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Regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time, Sergio Ramos has won nearly everything with Real Madrid and Spain.
The Spaniard has played 584 times for Los Blancos thus far, and helped the club win 4 LaLiga titles, 4 Champions League trophies, 2 Copa del Rey, and 3 UEFA Super Cups. Ramos has been a part of the FIFPro World XI on 9 occasions, and has won the LaLiga best defender award 4 times.
However, he is no more the player he used to be, and has been having a torrid 2018-19 campaign so far. Los Blancos have conceded 19 goals in 14 league games this season, and are currently fifth on the LaLiga table.
There are a number of defenders who are currently better than Sergio Ramos, we bring you a list of three centre-backs who are better than him at the moment.
#3 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The Dutchman is a physically strong defender who uses his strength to steal the ball away from attackers. He is also blessed with rapid pace, which helps him recover from any position.
The former Southampton man has completed 1060 passes this season, with an impressive accuracy rate of 89.7 percent. Along with his impressive tackle success rate of 76 percent, he also won 68 of his 93 aerial duels.
Liverpool spent a world record fee of £75 million to sign the Dutchman from Southampton in January 2018, and given his impact on Liverpool so far, that fee looks like a bargain.
All stats via transfermarkt
#2 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
The French-born Senegalese international, Kalidou Koulibaly, is among the best centre-backs in the world right now, and has played a vital role in Napoli's success in recent years.
The 27-year-old is among the best ball-playing defenders in the world, and has completed 876 passes this season with an accuracy of 89.5 percent. He does not rush into tackles, and always keeps his calm during crucial moments, which makes him difficult to beat in one on one situations.
The former Genk defender has played 137 games for the Naples outfit thus far, scoring 8 times. He was a part of the Serie A Team of the Season in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and also earned himself a place in the CAF Team of the Year in 2016, after his fine defensive showings.
Koulibaly has been linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks, and we might see him replacing Sergio Ramos in the future.
#1 Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Atletico Madrid's defensive mechanism became extremely tight after the arrival of Diego Simeone, and Diego Godin is the heart of that defence.
The Uruguayan is an old-fashioned defender who takes a no nonsense approach while defending. He reads the game exceptionally well, and always takes up perfect positions to stop attacking threats.
The 32-year-old has played 238 LaLiga games for Athletico Madrid so far, and was appointed as the club captain at the start of the current season. Godin won the LaLiga 2013-14 season with Los Colchoneros, and also led the club to the finals of the Champions League twice in the last five seasons.
The former Villarreal man has been included in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season on 3 different occasions, and also won the LaLiga Best Defender 2015-16 accolade.
