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In the modern game, picking out the best defenders all across the world is a nearly impossible task. Playing styles of various teams are wholly different from each other and the roles that defenders play in one team could be quite a departure from the role they play in another.
We could always choose our criteria to cherry-pick them though. Gone are the days when defenders used to come for way cheaper than strikers. The transfers of Harry Maguire, Virgil Van Dijk and Matthijs De Ligt have proven this.
Defenders have always played a big role but it has started reflecting in their valuations only recently. On that note, let's take a look at five of the most valuable defenders in the world.
(Info courtesy: Transfermarkt.com)
#5 Matthijs De Ligt - €70 million
Matthijs De Ligt is yet to live up to the hype at Juventus after joining from Ajax in the summer of 2019 for a sum of €75 million. But anyone who has followed him during his time in Ajax would know that De Ligt has immense potential and could go on to be the very best in the business.
Matthijs De Ligt is still only 21-years-old and has his entire career ahead of him. He won the Serie A title in his first season with the Bianconeri. De Ligt's game benefits from his having been an attacking midfielder in his academy days.
As a result, he is a technically sound centre-back who can also get as physical as you'd want a centre-back to be. De Ligt is excellent with his tackles and is a major threat from set-pieces thanks to his height and aerial ability.
#4 Andrew Robertson - €75 million
Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson is now valued at a whopping €75 million. To give you some context, Liverpool signed Robertson from Hull City in the summer of 2018 for an initial fee of £8 million.
Though he showed plenty of promise, it is at Anfield under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp that Robertson burgeoned into the finest left-back in the world. All heart, lungs and legs, the Scotsman is a menacing presence down the left-flank and is just as adept in attack as he is relentless in defence.
Robertson is a rare gem of a player who never gives up and his crossing ability is the stuff of legends. Liverpool have received a lot of praise for signing relatively lesser-known players at cheaper prices and why wouldn't they? Robertson's value has shot up almost 10 times in the span of just two years.
#3 Virgil Van Dijk - €80 million
It is a pity that Virgil Van Dijk is now likely to miss the entirety of this season after rupturing his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) against Everton in last month's Merseyside derby.
Van Dijk has been a colossus at the back for Liverpool and he was the final vital signing that Klopp had to make to transform the side into world-beaters. The goals had been coming in thick and fast following the addition of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
But it was Van Dijk's signing that helped shore up their rickety defence and there has been no looking back ever since for Klopp and company. Van Dijk quickly won praise for his performances for Liverpool and there is consensus in most circles that he is the best centre-back in the business at the moment.
#2 Alphonso Davies - €80 million
The Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies has taken the world by storm and is currently one of the most sought-after wingbacks in the world. Bayern's three-man defence system required David Alaba to play as a centre-back and stepping into the Austrian's shoes on the flanks was going to be no easy task.
However, they found an unlikely solution in 20-year-old Canadian baller Alphonso Davies. Alphonso Davies was signed from MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps in the summer of 2018 for an initial fee of £13 million which would rise to £22 million with performance-related bonuses.
Davies played a crucial role in Bayern Munich's intercontinental treble triumph last season and he was widely praised for his performance against Barcelona in the Champions League last season where the Bavarians dispatched the Cules by a resounding 8-2 scoreline.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold - €110 million
When Trent Alexander-Arnold first broke into the Liverpool senior side, it looked like the teenager might have been signing up for a task too heavy for his scrawny shoulders. Fast forward four years and Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the finest right-backs on the continent who has already won the Champions League and the Premier League titles.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been incredible from a fullback position for Liverpool and has provided both goals and assists much to the joy of his manager Jurgen Klopp. Not only can Trent whip in delightful David Beckhamesque crosses but he can also score goals from set-piece situations just like the Manchester United legend.
That Trent is the most valuable defender in the world at the moment should come as no surprise because he is only 22-years-old and is already a champion footballer who has hentire career ahead of him.
