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#3 Marquinhos & Presnel Kimpembe - Paris Saint-Germain
Since the departure of centre-back Thiago Silva to Chelsea last season, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe have formed a rock-solid defensive partnership for PSG. The former is the current club captain for PSG while the latter is a guaranteed starter at both club and international level.
It took both of them time to get compatible with each other but the pair formed a formidable partnership towards the end of last season.
Both Marquinhos and Kimpembe are comfortable on the ball, which has often helped PSG build out their attacks from the back. In fact, Marquinhos had a 93 per cent passing accuracy in Ligue 1 last season, while Kimpembe boasted an astonishing 95 per cent passing accuracy. Kimpembe also ranked third in passes into the final-third.
The centre-backs have also been good in the defensive side of things for PSG. While Marquinhos made 27 interceptions and 33 tackles in Ligue 1 last season, Kimpembe registered 30 interceptions and 56 tackles.
Sergio Ramos' arrival means the duo will face competition from the Spanish centre-back. But his recent injury problems mean that the current centre-back pairing is likely to continue blossoming together.
Having lost the league title to Lille last season, they will be hoping to regain the title for PSG this season.
#2 Ruben Dias & John Stones - Manchester City
The defending Premier League champions Manchester CIty arguably have the best centre-back pairing in the league in the form of Ruben Dias and John Stones.
The duo managed to play 19 league games together last season and kept 13 clean sheets. They were not only solid at the back but even provided a goal threat from set-pieces, scoring five goals between them in the league.
In the 2019-20 season, Stones struggled to get any game time due to his poor performances and was also tipped to leave the club. But the arrival of Dias completely revitalized the Englishman and he formed a formidable partnership with the Portuguese at the heart of City's defense. He even managed to keep Aymeric Laporte out of the team.
The centre-back duo's performances last season saw them secure a spot in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Manchester City are expected to be involved in the Premier League title yet again this season and will be hoping the centre-backs can maintain their stellar form.
#1 Leonardo Bonucci & Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus/Italy
The Italians are arguably one of the best centre-back pairings we have seen in football history. Both Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are still at the top of European football at the age of 37 and 35 respectively.
The centre-backs have been crucial to Juventus' dominance in Serie A and also played a big part in Italy's win at Euro 2020. The uncompromising duo put in a stellar performance at the tournament, offering masterclasses in defending en route to Italy's first European Championship title since 1968.
Chiellini and Bonucci have been playing alongside each other for more than a decade now, building a telepathic understanding. They have complemented each other really well over the years.
Chiellini usually offers the brute force in their partnership, while Bonucci sweeps behind him and likes to bring the ball out from the back. The duo have won eight Serie A titles together for Juventus.
They have received plenty of praise for their defending over the years, but Jose Mourinho's comments after Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Juventus in 2018 were arguably the best:
Mr. Bonucci and Mr. Chiellini could give some Harvard University classes about how to be a central defender.
The centre-backs have an understanding like no other and Chiellini claimed in an interview during the Euros that he knows Bonucci better than his wife.
The duo are still together at Juventus and it will be interesting to see whether they represent Italy at next year's World Cup.
But one thing is for sure: Chiellini and Bonucci are the last of the old-school defenders in football. It could be a long time before we see a centre-back partnership as great as them.
