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Bayern Munich: Team of the Decade

By Kiran Thakare

MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 02: Fans of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrate winning the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup with their team at Marienplatz on June 2, 2013 in Munich, Germany. One day after beating Stuttgart in the DFB Cup Final and a week after winning the Champions League Final against Dortmund Bayern Muenchen celebrated winning the historical treble of two national and one international title. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 02: Fans of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrate winning the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB Cup with their team at Marienplatz on June 2, 2013 in Munich, Germany. One day after beating Stuttgart in the DFB Cup Final and a week after winning the Champions League Final against Dortmund Bayern Muenchen celebrated winning the historical treble of two national and one international title. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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MUNICH, GERMANY – AUGUST 05: Javier Martinez of Bayern Muenchen celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the friendly match between Bayern Muenchen and Manchester United at Allianz Arena on August 5, 2018, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – AUGUST 05: Javier Martinez of Bayern Muenchen celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the friendly match between Bayern Muenchen and Manchester United at Allianz Arena on August 5, 2018, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Central defender— Javi Martinez

There is no doubt that Javi Martinez deserves to be in the team of the decade. However, he will have a positional change in this lineup as he is set to start in central defense. The Spaniard excelled in midfield, but he was more than competent in a back four.

Bayern agonizingly lost the 2011/12 Champions League final against Chelsea. The German club broke their transfer record following summer to sign Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao. This transfer turned out to be a masterstroke for Die Roten as Martinez was the final piece of the jigsaw. After his acquisition, Bayern went on to become the first German team to win a treble.

Martinez initially featured in the defensive midfield position. He broke the play and initiated the play and started attacking moves. The Spaniard also had a very good passing range. He dropped in central defense whenever it was necessary. Pep Guardiola maximized his defensive abilities by moving him in central defense.

The World Cup winner has been a fine player for Bayern and much better than other central defenders during this decade, so he finds himself in central defense in this team. Just like Boateng, he is also declining rapidly and could leave Bayern soon, but he will always be fondly remembered by Bayern fans.

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