The Borussia Monchengladbach and Germany defender has played with and against some top talents over the course of a distinguished career
Matthias Ginter has played with and against some of the world’s best over the course of his career, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sergio Aguero among the Germany international’s picks when it comes to the finest he has seen.
Ginter told ‘kicker meets DAZN – Der Fußball Podcast’: "During my time in Dortmund, Henrikh Mkhitaryan did incredible things in training every day and, in the first season under [Thomas] Tuchel, he really took everyone apart."
Mkhitaryan has struggled to produce his best since leaving Germany, with difficult spells at Manchester United and Arsenal leading him to Italy.
His ability remains without question, though, as does that of prolific Manchester City striker Aguero.
The Argentina international is the toughest opponent Ginter has ever faced, with the German defender saying of the South American: "The most unpleasant striker to face so far has actually been Sergio Aguero, it's very difficult to play against him, he seems so impassive sometimes and then he suddenly bursts into life."
Explaining that switch, Ginter said: "There was not one reason for this change.
"I played in a lot of positions in Dortmund and had a lot of international experience, which was very important as a young player, but at the age of 23, I had thoughts about whether, as a defensive all-rounder, I was happy with changing positions regularly.
"Then came the interest of manager Max Eberl and former coach Dieter Hecking, with the offer of a permanent role in the team, which has been very good for me."
Ginter’s desire to find a settled role has led to him becoming a centre-half, with that now his position of choice for club and country.
He added: "When I moved to Gladbach, I was not so much focused on the role of centre-back, I could have played in midfield as a six, eight or anywhere.
"But I finally wanted to settle somewhere, especially with regard to the World Cup in 2018, I wanted to develop and grow in one position."