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#2 Raphael Varane (FRA/ Real Madrid)
Champions League and World Cup winner French center-back Raphael Varane is highly regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world of football. If there are some people who believe van Dijk is not the world's best it's definitely because of this guy.
Another modern center-back with great defending skills, aerially excellent, and brilliant with the ball at his feet. Varane was also named in the FIFA's World Cup XI. Varane is an important player for both France and Real Madrid. He was part of the formidable defense with Barcelona's Umtiti that won France the World Cup in Russia.
Varane has been so impressive that there is a section of people who believe he should win the Ballon d'Or. But it's worth mentioning he had a really poor El Clasico where he conceded the penalty for the foul on Luis Suarez who stepped up and converted from the spot.
Though Varane hasn't started the season in the same form as his World cup, where he had a 7.14 WhoScored rating. His average rating has fallen 6.78 on WhoScored.com but he still averages more than one interception and one tackle every game in LaLiga. He also has a 90% average pass completion rate for someone who also plays more than 5 long balls on average in every 90 minutes.
