10 Best Defenders in the World

It is true that for most of us, goals are more exciting. Who doesn't like seeing the net rattle when a player takes a shot from 30 yards out? But winning matches requires more than scoring goals.

The game doesn’t champion spirited and quality defending the way it lauds attacking talent, ability and flair. Stellar defensive performances rarely make the highlight reel. The role of defenders not only require exceptional mental and physical attributes but also the ability to lead and organise a defensive line.

Almost always overlooked when the big awards are given out, defenders are as crucial to a team (maybe even more) as their colleagues further up the field.

Across different leagues and different playing styles, the expectations from defensive players are different. So what follows is a ranked list of those who we think have been the best central defenders in world football for some years now.

Find out which defenders make it in our run-down, feel free to disagree and post your own suggestions in the comments.

Before we start, some honourable mentions include Gerard Pique, Thiago Silva, Jerome Boateng and Toby Alderweireld who narrowly failed to make our top 10 list.

Top-10 best defenders in world football

#10 Mats Hummels

When it comes to Mats Hummels, they say every tackle of his has a story to tell. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, Hummels has always been a solid, consistent, and physically strong player.

His ability to read the game and intercept loose balls, in addition to being technically gifted and tactically versatile, makes him a complete defender. Hummels is also capable of playing as a defensive midfielder given his control, elegance, ball-playing ability and confidence in possession.

The German has put in solid performances for many years now. His general sturdiness and leadership have seen him earn comparisons to perhaps Germany’s greatest ever player: Franz Beckenbauer.

#9 Milan Skriniar

It was in 2017 that Milan Skriniar joined Inter Milan from Sampdoria. The Slovakian has gone from strength to strength and established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe at the Nerazzurri.

He is a complete package. The most impressive quality about Skriniar is his one-on-one defending. The centre-back is usually impeccably positioned and he reads the game really well.

If he stays at Inter, Skriniar is going to get better and better under the able tutelage of Antonio Conte. The young defender is fabulous in individual battles across the ground, solid in the air, agile in his movement and his positioning is amazing.

Throw in his passing abilities to the mix and you have a defender capable of playing at any top club in world football.

#8 Leonardo Bonucci

If you remove that one disastrous season of his at AC Milan, Leonardo Bonucci has had a flawless decade replete with consistent and amazing defensive performances. Bonucci is as complete a centre-half as you will find.

Defensively strong and fundamentally sound on the ball, the Italian has rarely collapsed under pressure or squandered possession fto the opposition. He is known for his technique, passing range and ability to launch an attack from the back with his accurate long passes.

Stepping out of the backline and showcasing his ball-playing abilities is what has separated Bonucci from the other two centre backs of the famous 'BBC'. He is a tall, mobile and strong defender, with great positional understanding and the ability to read the game.

#7 Raphael Varane

A professional who has won everything - that is the best way to describe this French defender. At the age of 27, Raphael Varane has already won four Champions League titles and a World Cup. Overall, the Frenchman has won 16 major honours at Real Madrid since moving to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2011.

There is a subtle elegance to Varane’s style that one must appreciate. He possesses natural intelligence and his perception of the game is like few others that play in his position. Combine that with his blazing pace and exceptional physical qualities and you have the perfect modern-day centre-back.

#6 Giorgio Chiellini

There are a number of attributes that one can associate with Giorgio Chiellini. However, the two that have been the most apparent throughout his career are courage and dependability. Chiellini is the perfect mix of brains and muscle one would want in a team. He is a monster on the field.

Due to his determined, no-nonsense playing style, Chiellini has been described as an 'old-fashioned' centre-back who essentially serves as a ball-winner.

Chiellini has been lucky to play alongside very good defenders during the course of his career. That, although, doesn't take away from the fact that he always stands big and confronts every challenge on the pitch head-on, irrespective of who he is playing next to.

He might not be the fastest, the most skilful or even the most elegant, but he knows how to thwart danger and get wins.

#5 Aymeric Laporte

A ball-playing defender with a superb passing range, Aymeric Laporte is a different kind of footballer to the sturdy strong English centre-backs. But Laporte says that thanks to Pep Guardiola, it was easy for him to adapt in the Premier league and stamp his authority.

In truth, Laporte is criminally underrated. The Spaniard is just as good as the likes of Van Dijk or the other stars of defending but he’s rarely mentioned in the same breath.

His character and his winning mentality are top-notch. Laporte is fast, strong in the air and technically sound. He has all the attributes of a world-class centre-back. According to Guardiola, he is the best left central defender in the world.

4) Sergio Ramos

Big game player and elite mentality, the two attributes that make Sergio Ramos different from any defender in the world.

Ramos is gifted with pace and is a physically strong player who excels in the air due to his elevation and heading accuracy. His leadership, athletic prowess and ability to excel in both parts of the field are matched by almost no player out there. He is one of the most reliable performers in high-pressure situations and that knack of getting crucial goals makes him a world-class player.

Sergio Ramos has been playing at the top level for as long as anyone can remember and has been consistent throughout. There have not been many defenders that have had to face as much hate as Ramos has. And despite all this, he is what he is today because of his mentality of a serial winner.

3) Diego Godin

At number 3 we have Atleti's very own captain fantastic, Diego Godin. He has been exemplary for club and country over the last decade. No player has personified Diego Simeone’s Atleti more — practical yet emotional, disciplined yet ambitious, streetwise yet professional. In his time with the Los Rojiblancos, there’s every chance Godin has actually been the best defender of the 2010s.

Now with Inter Milan, Diego Godin is a warrior in the truest sense. He wouldn't think twice about laying his body on the line if necessary. You look at him and you get the feeling that he is the man who can transform any team's defence. Be that in the air, on the ground, through old-fashioned tackling or determined positioning, Godin is always there.

2) Kalidou Koulibaly

A big, dynamic, swift and physically strong yet elegant player, Kalidou Koulibaly is a 'Colossal Beast' just because of the way he goes about his game. His aerial prowess, awareness, positioning, tackling, attitude, technique and passing are all incredible. A player who was doubted as a youngster by almost everyone, Koulibaly has developed into one of the most outstanding athletes in modern football.

With a mix of immense strength, pace, aggression on and off the ball, superb control and excellent passing range, Koulibaly is one of the best defenders in the world. There is a reason why he is a player wanted by almost every top European club.

1) Virgil van Dijk

You just wonder how one signing changes everything about a team. That has certainly been the case with Liverpool and Virgil Van Dijk. Almost everyone doubted the Dutchman would live up to the price tag after his record-breaking move to Anfield. But years of knockbacks and struggles have made him an expert in silencing the doubters.

He is a defender who knows how to judge his timing and wait for the right moment to challenge. It is surprising how quick he is given his giant structure. As well as being a strong distributor of the ball, Van Dijk also possesses a threat to the opposition when stepping out from the defensive line in possession of the ball. He is more than capable of dribbling and forcing opponents to break their defensive block.

Van Dijk has everything you’d want in a modern-day centre-back: strength, speed, aerial prowess, leadership qualities and ability on the ball.

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