Rafael Schmitz – A Brazilian at Birmingham City

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Daniel Ivery, the man behind Often Partisan, takes a look at the highly unmemorable Rafael Schmitz…

Rafael Schmitz signed on loan for Birmingham City for the 2007/08 season from French club Lille. You’d think having a Brazilian in a Blues side would make him stand out but of all our centre-backs from that season I remember him least – which isn’t that surprising if you think that the other players Blues had that year at centre-back were Liam Ridgewell (bless his cotton socks), Johann Djourou (on loan from Arsenal), Martin Taylor (who made that tackle on Eduardo in February 2008) and Tunisian man-mountain Radhi Jaidi.

Schmitz was everything you’d expect from a Brazilian; a good passer, technically proficient but not much of a defender. However, it’s harsh to say that he wasn’t good enough – he’d have prospered with a good partner in the heart of defence but having to play with the likes of the very raw Djourou or the then fairly poor Liam Ridgewell meant that Schmitz wasn’t afforded the luxury of being able to bed in as Blues fought for their Premier League life. Continue reading