#2 Central Defenders
Once again it is Bayern Munich who come out in pole position with Javi Martinez and Mats Hummels topping the charts, the former being rated as the best defender in all of Europe. Surprisingly, there are no defenders from Real Madrid or Barcelona, two clubs who are generally seen dominating the FIFA Fifpro XI.
Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi is the highest ranked player from Premier League, despite his club boasting only the 4th best defensive record in England. The only other Premier League star to have featured is Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren, surprising, to say the least, given that the Reds have conceded more goals than 5 other English clubs but that may not be an accurate assessment of how well the Croatian has played – at least according to the stats.
The only player from a La Liga outfit is Yeray Alvarez of Athletic Bilbao, while the list as mostly been dominated by Bundesliga stars and the last and probably the most bizarre thing of all is that none of Juventus’ back three of BBC – Bonucci, Barzagli or Chiellini – make the cut. In fact, only one Serie A star has made the cut – Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.
Centre backs of Europe’s Best XI: Javi Martinez and Mats Hummels
