Middlesbrough fans in the Transfer Tavern are thrilled to be back in the Premier League, even though they know that their place among the elite may only be short-lived.

The landlord here can remember a time when Boro were battling with the elites of Europe, with the Teessiders losing 4-0 in the UEFA Cup final to Sevilla 11 years ago. Their journey to the final is one of England’s fairy-tale stories, with Roma and Steaua Bucharest knocked out on their journey.

Since that defeat, the club have experienced a lot of ups and downs, with their last full campaign bringing them promotion to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2009.

It’s fair to say that they have had a plethora of decent players since their UEFA Cup exit when in and out of the top flight.

With that in mind let’s look at the best Starting XI that Boro could have fielded in the last 10 years…

GK: Mark Schwarzer

This goalkeeper is still looked upon fondly by the Boro faithful despite playing his last game in 2008. The Australian international spent the majority of his career between the sticks at the Riverside Stadium, notching up an impressive 446 appearances.

Schwarzer helped to guide Boro to League Cup success in 2003/04 and he also started in the defeat to Sevilla.
After spending 11 years with Middlesbrough, Schwarzer moved to Fulham where he reached another seemingly impossible Europa League final, only to succumb to Diego Forlan’s Atletico Madrid in 2010. The Australian then moved to Chelsea in 2013, where he became the oldest player to debut in the Champions League and for the Blues in the Premier League. After that, the Oceanic ace was a part of the Leicester title-winning squad, which was his last act as a footballer.

RB: Abel Xavier

Now, in all honesty, Middlesbrough haven’t had the best right-backs over the last 10 years. Boro fans at the Tavern feel that this is perhaps the toughest role to agree upon, so to fill this void we have Abel Xavier. The Mozambique-born Portuguese international only spent two seasons with Middlesbrough but is remembered amongst the Boro fans for his bleach blonde hair.

Xavier became the fourth player to play for both Everton and Liverpool and had a handful of games for Roma and Galatasaray before linking up with Boro. He retired in 2008 after a season with LA Galaxy, his 11th club.
Xavier now manages Mozambique’s national team, where he continues to rock the blonde hair, although he shaved off his beard.

CB: Robert Huth

Robert Huth: The Berlin Wall. Although Huth is regarded very highly by Boro fans in the Tavern he played a part in the club’s worst moment of the last decade; their relegation from the Premier League in 2009. Huth struggled to keep fit throughout his time on Teesside but when he was ready to go you could really see why fans loved him. He played over 50 games for Middlesbrough and featured for the German national team whilst doing so.

After Boro’s relegation, Huth linked up with Stoke City, and then with Leicester City. After signing for Leicester the German helped lift the Foxes out of the relegation zone and was a huge part of their title-winning team in 2016.

The Berliner is still plying his trade with Leicester City as he hopes to avoid relegation once again.

CB: Jonathan Woodgate

Woodgate will always be considered as one of Middlesbrough’s darlings. The 37-year-old was born in the city and enjoyed two spells at the club – the first coming after what many consider a disastrous three years at Real Madrid where he featured just nine times.

After a successful first season at the club, Woodgate was denied a starting spot in his second season thanks to David Wheater. He then had stints with Spurs and Stoke City before linking up with Boro again in 2012.

LB: George Friend

Unlike the position of right-back, the role of left-back has been filled superbly by Middlesbrough in the last decade.

The best of the lot must be a player currently on the books for Boro, George Friend. The left-back has been at Boro since 2012 but had to work his way up from the bottom after starting from the depths of non-league football playing for local teams such as Tiverton and Bath.

Friend is a popular figure amongst the Boro faithful and is vice-captain for the side. The number 3 helped Middlesbrough win promotion from the Championship and is a player who gives it his all all of the time

CDM: Lee Cattermole

People often forget that Cattermole started his career at Middlesbrough. In fact, he was a product of the club’s youth academy.

The Teessider broke through in 2005 at the age of just 17, and he maintained his good form for the club and showed huge passion whilst playing, making him a fans’ favourite. He also started in the UEFA Cup final defeat to Sevilla and became the youngest ever captain of the club at the age of 20.

CDM: Grant Leadbitter

The defensive midfielder started his career with Sunderland where he made over 100 appearances for the Black Cats, and after six seasons on Teesside he moved to Ipswich and then to Middlesbrough, where he has been a complete success.

He has featured nearly 200 times for the Boro and scored almost 30 goals, which is a decent tally for a holding midfielder.

RAM: Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing has become a club legend for Middlesbrough.

The winger was born and raised in the city and earned a starting place for the first-team in 2001. He hit the ground running and played a lot throughout his time on Teesside, although he did not feature in the 2004 League Cup final.

Downing moved to Aston Villa upon the club’s relegation in 2009 and then to Liverpool two years later. It was with the Reds where Downing won another League Cup, helping his side to beat Cardiff in 2012. The England international then linked up with West Ham before moving back to Middlesbrough.

CAM: Gaizka Mendieta

Mendieta signing for Middlesbrough was a massive coup for the Teesside club. The Spaniard had played over 200 games for European giants Valencia and played in amazing Lazio and Barcelona squads, too, before joining Boro.

He debuted for Boro in 2003 and stayed at the club for five years, becoming a cult hero. His talent brought a real depth to the squad that was already bustling with the likes of Boudewijn Zenden, Juninho and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, and our landlord thinks he’s one of the greatest to play for the club.

LAM: Gaston Ramirez

Ramirez has, without a doubt, been one of Middlesbrough’s best attacking midfielders of the last decade. Despite only starting his career with the Boro in 2016 he has been a key cog in the squad.

Ramirez started his career with Penarol, helping the team win the Uruguayan first division, before moving to Europe to play in Serie A with Bologna. He was the brightest spark in a dismal Olympic campaign for Uruguay in 2012 in a squad that boasted the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, which helped to earn him a move to Southampton and then to Hull City.

Ramirez didn’t look like the player that featured in the 2012 Olympics however until he joined Middlesbrough. His seven goals made him influential in Boro’s promotion success and fans were calling for the playmaker to sign permanently for the 2016-17 season, which he did.

ST: Mark Viduka

Viduka was a proven goalscorer wherever he went.

The 6ft. 2″ striker started his career in Australia before moving to Croatian giants Dynamo Zagreb. He then transferred to the British Isles to play north of the border with Celtic. A successful period with the Bhoys saw Premier League suitors come calling and Viduka joined Leeds Unite, where he was part of their Champions League golden era, playing with the likes of Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane.

Following Leeds’ relegation, the Ex-Aussie international moved to the Riverside. Viduka was second in the UEFA Cup goalscoring list in the season that they reached the final, and fans consider the Yakubu – Hasselbaink – Viduka strike force one of their best ever.