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La Liga is probably the league with the most talent in the world. Spain is home to the golden generation of football which saw our jaws drop to the tune of flawless playing. The top tier of Spanish football has produced many a gem to count. Great players such as Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, and others all have their origins in the Spanish system of football; this is why it is one of the best leagues in the world.
The La Liga also has highly valuable players that form a rock wall in defence. Their consistency, season after season, and their dominance in their individual positions have brought their names to the limelight and skyrocketed their market values.
Here is the La Liga's most valuable backline of the 2018/19 season.
#5. Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak
Signed: €16 million
Current Market Value: €70 million
Jan Oblak has made steady progress at the top level. Joining Atletico Madrid from the Portuguese outlet Benfica for €16 million, he became the La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper at that time.
He was signed as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois, who was destined to return to Chelsea after the expiration of his loan deal. Oblak won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for the best goalkeeper in 2014/15 season for an all-time record for conceding least number of goals (18). He went on to win the same trophy for the next two seasons. This season he has conceded only 12 goals.
He is one powerful presence between the sticks, giving stiff competition to the likes of David De Gea, Keylor Navas, and Ederson.
#4. Left Back: Marcelo
Signed for: $8 Million
Current Market value: €60 million
The Brazilian left-back is arguably the best in the game right now. Marcelo joined Real Madrid at a tender age of 18 from Fluminense. He has been dominating the left side of Real Madrid for more than a decade now.
It is necessary to see, but now he is the best left-sided defender that there is in the world. Technically he is better; I was more power and punch.
- Roberto Carlos
Despite the emergence of many new full-backs, his technical superiority remains unmatched. Marcelo's consistency and quality have been appreciated everywhere. Real Madrid really did find a rough diamond in him.
#3. Centreback: Samuel Umtiti
Signed for: €25 Million
Current Market value: €70 Million
The French World Cup winning defender plays for Barcelona. He joined Barcelona from Lyon for €25 million and has signed a contract extension, keeping him at Camp Nou until 2022.
One can see glimpses of former Barcelona defender Carlos Puyol when Umtiti plays: Daring, times the tackles well and reads the game like a children's book. He was part of the UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI:2016. Training with the best teams (Barcelona and France), and playing with and against top players has surely raised his game to the top level.
#2. Centreback: Rafael Varane
Signed for: €10 million
Current Market value: €80 million
Rafael Varane joined Real Madrid from Lens in 2011 and has further signed a contract extension till 2022. Varane was not a regular in the early stages of his Real Madrid career but his performances have made the managers inclined to select him.
Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka talked about Varane in the press conference post-El Clásico of the Copa del Rey, saying, "It's obvious that Varane has a good head on his shoulders and will keep improving."
The tall French defender is quite a presence in the box. Composure, work-rate, strength and pace are all attributes that make him a great defender. He played every minute for the French World-Cup winning squad, scoring an important goal in the quarterfinals against Uruguay.
#1. Rightback: Dani Carvajal
Signed for: €6.5 million
Current Market Value: €60 Million
Dani Carvajal left Real Madrid for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 only to move back to Real Madrid a year later. Carvajal has since been a regular in the Madrid squad playing with the likes of Ronaldo, Ramos and Ozil.
He has won the European Championship with Spain at the U-21 and U-19 levels but could not establish himself in the senior squad. He was also a part of the UEFA La Liga Team of the 2017 season and the Champions League Squad of the 2013 and 2016 seasons.
Real Madrid noticed the outstanding performances by Dani this season, and it was only a matter of time before they exercised their buy-back option.
-Rudi Voller, director of football, Bayer Leverkusen
