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#3 Dayot Upamecano
Dayot Upamecano is easily one of the best young centre-backs in the world. Beyond his obvious physicality, the man is is excellent with the ball at his feet. Upamecano's defensive attributes are solid. He has pace, incredible strength, belligerent tackling and great aerial ability.
To complement all that, he is often as good as elite midfielders when he has the ball at his feet. He can depart on marauding runs and wriggle out of tight spaces with the ball and can also pick out a pass. Simply put, at 21-years-old, Upamecano has in plenty the ability to become one of the modern day greats.
Upamecano completes 71 passes per game on average and has a pass success rate of 89%. The Frenchman makes it to the podium because of how often he wins the ball back himself and then puts his team on the front foot with his excellent distribution.
Upamecano is definitely one for the future and he is certain to go from strength to strength over the next seasons.
#2 Aymeric Laporte
Left-footed centre-backs are a rarity and a left-footed centre-back with the ball playing abilities of the Manchester City man is even more so. Laporte helps Manchester City switch flanks with ease. He is one of the most level-headed defenders in Europe and hardly ever does anything reckless on the pitch.
Laporte was bought by Pep for £57 million particularly because of his ball-playing skills. The Frenchman is crucial to Manchester City playing out from the back and completes 84 passes per game and has a pass completion rate of 92%.
Laporte is excellent at playing the ball through the lines and with City's defenders holding a high line, he is often tasked with slipping the ball through the gaps in the opposition midfield and finding one of City's attacking midfielders who will pop up in pockets in the final third. The 26-year-old is going to lead City's line for years to come.
#1 Virgil Van Dijk
It was Virgil Van Dijk's entry that sorted the Liverpool team out and transformed them from an impressive attacking unit to an inspiring footballing unit. Van Dijk not only improved the defensive side of Liverpool's game immediately but he also gave Liverpool much more control over the proceedings owing to his ability with the ball at his feet.
Van Dijk is constantly looking for forward passes to make and Liverpool have hardly had any trouble playing out from the back thanks to the calmness and precision that the Dutchman showcases week in and week out.
The 29-year-old is arguably the best defender in the world and that's not just because he is a great tackler or good at blocking shots, it's because his all round game is on a level that is seldom matched.
Van Dijk completes as many as 89 passes per match on average and completes 89% of his attempted passes. Those numbers are a testament to how crucial he is to Liverpool's attacking game.
