#3 Leonardo Bonucci – Juventus
Leonardo Bonucci is one of the most underrated ball playing centre-backs around. The Italian’s long range passing is arguably the best in Europe and it was so important to Juventus’ huge success last season.
In addition to his ability to switch play, he has a range of passing. But the fact that he attempts many long-range passes and his pass success rate in Serie A was 87% last season is a testament to how good his passing is.
The Italian is very classy and has a lot of confidence with the ball at his feet. Alongside Giorgio Chiellini, the two defenders have established a very strong defensive partnership. However, many people fail to recognise how comfortable the two, mainly Bonucci, are with the ball at their feet.
Additionally, Bonucci has a pretty high percentage in successful take ons at 66.67%, a commendable percentage for a centre-back. It is certainly no surprise that coinciding with Juventus’s success in Europe has been the huge improvements by Bonucci with the ball, and he is now one of the best ball playing centre backs in the world.
