La Liga title holders Barcelona are bringing in Brazilian left-back Maxwell (pictured) from Inter Milan in an effort to parry the anticipated exit of another Brazilian defender, Sylvinho. But the 28-year-old Maxwell is set to face stiff competition from France international Eric Abidal for a place in the first team.
Despite ending last season with an FTBL overall rating of just 41.66 points and becoming the first Barcelona player to be sent off in a Champions League match in the last 10 years, Abidal remains a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Maxwell, despite not being a first-team regular at Inter Milan last season, nonetheless managed to end the season with a tally of 66.23 points. Maxwell beats Abidal in individual contribution to the rating (20% against 9.9%) and has a better star index (3.5% against 1.9%). Both players were picking up 7 rating points per game on average last season.
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