Top 5 center-back pairing of the 21st century

#5 Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique

The iconic duo

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.