In October last year, as the Brazilian league campaign came towards its conclusion, bitter rivals Palmeiras and Corinthians met in a game to decide who would take the title. Corinthians were under huge pressure having been on a poor run of form, but their leader and best defender appeared immune to it. After 29 minutes, he snuck in at the back post to net his fourth goal of the season and put his side 2-0 up, perceptibly relieving the tension that had filled the ground for the previous hour. And in the second half, as his team were subject to wave after wave of attack, he stood firm, repelling every cross and rushing in to tackle every advancing forward.

Bargain Fee

It was a superb display, and one that encapsulated Fabian Balbuena and the superlative season he was having with the Sao Paulo-based side. And now, after his £3.5 million move to West Ham, he will be transferring all of those skills to East London for the coming season. Balbuena's price was so low, owing to a clause he had insisted be inserted into his most recent contract, allowing him to fulfill his ambition to play in Europe were an offer of that size to come in. Given the recent hyperinflation of the international transfer market, it could prove to be the bargain of the summer. He is a commanding presence and has a seemingly innate ability to take control of dangerous situations with his prescient positioning. His performances in 2017 were enough to earn him a place in the Brazilian league’s team of the year, cult hero status on the terraces of the Arena Corinthians and a spot in the Paraguayan national team.

The General

After that vital goal in the derby that effectively sealed the title, Balbuena ran to the crowd to perform his trademark celebration, standing to attention and saluting those in the stands. The celebration, in combination with the characteristics mentioned previously, gave him his nickname: O General in Portuguese or El Comandante in Spanish. Balbuena first moved to Brazil from Libertad in his homeland – where he had won two league titles – in 2016 and was forced to wait for an opportunity. But when fellow centre-back Felipe was sold to Porto in July of that year, he was thrust into the team in the middle of a disappointing campaign. Shortly after, the coach who had signed him, Tite, also moved on from Corinthians to become the Brazil head coach and the club went through a turbulent period, with three managers in the following six months. When Tite’s ex-assistant Fabio Carille came in as full-time boss at the beginning of 2017, however, the team’s output returned to the levels that had seen them lift the title in 2015.