Leonardo Balerdi

Leonardo Balerdi is an Argentine centre-back who has built his reputation almost entirely at Marseille, where he has become one of the more dependable defenders in Ligue 1 after a Borussia Dortmund stint that never really got going. Composed in possession, strong in the air, and capable of carrying the ball out from the back, he fits the profile of the modern ball-playing defender. His consistent performances for Marseille have kept him in Scaloni's thinking despite fierce competition for central defensive places. A player who needed the right environment to flourish, and found it in the south of France.