This summer's Premier League team's transfer list has a long-lost and familiar name. It is the protagonist of this article, who returned to the Premier League at the age of 36 and joined the veteran Branislav Ivanović of Marsy Bromwich Covic.
Ivanovic, 36, has made a name for himself at Chelsea, but his time with the Blues has been in 2008-2017. At that time, Branislav Ivanovic was one of the premier right-backs in the world, not only had a strong ability to score goals, but also his defensive ability was excellent, and world-class attackers such as Suarez and Sterling could not help this Serbian iron guard. In the blues' nine years, he has won 10 championships, large and small, including the 2012 Champions League, which can be called the team's "living legend". In the winter of 2017, as he grew older, he could no longer be a full-back position for the Blues, so he decided to bid farewell to Stamford Bridge and join the Russian Premier League side Zenit St. Petersburg in the form of a free transfer. I thought that Ivanovic's departure from the Russian Super League would be the prelude to his return to the field, but this summer, he returned to the familiar heroic land and fought in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion.
Ivanovic's position at West Bromwich Albion should not be right-back, but his position at centre-back in Zenit St. Petersburg. In fact, as early as the early days of playing for the Blues, he also played in the center back position, but only later when this position was overcrowded, he moved to right-back and played a piece of the sky. Although Branislav Ivanovic is 36 years old (Pablo Zabaleta, who is a year younger than him, has also chosen to retire), his vitality has not diminished. At his pace it was more than enough in the centre-back position. His extensive European and major competition experience should strengthen the overall strength of the West Bromwich Albion defence. To be honest, it is rare to buy a defender with Ivanovic-like progression and experience in the world today, and although his presence cannot sublimate the defense, it should make the defense more stable.
In the first four Premier League games, the performance of the West Bromwich City defence can be said to be unbearable, conceding 13 goals in four games, an average of at least three goals per game. Fortunately, in the fifth round of the league, Ivanovic was finally able to appear, leading the team's defense line as a central defender, and successfully maintaining his success in the face of Burnley's high-altitude bombardment, and won the first game of this season with zero goals, which is really valuable.
Ivanovic's ability to lead to West Bromwich Albion's relegation does not seem to be very optimistic at present, because after all, the overall strength of the team and the Premier League teams are obviously different. But at the age of 36, he dared to challenge the premier league again, and to play a relegation team, Ivanovic's courage has been served. Ivanovic has won everything in England and can't think of anyone else he has to prove it to anyone, I hope he can enjoy the end of his playing career and play his favorite football at West Bromwich Albion.