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#3 Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid
Sergio Ramos will go down in history as one of the best defenders of the modern era. The legendary Real Madrid captain has now served the Blancos for 15 years after joining from Sevilla in 2005. He has had an illustrious career in the Spanish capital and continues to be one of their best players despite being 34-years-old.
Ramos has a reckless streak in him but he is the last person you want to go up against in a heated battle. Sergio Ramos has been bullying La Liga attackers for a decade and a half now. He is not only a great tackler, but he is also strong aerially and is a fantastic passer of the ball.
Ramos is also Real Madrid's go-to penalty taker and hasn't missed one in over 2 years now. He is also the club's second top scorer in the league this season, scoring 11 goals. The Spanish international is a leader of the highest order as well and he continues to be one of the best in the business.
#2 Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli
Kalidou Koulibaly has been making waves for quite a while now and has been linked with several top clubs including both the Manchester giants. However, he continues to be at Napoli, holding it down for the Partenopei in defence.
What sets the Senegalese international apart is that he is a left-footer like Aymeric Laporte and this helps teams maintain a whole lot more balance at the back. This is a particularly appealing quality to teams that adopt a possession-based style of play.
The 29-year-old is an excellent tackler and though he might get carried away on occasion, he is a dominant presence in defence thanks to his towering frame. He is also an excellent passer of the ball.
#1 Virgil Van Dijk - Liverpool
Virgil Van Dijk is the signing that finally transformed an already exciting Liverpool side into a juggernaut. He came in and almost single-handedly stabilized a Liverpool defence that was being taken to the cleaners over their incompetence.
Van Dijk is the toughest centre-back in the world. He is an excellent passer of the ball, hardly ever shows signs of panic and dominates opponents in the air. Van Dijk also packs pace to burn and can catch up with the fastest players in the league.
He is all that you want a great centre-back to be. The Dutchman started all 38 games for Jurgen Klopp's side this season and has also scored 5 goals. Van Dijk is the best centre-back in football right now by quite a distance.
