Whether in the colours of Flamengo, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma or Brazil, Juan has consistently proven to be a formidable hurdle for opposition strikers to overcome. Able to time his tackles to perfection and position himself intelligently, he made his international debut in 2001 and has been a first-choice pick alongside Lucio since 2004.

Juan made his professional bow with Flamengo in 1996, and was quickly hailed as the successor to club legend Aldair. The centre-back's six-year stay with O Mengão was certainly a profitable one: he claimed four Campeonato Carioca winners' medals, and helped them win the Copa Mercosul in 1999.

Bayer Leverkusen signed Juan in 2002 and he duly established himself as one of the finest defenders in the German Bundesliga, despite failing to get his hands on any silverware. Five years later he joined Roma and although impeded by injury problems, he helped them win the Coppa Italia in 2008 and has proven up to the task in Serie A.

Juan helped Brazil win the Copa America in 2004 and 2007, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009 – when a hamstring injury in the second match against Italy prevented him from playing on. He was also one of Brazil's better performers at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. Having formed an admirable partnership alongside Lucio for quite some time, despite him many injury problems, the 30-year-old is an automatic choice for coach Dunga.