Alejandro Grimaldo

Key strength: Pace and recovery

Overlapping full-back

In a Bayer Leverkusen campaign that's drifted into mid-table mediocrity—currently sitting 5th with an uneven WDLDD run—one player continues to rewrite positional conventions. Spanish left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has transformed into Xabi Alonso's unlikeliest attacking threat, amassing 11 goals and 8 assists across 33 appearances from defense. That's 19 direct goal contributions from a full-back, numbers that eclipse many elite strikers. At 30, Grimaldo has perfected the art of the overlapping full-back, blending defensive discipline with devastating final-third delivery. His 2,868 minutes of football have yielded not a single yellow or red card—a remarkable feat of tactical intelligence and positioning that underscores his €24 million market value looks increasingly conservative. Operating alongside defensive partners like Odilon Kossounou and complementing creative midfielders such as Aleix García, Grimaldo provides Leverkusen's width without sacrificing structural integrity. While Leverkusen's form has stuttered, the Spanish international remains the one constant—a defender who attacks like a winger, yet never loses sight of his primary duties. In a team searching for consistency, Grimaldo is the player delivering week after week.