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#3 Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta (AC Milan/Italy)
Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta were central figures in AC Milan's most successful period in the late 80s and early 90s. They had a star-studded lineup with the likes of Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten leading their attack. But the foundations were laid in defence and the centre-back duo were ably supported by Paolo Maldini and Mauro Tassotti on either flank.
Franco Baresi is inarguably one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game. He played his entire career at AC Milan and was already a legend by the time Costacurta joined him at the heart of defence in 1986.
The two are famous for keeping cleansheets in consecutive European Cup finals in 1989 and 1990 against Steaua Bucharest and Benfica respectively. Both Baresi and Costacurta were intelligent players who were technically proficient. Both could play anywhere across the backline.
Baresi was an excellent ball-playing defender and even functioned as a secondary playmaker. Costacurta was tenacious and was good with the ball at his feet as well. Together, they won five Serie A titles, three European Cups/Champions League titles and four Supercoppa Italianas.
#2 Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique (Barcelona/Spain)
Gerard Pique joined Barcelona from Manchester United in 2008. He joined forces with Carles Puyol, who had already established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world. The duo clicked straight away and Barcelona won the continental treble in Pique's debut season.
Puyol executed the traditional duties of a centre-back, sweeping and tackling as though his life depended on it. Pique provided technical finesse from the back and was the player who kickstarted moves for Barcelona. Both were impressive in one-on-one situations and together they were rock-solid at the back for both Barcelona and Spain.
Both those sides are now regarded as two of the best we've seen in the history of the game. They won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2012 for the Spanish national side. The duo also picked up four La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, three Copa del Reys and two Supercopa de Espanas at Barcelona.
#1 Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan/Italy)
Alessandro Nesta is widely regarded as the best technical defender the game has ever seen after Franz Beckenbauer. Well, Italians are simply the best when it comes to the art of defending and nobody made it look as good as Nesta.
Living up to the legacy of the Franco Baresi-Alessandro Costacurta defensive duo is a task in itself. Surpassing it is the stuff of legends. Nesta's impact at AC Milan was immediate and he helped the Rossoneri win the Champions League in his first season (2002-03) at the club.
Playing alongside Nesta at centre-back was Paolo Maldini, who had successfully transformed from left-back to centre-back. Maldini is one of the greatest tacklers the game has ever seen. AC Milan were lucky to have two of the greatest defenders of the modern era playing for them at the time.
Even better, the Rossoneri were fortunate to have had them during their peak years and the duo won two Champions League titles together. They also won the Scudetto in the 2003-04 season and made it to the Champions League final in 2005-06 as well.
