Srečko Katanec

Sampdoria's 1990 to 1991 Scudetto is usually remembered through Vialli, Mancini, Lombardo and the intelligence of Cerezo, but Srečko Katanec was one of the pieces that made the whole structure stand upright. Tall, rangy and not exactly graceful, he played with a slightly awkward body language that hid a brutal tactical usefulness: pressing, tackling, covering space, winning second balls and giving the midfield a hard competitive edge. He could operate as a defensive midfielder, centre back or deeper balancing player, which made him indispensable in Boškov's flexible system. Beside Cerezo's brain and passing elegance, Katanec supplied legs, aggression and sacrifice, doing the ugly work that allowed the beautiful football to survive contact with reality. He was not a refined creator and never tried to look like one. A functional warrior with intelligence, stamina and humility, the kind of player a great team misses the moment he is not there.