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Central defenders form an important component of a team and are considered the last line of defence. They need to be constantly active, should be good readers of the game and look to time their tackles to perfection. These qualities are essential in modern day centre-backs as they easily made the scapegoats if their team performs badly in a particular match.
Centre-defensive partnerships are necessary in order to stay in the game and prevent the opposition attackers from scoring goals. A good centre-defensive partnership can make the entire defence organisationally strong and hence add pressure on the opponents. On the other hand, a bad centre-defensive partnership can create confusion among the entire defence and open up an opportunity for the opposing team to capitalize on.
Let us rank the 5 World Class centre defensive partnerships of the 21st century.
#5 Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld
Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have established themselves as one of the best defensive partners in the Premier League at the moment. The positional play of this pair is excellent, are comfortable in possession and can cover the pitch with their pace quickly in order to negate any threat from the opposition.
They are no-nonsense defenders who have helped Tottenham attackers by conceding very few goals in the last couple of seasons.
They have also formed a successful defensive partnership for Belgium and hence were instrumental in helping them achieve the 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Both of them also pose a threat to the opposition from set-pieces and hence complement each other perfectly in several areas.
#4 Boateng and Hummels
Hummels and Boateng are both excellent in their respective defensive areas. Boateng is muscular, is adept at tackling, but is not as fast as Hummels. On the other hand, Hummels is a fluent distributor of possession, is a threat to the opposition from corners, covers the pitch quite quickly with his pace, but is not as strong and muscular in his approach as Boateng. Hence, each of them complements the other pretty well on the football field.
Hummels and Boateng have formed one of the best defensive partnerships in the world for both Bayern Munich as well as for Germany. Their excellent performance at the back was one of the key reasons for Germany's success at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Hence, they are one of the most standout defensive partners in the world currently.
#3 Sergio Ramos and Pepe
Sergio Ramos and Pepe were both physically solid defenders who, due to their strength and match awareness, would make it extremely difficult for the opposition to penetrate the Real Madrid defence. The pair were quite aggressive in tackling the opposition's attackers and hence were sometimes reckless in earning themselves foolishly a red card from the referee.
The pair has contributed significantly to Real Madrid's trophy cabinet by winning a lot of tournaments for them from 2007 to 2017. They can also be regarded as the best centre-defensive pair in Real Madrid's history due to their success both in La Liga as well as in the Champions League.
Hence, the defensive partnership between Pepe and Ramos is one of the most formidable one in the 21st century
#2 Pique and Puyol
Puyol and Pique formed an almost unbeatable defensive pair for Barcelona. They were rough tacklers, excellent readers of the game and were good at intercepting the ball from the opponents in crucial situations for their team. Puyol's presence also compensated Pique's lack of pace quite comfortably.
The pair played in the Golden generation of the Blaugrana under the charismatic management of Pep Guardiola. Together they have won numerous trophies for Barcelona which also includes 6 La Liga and 3 Champions League titles. Hence, they are one of the most decorated centre-defensive partners in La Liga's history.
#1 Ferdinand and Vidic
There can be no such list of the best centre-defensive partnerships in the world without the inclusion of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. They are probably the best defensive pair Manchester United had in their entire history. Both of them were no-nonsense defenders who bought their A-game in many matches they played together at Old Trafford.
Vidic and Ferdinand formed a defensive shield in front of the Red Devils goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar which was difficult to penetrate for the opposition attackers. Together they won 5 Premier League and 1 Champions League titles for Manchester United. Both were extremely good in the air and hence posed a great threat to the opposition from corners.
Hence, Vidic and Ferdinand formed a formidable defensive partnership for Manchester United.
