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Having covered the goalkeeper, right-back and left-back positions, it is now time for us to analyse another defensive position, that of centre-backs.
The men who usually don the numbers four and five are often the defensive leaders of teams, adroitly marshalling the backline . It is certainly one of the more heroic positions in the game of football, as most iconic captains in the sport's history were centre-backs or central defenders.
The centre-back position has evolved over the years. Back in the day, it was common practice to deploy a third centre-back in the form of a 'libero', better known as a 'sweeper'.
Legendary German defender and one of the greatest of all time, Franz Beckenbauer, excelled in this role. In modern day football, though, teams prefer both centre-backs to be good with the ball on their feet, instead of having to play a specialist 'sweeper'.
The idea behind playing a sweeper was to enable a team to initiate attacks from the defence itself, beating the first press with a pass through the channels straight into midfield. The same idea persists today, but instead of technically 'wasting' a position on a sweeper, the regular centre-backs are expected to take on that responsibility.
Most top-level centre-backs nowadays are good with the ball at their feet, if not excellent. Liverpool's Virgin van Dijk, Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos, Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte and Barcelona's Gerard Pique are a few examples of top quality centre-backs who are excellent in possession too.
They can not only pass the ball straight into midfield, but can only carry the ball forward themselves to beat the initial press. The typical centre-back has become more about being technically sound and being able to read the game expertly, rather than solely being a dominating physical presence.
On that note, let's analyse which national teams are blessed when it comes to centre-backs.
Five national teams with the best centre-backs:
# Italy
Notable players - Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Francesco Acerbi, Alessio Romagnoli.
One can't simply talk about defenders without mentioning the Italians, who are best known for their art of defending. It is no surprise that Italy continue to produce some of the smartest defenders in world football.
However, by their extremely high standards, the current batch of Italian centre-backs are somewhat underwhelming. Captain Giorgio Chiellini is perhaps the only true 'world-class' Italian centre-back of the current generation.
His Juventus teammate Leonardo Bonucci is one of the most complete centre-backs in the world, and is extremely good with the ball, but his peak as a top class defender was short-lived. Francesco Acerbi is another no-nonsense centre-back who is a leader in the dressing room.
Unfortunately, all of the three aforementioned players are well over 31 years of age and are unlikely to get any better. In such a time, the rise of Alessio Romagnoli has been a welcome boost for the Azzurri. The 24-year-old AC Milan star is one of the best players for the Rossoneri and will surely be at the heart of the Italian defence for years to come.
Another Juventus defender, Daniel Rugani, is a good young option for a centre-back in Roberto Mancini's team, although his growth has stunted in recent years.
Netherlands
Notable players - Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Daley Blind.
The Netherlands have had quite a history with centre-backs, producing some of the greatest ever to play the game that includes the likes of Jaap Stam, Ruud Krol, Frank de Boer and Ronald Koeman.
The Oranje have had a wait for over a decade since the retirement of Jaap Stam in 2004 to finally have another world-class centre-back. Virgil van Dijk is more than one, and possibly is the best centre-back in the world at this moment.
Moreover, Netherlands have found three excellent players to partner their national team captain. The 20-year-old super-talent Matthijs de Ligt would grow up to be one of the greatest centre-backs of his generation if he lives up to his potential.
The 1988 European champions have experience at centre-back in the form of Inter's Stefan de Vrij and Ajax's Daley Blind who can also play the left-back position very well.
The duo along with De Ligt are all excellent options to partner captain Van Dijk in central defence, and that ensures that the Netherlands can name a strong centre-back pair. Under the able tutelage of Ronald Koeman, the Oranje have an exciting team that has a world-class defence.
France
Notable players - Aymeric Laporte, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe.
It is simply impossible to talk about national teams right now and not mention France, regardless of the position in discussion.
As has been said many times before, France are truly enjoying their golden years, with their roster stacked with multiple world-class players in every position. The current world champions have Rafael Varane and Samuel Umtiti, the centre-back pairing that won them the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
One notable absentee in that French World Cup squad was Aymeric Laporte, who is one of the best centre-backs in the world, and is probably the best left-footed central defender right now. The fact that Didier Deschamps could manage to lift the World Cup without even having Laporte in the squad speaks volumes about the depth in the French ranks.
Barcelona's Clement Lenglet has also since established himself as a top-level centre-back, and is a big reason behind much of the good work Barcelona do defensively.
Moreover, as in every other position, France have terrific young prospects too, suggesting that this golden generation might last longer than most would anticipate. Lucas Hernandez, who started for France at the left-back position in their victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, is an extremely versatile player who is strongest at centre-back. PSG's Presnel Kimpembe is another player who is expected to progress well as a central defender.
Either way, France's four top level defenders themselves are all under 26, barring Varane. We might be looking at world dominance that might last very, very long.
Spain
Notable players - Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Inigo Martinez.
Two of the ever-presents of the famous World Cup-winning Spain team from 2010, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, are still going strong a full decade since their heroics in South Africa.
Aged 33 and 32 respectively, neither Ramos nor Pique are at their breathtaking best. Yet, they continue to be two of the best Spanish centre-backs in the game today, proving that it's not the athleticism and physique that makes a great defender.
Ramos has 170 international caps to his name, which is an outrageous tally to have irrespective of which nation you represent, let alone a footballing giant like Spain. Pique, too, has earned an impressive 102 caps to this date.
Going by stature alone, Spain have by far the best centre-back pairing in international football. However, it's the quality in depth that is lacking. Their best centre-back after the two stalwarts is probably the versatile Cesar Azpilicueta. But the Chelsea player hasn't featured for La Roja in two years and is certainly not on their plans moving forward.
Villarreal's Raul Albiol is a very decent option, but isn't getting any younger at 33. 28-year-old Marc Bartra is in his prime, but like Azpilicueta, hasn't featured for Spain since 2018. Albiol's defensive partner at club level, young star Pau Torres is someone who Spain have pinned a lot of hope in. 24-year-old Atletico Madrid centre-back Mario Hermoso could be a go-to option as well.
Brazil
Notable players - Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Felipe, Eder Militao.
It certainly helps Tite's Brazil side that their two best centre-backs play at the same club - PSG. However, the nine-year age difference between Thiago Silva and Marquinhos means that this Brazilian centre-back pairing might not continue for too long.
Silva is expected to leave PSG at the end of the 2019/20 season. Under Silva's tutelage, Marquinhos has developed into the centre-back people expected him to become when he was an up and coming talent. Now, it is time for him to step up and assume mantle of the centre-back position in his national team.
22-year-old Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao could be in pole position to be promoted to the Brazilian starting line-up once Silva calls it quits. However, the Selecao may also opt for a veteran instead in Atletico Madrid's 31-year-old Felipe, although he has only one cap to his name so far.
The other teams
Choosing a clear winner here was an extremely difficult decision to make. It really is a good time for centre-backs as the world of football has a significant number of wonderful central defenders, all of whom are well capable of holding their own in possession.
Much like the Spaniards, Uruguay can also boast of a solid first-choice centre-back pairing in Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, but apart from the duo, there are little other options to choose from.
Germany have good, relatively young centre-backs in Nicklas Sule, Antonio Rudiger and Mattias Ginter, but the trio lack international experience as Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng are now out of reckoning.
Belgium have three vastly experienced centre-backs in Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, but they don't have a lot coming up the ranks to replace the trio.
Conclusion
Clearly, a number of national teams can name a robust pair of centre-backs, or even a strong back-three if they wished to. However, France's unbelievable depth without compromising in quality is simply unmatched by any other team in international football.
The Netherlands are also a very strong defensive unit, but it is just too difficult for them to match up with France's roster right now.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup champions have six extremely good central defenders, with the oldest of them being a 26-year-old. Potentially, France can name three different centre-back pairings and still be in pole position to beat any other team in the world. That is special.
