto a year later, a transfer worth an initial €4 million with the Portuguese club later paying a further €4 million for the remaining half of his rights. At Porto he became a fixture of a dominant side, winning three Primeira Liga titles, the Taça de Portugal, three Supertaças and the UEFA Europa League.

A loan spell at Atlético Mineiro preceded a switch to Valencia in 2014, where he was named in La Liga's Ideal XI that season. His performances there persuaded Manchester City to pay £32 million for him in 2015, and he went on to win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and four League Cups at the Etihad, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year for 2017/18.

Otamendi moved to Benfica in September 2020 for €15 million and has since added the Primeira Liga, two Supertaças and the Taça da Liga to his collection. With Argentina, where he ranks among the most capped players in the national team's history with more than 139 appearances, he won the 2022 World Cup, the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima, having previously finished runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América.