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These iconic centre-back duos were absolutely dominant and nearly unbreakable in their primes.
It's a cliche but it's a widely acknowledged idea that attack wins you games and defence wins you titles. Back before a three-man defence became the in-thing in football, a solid pair at the heart of defence was seen as the chest plate of a team's armour.
A good centre-back pairing affords the rest of the team the freedom to express themselves in an assured manner. Midfielders and attackers can foray forward with abandon thanks to the stalwarts at the back. Many successful modern-day football teams have had some highly dependable defensive duos.
Having central defenders who know each other's strengths and weaknesses and can play in tandem is a huge boost for any side. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the greatest centre-back pairings of the 21st century.
#5 John Terry - Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)
The iconic centre-back pairing of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho laid the base for Chelsea's first Premier League title. Upon assuming the manager's role at Chelsea, Mourinho immediately recognized the need to find the perfect foil for John Terry at centre-back.
They beat several European giants to Ricardo Carvalho's signature and after a few initial hiccups, Carvalho found himself right at home at Stamford Bridge and his partnership with John Terry flourished.
While John Terry acted as the stopper and had the bigger frame, anybody who came into a tussle with Carvalho would testify to his ability to bounce strong attackers off with just a bump on the shoulder.
The duo formed Chelsea's bedrock as they went onto win back-to-back Premier League titles. In the 2004-05 season, Chelsea kept 25 cleansheets in the Prem and conceded just 15 goals, a record that stands till date.
The duo have immense mutual admiration for each other. Carvalho said in 2014:
“JT recognised this straight away and was such a big help, on and off the pitch,” He really made me feel comfortable. He is one of the best I’ve played with and a great leader too.”
“He is stronger than me and likes to get in the air whereas I play more with the ball than him. But that is what makes us such a good partnership together. As a centre-back, whoever you are playing with, you have to know your partner very well and have an understanding."
John Terry has also lavished praise on his partner, saying they had something special and that he loved playing alongside Carvalho.
#4 Giorgio Chiellini - Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
One of the best centre-back pairings we have seen over the last 10 years, the Italian duo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were crucial to Juventus' dominance in Italy and their excellent showings in the Champions League as well.
Yet another centre-back partnership where the differences between the players were more conducive to their effectiveness than their similarities, Chiellini and Bonucci figured out how to play to each other's strengths from the get-go.
Chiellini brought the brute force as Bonucci swept behind him and kept tabs on everything that trickled into the final third. They have won eight Serie A titles, three Coppa Italias and five Super Coppa Italias together.
After Jose Mourinho's Manchester United were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in 2018, in the Champions League, the Special One lavished praise on Chiellini and Bonucci. He said:
"Mr Bonucci and Mr Chiellini could give some Harvard University classes about how to be a central defender."
They are still the first-choice centre-back duo at Juventus and Chiellini quipped back in February that he knows Leonardo Bonucci better than he knows his wife.
“I know [Matthijs] De Ligt much better than a year and a half ago. The same goes for [Merih] Demiral. For Bonucci, by now, I think I know him better than I know my wife…”
#3 Carles Puyol - Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
When Barcelona had arguably the finest football team we had seen in the 21st century, it was their midfield that consisted of three absolute maestros in Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets that garnered a lot of praise in addition to their frontline.
But the importance of the centre-back pairing of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique cannot be understated. Unlike the other combinations that are being celebrated here in this article, Puyol's and Pique's partnership had an admirable mentor-trainee vibe about it and it was something we all loved to see.
One incident, in particular, exemplifies this relationship. Back in 2013, during Barcelona's semi-final game against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, right before a corner kick was taken, Pique saw a lighter near the box that was thrown from the stands. He picked it up to show it to the refs.
However, Puyol came to Pique and threw the lighter away and urged him to focus on the matter at hand. Puyol's sureheadedness is something Barcelona have benefitted from a lot. He had great technique and was tenacious to a fault. Pique was just as intelligent and possessed the ability to read the game to great effect.
They won trophies on the regular for both club and country. Puyol and Pique have won two Champions League and four La Liga titles together. They also won the FIFA World Cup together in 2010. The duo conceded just two goals out of seven matches in the World Cup and kept cleansheets in all four of their knockout stage matches.
#2 Nemanja Vidic - Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
The most dominant centre-back pairing in the history of the Premier League, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, were yet another duo that made a triumphant blend out of their dissimilarities.
The two did a stellar job at centre-back and their ability to recover the ball and recycle possession went a long way towards Manchester United's dominance in the latter years of the first decade of the 21st century.
Nemanja Vidic was an absolute beast and would put his body on the line repeatedly to make sure the Manchester United goal wasn't under threat. Rio Ferdinand was a technically proficient defender and his interceptions and passing from the back was crucial to Alex Ferguson's side's exploits.
The duo won one UEFA Champions League title and five Premier League titles together. They also won three English League Cups. Ferdinand and Vidic are considered two of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era and together they were an absolute force.
#1 Sergio Ramos - Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
A pair whose endurance and effectiveness are at the same level, Ramos and Varane form the most successful and dominant centre-back partnership that we've seen in recent times. Ramos and Varane have been playing together at the back for Real Madrid since the latter was roped in from Lens in 2011.
The long-lasting partnership is another example of two players complementing each other's playing styles. Sergio Ramos is a leader of men with unbridled aggression and that is perfectly complemented by the Frenchman's speed and ability to keep his head in tense situations.
Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane have won three La Liga titles together. But their most incredible feat was winning four UEFA Champions League titles, out of which three were consecutive triumphs. No other centre-back pairing has accomplished anything like that.
There is a good chance that this could be their last season together at Real Madrid, with both players tipped to leave in the summer. If that's the case, then it would bring to an end a centre-back partnership that has been immensely successful for a decade.
