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#2 Raphaël Varane
As of now, Raphael Varane is the most valuable defender in the world. After all, he has enjoyed a spectacular year and could very well be the first defender since Fabio Cannavaro to finish on the Ballon d'Or podium.
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Having already won the Champions League in May, Varane entered the World Cup 2018 in Russia with high hopes. Throughout the tournament, in tandem with Samuel Umtiti, he was a brick wall for the French national team. The 25-year-old even scored a goal against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Had it not been for his invaluable contributions, France's road to World Cup glory would have been a lot more bumpy.
Varane is also a key player at Real Madrid, albeit it is Sergio Ramos who steals the show most of the time. At present, reports suggest that the Frenchman is on Jose Mourinho's radar.
