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As Sir Alex Ferguson's famous adage goes, "Attack (read 'scoring goals') wins you games, but defence wins you titles." That has proved to be true time and time again, as teams with a solid backline have been immensely successful over the years. Italy were renowned for their use of the Catenaccio system, which laid a strong emphasis on defensive foundations.
However, the role of a defender has evolved in the last decade or so. Top clubs prefer centre-backs who are good with the ball at their feet, and full-backs are expected to contribute significantly in the opposition third. In the modern game, defenders have found themselves on the scoresheet more than ever.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five defenders with the most goals in Europe's top five leagues in 2020-21.
#5 Guillermo Maripan | 5 goals (Ligue 1)
AS Monaco centre-half Guillermo Maripan was the highest-scoring defender in the 2020-21 Ligue 1.
Maripan scored five goals in 28 league games in the 2020-21 Ligue 1 and also bagged an assist. The Chile international notched up a goal in his team's 3-1 win over Marseille and the winner in their stunning 2-0 victory over deposed champions PSG.
Maripan failed to find regular minutes in the first half of the season, playing just 44 minutes in Monaco's first 13 Ligue 1 games of the season. However, he worked his way into the new manager Niko Kovac's starting lineup and eventually established himself as an integral part of the team's backline.
The 27-year-old has also shown immense composure with the ball at his feet, registering a 90% passing accuracy at an average of 71.5 passes per 90 minutes. Maripan also made three appearances in Les Monegasques' run to the Coupe de France final.
#4 Raphael Guerreiro | 5 goals (Bundesliga)
Raphael Guerreiro scored the joint-most goals by a defender in the 2020-21 Bundesliga, doing so with the fewest appearances.
Mats Hummels and Marvin Friedrich also scored five Bundesliga goals apiece but did so in 33 and 34 games, respectively. Guerreiro, the Borussia Dortmund full-back, reached the mark in just 27 appearances, missed only seven Bundesliga matches, six of them due to injuries.
Guerreiro was second-highest in the Bundesliga assists chart (10) by a Dortmund player during the season, finishing only one behind Jadon Sancho. The French-born Portuguese international played a part in 73% of Dortmund's Bundesliga minutes this season and had a contribution in one of five goals scored by his team.
His top-notch displays during the season helped him retain his spot in the Selecao's squad for the upcoming Euros, where he will look to help Portugal make a successful title defence.
#3 Achraf Hakimi | 7 goals (Serie A)
Inter Milan wingback Achraf Hakimi scored the joint-most goals by a defender in the 2020-21 Serie A season.
Hakimi played a pivotal role in Inter Milan, winning their first Serie A title win in 11 years. The 22-year-old made 37 appearances in the league this season and played 78% of Inter’s minutes in the recently-concluded Serie A campaign.
Hakimi amassed a tally of seven goals and ten assists and was involved in 19% of the Nerazzurri’s Serie A goals during the campaign. He was sensational in his debut season in Italian football, following a move from Real Madrid in the summer.
Achraf Hakimi is now one of the best wingbacks in the game, so Los Blancos might have a few regrets about letting him go.
#2 Theo Hernandez | 7 goals (Serie A)
After another successful season, AC Milan full-back Theo Hernandez has firmly established himself as one of the best in his position.
Hernandez notched up an impressive tally of seven goals and five assists in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign, proving to be one of Milan's most productive attacking outlets. After a £19 million move at the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, Hernandez has taken to Italian football like a duck to water.
In 45 appearances across all competitions this season, the Frenchman notched up eight goals and seven assists to his name. Hernandez was equally adept in the defensive side of his game, helping his team keep 11 league clean sheets during the campaign.
Hernandez won one tackle out of every 1.4 attempted per 90 minutes in the Serie A this season while also making 65 tackles and 45 interceptions. The Champions League winner is undoubtedly one of the game's best left-backs at the moment.
#1 Stuart Dallas | 8 goals (Premier League)
Leeds United wingback Stuart Dallas was the highest-scoring defender across Europe's top five leagues in 2020-21.
Dallas donned several hats during the course of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign. He played in as many as six different positions and also operated as a full-back on either flank.
The Northern Ireland international, who is one of the most versatile players in the Premier League, displayed peak physical fitness. He played in all 38 of Leeds' Premier League games this season, missing only nine minutes of Premier League action for the Whites.
In the 2020-21 Premier League season, Dallas was directly involved in ten goals (eight goals, two assists) and was an integral part of Marcelo Bielsa's well-oiled outfit. After a ninth-place finish in Leeds' first Premier League campaign since 2003-04, the Peacocks and Dallas will look for bigger and better exploits this season.
