Anyone who fills the left-back berth at Nottingham Forest will forever be operating in the shadow of one Stuart Pearce.
Endeavouring to emulate ‘Psycho’ is a frankly impossible and pointless task.
Nobody is going to get close to that level again in the famous Garibaldi.
It is, however, refreshing to see another contender vying to occupy the most iconic of posts.
There have been able successors to Pearce down the years, from Alan Rogers through to Jack Robinson.
The latter has generally impressed since arriving on Trentside back in 2018.
Robinson, though, now sees his position under serious threat.
Yuri Ribeiro has the potential to make the No. 3 spot his own, while donning No. 2.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
The Portuguese did, after all, join the ranks at the City Ground from Benfica over the summer.
Qualities
(Photo by Jon Hobley/ MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He has graced the top tier in his homeland and a continental stage in the Europa League.
Robinson boasts similar entries on his CV, having figured in the same European competition and the Premier League – becoming Liverpool’s youngest-ever player at the time of his debut.
Both men bring considerable qualities to the table.
Proper competition for places has been established in a role which has been problematic at times for Forest.
Having often found themselves short of an option that could be considered adequate, the Reds now have two that fall into the useful category.
And Ribeiro could prove to be the best.
He has been eased into the Forest fold by Sabri Lamouchi, but has quite literally hit the ground running over recent weeks.
An Energiser Bunny of a full-back is clearly determined to make his mark.
He was even asked to fill a position on the left wing during a Carabao Cup clash with Arsenal.
Versatility is another string to his bow.
Robinson will argue that he also boasts such traits, as he can easily slip inside to centre-half, but does he offer as much to the cause on the left of the Forest side?
Ribeiro has been a buccaneering presence across five outings.
Natural
And when used in his more natural position, he is yet to be breached.
Arsenal may have hit five on Tuesday evening, but prior to that Portuguese potential had played its part in four clean sheets.
Ribeiro, after being introduced to the Championship ranks during a trip to South Wales, has helped to shut out Swansea and Barnsley during the collection of six priceless points.
He caught the eye in both of those outings, before being arguably Forest’s top performer at the Emirates.
If Lamouchi can get the Reds playing the way he wants, then Ribeiro could be quite an asset.
Like Matty Cash on the opposite side of the back four, he can provide welcome assistance heading forward.
Boundless energy allows him to get up and down while keeping his direct opponents occupied.
He is not the finished product, but that is not to be expected at 22 years of age.
He is also not of the Stuart Pearce mould.
Ribeiro is, however, showing that he can be trusted to follow in illustrious footsteps and offer the same kind of value and assurance in an important post as a legendary figure before him.