West Ham United do not sign footballers with the pedigree of Axel Disasi – a World Cup runner-up with France – all that often.
This week, the Chelsea loanee picked a dream XI of former teammates and opponents.
An XI which included a Real Madrid superstar, three of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League winners, plus the small matter of a Lionel Messi – Neymar partnership up top.
Disasi helped shackle Kylian Mbappe in his Monaco days. He has previously kept Erling Haaland quiet against West Ham United’s weekend opponents Manchester City, and conceded only once against a certain Argentine genius during four Ligue 1 meetings between PSG and Monaco.
DISCUSS: How much would you pay for Axel Disasi? 💷
Disasi has THREE years left on his Chelsea contract…
Axel Disasi is unlikely to be overawed, then, when Nuno Espirito Santo’s survival battlers host Pep Guardiola’s title chasers at the London Stadium.
West Ham United ace Axel Disasi picks his dream XI
To start off with, Disasi picks former Reims teammate Eiji Kawashima in goal. A rather low-profile selection before the real diamonds come glinting into the light.
“I pick [Achraf] Hakimi. Just a top player. He can defend, he can attack. He’s never tired. He’s running all around the pitch. I go for Nuno Mendes [on the left],” says Disasi, the flying full-back duo who inspired PSG’s Champions League triumph both selected.
“Same as Hakimi; up and down, very fast, very strong as well.”
At centre-half, Disasi picks two of the finest centre-halves of the 21st century. Two he looked up to as a young man at Monaco.
“The first one, I go for Thiago Silva. I played with him in Chelsea. I remember when he came to Paris at the beginning, I’d been looking at him a lot because he was so good. The way that he’s calm on the pitch is crazy. He’s so relaxed and he reads everything.
“What I like with [Sergio] Ramos is that he’s crazy. He takes risks. He’s a defender but, when I look at him, I feel that he doesn’t want to stay only as a defender. He loves to attack. He scores free kicks, penalties.”
Disasi put in fine displays against Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe
Disasi’s midfield is made up of Chelsea enforcer Moises Caicedo and ex-PSG playmaker Marco Veratti.
The front four, though, separates the greats from the truly generational.
“At any moment, [Messi] can make the difference with his left foot. You have to be more vigilant than with another player,” Disasi admits, Messi, Neymar and Ousmane Dembele behind Kylian Mbappe.
How would YOU set the Hammers up against Man City? ⚒️ v 🩵
Three at the back? Another start for Kante and Pablo?
“One of the guys who shocked me the first day I went to the national team [is current Ballon D’Or holder Dembele]. He’s quick with the dribble.
“I remember when [Neymar] came to France, people were crazy. Everyone was watching the TV because of him. What he did for his first game against Guingamp… the levels, wow.
“Everyone knows [Mbappe]. When I came to the national team, I was like, ‘No, he’s different.’ The World Cup that he had was crazy. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t like to lose. On the pitch or in the dressing room, even in training, he loves to compete.”
Who knows, if Disasi is asked to draw up a new team a few years down the line, perhaps there will be a place in it for Crysencio Summerville or Mateus Fernandes. Then again, Neymar and Verratti will take some shifting.
West Ham will be without Summerville when they host a wounded Manchester City on Saturday. Adama Traore appears the most likely option to take his spot.
Should the big centre-back get the better of Erling Haaland again, meanwhile, West Ham will surely be rushing to get a bargain deal done ahead of schedule. Reports claim that Chelsea could let Disasi go for just £20 million, almost half the fee they paid Monaco in 2023.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
