What a year it has been for Hector Bellerin. At the start of the last season, Bellerin was Arsenal’s third choice right-back but, due to injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, the 20-year-old was given the chance to play in the first team, and Bellerin has not looked back since.
The Spaniard has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent players this year, and talk of a call up to the Spain national squad has been circulating for some time. But with Spain already bolstering a side with some of Europe’s best right-backs, who must Hector Bellerin surpass to attain a Spain call up?
A crowded position
The current right-backs in the Spain national side are Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid and Juanfran of Atletico Madrid, with Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta also in the mix for the right-back position but his recent success at left-back may mean the defender will be played their for La Roja.
Out of those three players, the odd one out is Juanfran. The ageing defender has been solid for Atletico over the past few seasons, and Juanfran was one of the reasons Atletico shockingly won La Liga in the 2014/15 season, due to his defensive toughness and seemingly endless stamina. As time has passed, Juanfran has remained a reliable defender, but his attacking flare has fizzled away, meaning that Vincent Del Bosque could drop the 30-year-old before Euro 2016.
Big future for Bellerin
Is Bellerin the same standard as these three players? Not yet, but the former Barcelona youngster is well on his way to being on par with these full-backs. The one skill Bellerin has over these three players is his pace. In the modern game, players with pace are valued more than those who are not fast and, in the full-back position, having pace is one of the most vital attributes to have.
Carvajal and Juanfran are fast players yes, but Bellerin is known as the player that beat Theo Walcott’s impressive 40-metre sprint record, meaning that Bellerin could easily be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, player in the Premier League. This what makes Bellerin such a great right-back to watch, his attacking mind and pace make him a deadly full-back as he is allowed to attack freely and then sprint back if Arsenal are caught on the counter-attack.
However, Bellerin defensively still has a lot to learn. Compared to Carvajal and Juanfran, Bellerin is easily the weakest defensively. His positioning at times is questionable and he does not have the best physicality for a right-back. However, Bellerin is only 20, which means he has plenty of time to bulk up to compliment his lightening speed.
So as it stands, the player Bellerin has to surpass is Juanfran. Whilst many would say Juanfran is a better right-back than Bellerin right now, if Bellerin’s rapid growth continues then Del Bosque will have to choose wisely between Bellerin and Juanfran by the time Euro 2016 rolls up.