Puyol names Drogba as one of the toughest players he faced

Carles Puyol has named a starting eleven compiled of the best players he ever faced, naming Chelsea legend Didier Drogba in his 4-3-3 formation.

The Spain icon played alongside the very finest during a glittering career with Barcelona, a club he represented throughout his career and played nearly 500 games for in their first team.

Winning six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues did not come easy for Puyol, with the centre-back having to beat the very best on the pitch to get his hands on those awards.

And when asked to name his toughest combined starting eleven by The Times, there were certainly some household names in there.

Puyol came up against Chelsea hitman Drogba on several occasions during their Champions League meetings and at times the ex-Ivory Coast international got the better of him.

Puyol also named another former Chelsea man in Arjen Robben, whilst Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero caused issues for Puyol during the former’s days with Atletico Madrid.

French legend Zinedine Zidane was also included, whilst there was a strong Italian core at the heart of the defence in Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Gianluigi Buffon.