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"Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles." It's a cliche, but it is one for good reason. The greatest football teams have been built around strong defensive units. Stability and formidability at the back lets each and every individual on a team express themselves to the fullest.
These days, a three-at-the-back system is being widely used but a traditional four-man defence with two centre-backs is still very much in vogue. To form a solid partnership in defence, a team needs two defenders who can complement each other and play to each other's strengths.
The duo need to be dynamic and simply stopping attackers in their tracks won't do. They need to be able to dominate all aspects of defending and be able to help their teams in building from the back. We have seen plenty of incredible centre-back partnerships in football.
Picking the five best centre-back partnerships is a near-impossible task, but we'll give it a shot anyway. Without further ado, let's dive straight into it.
#5 Gaetano Scirea and Claudio Gentile (Juventus/Italy)
Gaetano Scirea and Claudio Gentile formed one of the most dominant defensive partnerships we have seen at both club and international level. Juventus are famous for fielding some of the best defenders in the game and Scirea and Gentile epitomized their eliteness.
Gentile was a tough-tackling, rowdy defender whose style of play fit that of a traditional centre-back. He was a powerhouse and was as aggressive as any player to have graced the game. Gaetano Scirea, on the other hand, was the perfect foil to Gentile.
He was measured in his ways and was as classy and polished a defender as any. Scirea has never been sent off in his career. He was so good that he kept the legendary Franco Baresi out of the Italian national team for a good while.
Together, Scirea and Gentile were indomitable. They played together at Juventus for ten years, winning six Scudettos. They were also Italy's first-choice centre-backs in their 1982 World Cup triumph.
#4 Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Arguably the greatest centre-back pairing of the Premier League era, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic dominated the English top-flight for years. The technically astute Rio Ferdinand had already made a name for himself at Manchester United as a great modern day defender since joining in 2002.
Then Sir Alex Ferguson roped in a Serbian named Nemanja Vidic in 2005 and the rest is history. They were a centre-back duo that complemented each other perfectly. Ferdinand provided the flair with his wonderful technical ability while Vidic added the steel. Vidic was fearless, intimidating and an incredible physical presence.
Ferdinand and Vidic helped Edwin Van der Sar create a record of going 1,103 minutes without conceding a goal in the Premier League in 2009. Together, they won the UEFA Champions League in the 2007-08 season and five Premier League titles. They also won three English League Cups together.
#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.
