If he's not the best right-back in the club's history then he's definitely the most successful. The way some people talk about him is absolutely nuts. "He'd be playing for Oldham if he didn't have pace", Jesus man you are kidding yourself on. This is someone who was genuinely feared across Europe by teams like Madrid, Bayern, PSG, etc. for years because he completely shut his wingers out of massive games time and time again. Mbappe, Vinicius, the list goes on.
Sure, he's a fool off the pitch, but he's always been a fool and it hasn't affected his form for City at all during the seven years he's been here. What is affecting his form is age (and fitness) - the bare facts are that he's 34 now. But the thing is, he's allowed to be 34. A lot like Gundogan at the moment, if our other options for Walker's position were in a better place in terms of fitness and quality he wouldn't be getting hung out to dry like he currently is.
There's a reason all the other lads in the squad elected him as captain and it comes down to that night in Istanbul. Left out of the starting XI for very obvious tactical reasons, he didn't kick up a fuss. Not starting the biggest game of your life - the occasion you've worked your whole career for - must have crushed him. But instead of sulking he gathered the boys round him in the dressing room and said "My dream is in your hands, go out there and get it".
We don't owe him anything, and bad performances are fine to be called out, but as always with this place the criticism is way over the top. Instead of just coming to the conclusion that he's not up to being a top-level right-back anymore, some people just have to start dismissing his achievements, saying he was never any good in the first place, saying that only pace has "bailed him out". Do you people not hear yourselves? Do you know who you're on about?
When we were shite, the constant rallying cry from the supporters was "We just want the lads to go out there and give 100%". Who can honestly say without a shred of doubt that Walker hasn't given 100% in a City shirt? He's played over 300 games for us and has won 17 trophies in the process. Yet another player in the current era who achieved more than the hundreds of players we had in the 70s, 80s, and 90s combined but is being spoken about like he's Danny Mills.
