Top 5 center-back pairing of the 21st century

“If we score, we might win. If they never score, we can't lose.” The rudimentary act of achieving a positive result in any football match has been aptly inked by Christie Rampone. With all the limelight on the forwards, scoring screamers and dishing out sublime finishes, defenders are often trapped in the zone of least appreciation.

Back in 2006, Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or as the first defender since Matthias Sammer, who won it ten years ago. It’s hard to comprehend this fact especially when they are the ones who are burdened with the responsibility of accomplishing a mission with no margin of error whatsoever.

However, a more insightful understanding of defenders not winning enough individual accolades etches out the phenomenon of center-backs pairing doing a commanding job at the back and perfectly complementing each other to protect the wall. While one may do the dirty part, the other would initiate the creativity and that’s why great teams achieve monumental success with a rugged pair at the heart of the defense.

The art of defending has evolved to a greater dimension these days with center-backs being more creative in initiating an attack, in addition to their defensive responsibilities. Managers in this era tend to include such players who possess defensive attributes with an eye on the open-play being uncompromised. Hence, the efficiency of a center-back pair largely depends on how one complements the other's attributes with his own set of skills. Right from engineering an offside trap to cleaning up the back the two central figures must act in synchronization.

Although the art of defending has taken a downhill path over the decades, we have witnessed some enthralling center-back pairs in the 21st century. Here are five such pairings in the last two decades that have put the strikers at bay in innumerable threatening situations.

#1 Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta

Maldini and Nesta: Milan's wall at the back

If there is ever an iconic duo the world has ever witnessed, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta stand apart on top of the list. Maldini, whose prime lasted for almost two decades, started his career way before this century but had Nesta in the twilight of his career. Together they formed a formidable pair at the back, perpetuating the European giant status for Milan in the early part of this century.

Maldini was all about a strong character on the field who perceived tackling as a technical mistake but on the other hand, Nesta was the most artistic tackler the football world has ever seen. Even the fiercest attack would acknowledge the hard challenge of getting past these two.

Although the duo didn’t feature in Italy’s 2006 world cup campaign, they went on to win the champions league twice in 2002/03 and 2006/07. In the 2002-03 season, Milan conceded just one more goal than eventual champions Juventus. However, in the final of the Champions League, Juventus couldn't find a way to score past them in 120 minutes. Their art of defending was simply impeccable.

Their dominance in the early 2000s is potent enough to be considered as one of the greatest center-back pairings in this century.

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#2 Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini

"Mr Bonucci and Mr Chiellini could give some Harvard University classes about how to be a central defender."

This is how Jose Mourinho addressed the greatness of this defensive duo after their sublime display against Manchester United in a Champions League tie back in 2018. Although the attack of United was not that potent a force that it used to be, the Juventus duo had already established themselves as almost non-pareil in this decade.

In the return leg against Barcelona in 2017, they produced one of the most remarkable defensive display that prompted their manager Allegri to asseverate:

“Barcelona failing to score goals over two legs is almost unheard of. It felt like we could have played for a whole day and not conceded.”

It was rightly so as the duo dished out 11 tackles, 8 interceptions, and 16 clearances together.

The Bianconeri have made the Seria A a league of their own, winning everything post-2010 and the contribution of this legendary coalescence at the heart of Juve defense has been simply monumental.

Giorgio Chiellini being the more aggressive of the two leaves the strikers at bay while Leonardo Bonnuci does the sweeping job by keeping the backline in perfect harmony.

Their longevity in the game at this level, for both club and country, makes them one of the best center-back partners in this century.

#3 Sergio Ramos and Pepe

This pair defines aggression when it comes to intercepting the opponent’s attack with conviction. A perfect manifestation of strength and imprudent defending makes this duo a menace for any strikers in the world.

Cards are merely a tool that keeps them at bay to an extent while they remained unstirred in their approach. Pepe was a fighter who simply wouldn’t let his opponent win a duel and could go to any extent, while Sergio Ramos would create space to move up apart from partnering Pepe in critical situations, courtesy to his pace. The goal-scoring attribute of Ramos from set-pieces makes this defensive pair from Madrid even more fearsome.

Unlike the previous two duos, who shared the same nationality, Ramos and Pepe came together to rule Europe for almost a decade, 2007-2017, for the Spanish giants. In that period, Real Madrid won UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Ray, and La Liga multiple times which includes a hat-trick of Champion league trophies to go into the history books.

The most successful pairing in terms of trophies won at club level along with dominating for a decade makes this pair a natural fit inclusion the list.

#4 Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

Manchester United's best center-back pairing

No list of most iconic center-back partners is complete without these two. Edwin van der Sar going a record time without conceding a goal in 2009, Manchester United’s dominance and Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy are all largely down to this legendary pair.

Rio Ferdinand was still the most expensive defenders at that time and the arrival of Nemanja Vidic produced one of the best pairings in the history of Premier League. The success of Manchester United playing counter-attacking football in the Ferguson era was the out-turn of the stellar job done by these two at the back. They provided the rigidity and creativity to initiate such moves.

An exhibition of bravery and unprecedented commitment was the hallmark of these two players. Vidic had a body of steel and Ferdinand was inch-perfect with his interceptions that helped them complement each other perfectly. They won the Premier League five times and the Champions League once during their battles together. As Sir Alex Ferguson said “Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles”, these two made sure with their commanding presence to propel United to glory.

Both left Manchester United in 2014, just a year after Ferguson’s departure, but their alliance is engraved as one of the best in modern times.

#5 Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique

Carles Puyol was the leader that maneuvered the historic Barcelona team and had a commendable hand in carving out his partnership with Gerard Pique and turning it into an immortal one.

One incident that still stands out was a match against their arch-rival Real Madrid in a Copa del Rey semi-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, back in 2013. When Pique had a lighter thrown at him, he picked it up to show the referees. However, before the drama unfolded further, Puyol intervened and got Pique back into the game to not lose concentration on petty issues.

This goes on to show the effect of Puyol on Pique's career. Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique is easily the stand-out center-back pair in this century. As Pique arrived from United in 2008, the pair formed a formidable defense in no time. Sharing the same nationality, they played together in an era when both Spain and Barcelona flourished at the national and domestic level respectively, even winning the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Adapting under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, Pique’s vision and creativity with the ball was an added advantage that both Barcelona and Spain enjoyed. Puyol’s stalwart presence and domineering attitude kept the defense in control while Pique’s game reading helped the team relay defense to attack in a silky manner. The number of trophies they won at regular intervals simply implies the greatness they achieved augmenting each other to form a herculean defense.

Barcelona and Spain were lucky and so are we to have witnessed them in tandem. Inarguably, they are the best center-back pair in the 21st century.