Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica): 81 rating, 47. On top of that, he has also shown himself to be brave when required to put his body on the line to stop a shot. Ten of the best defenders in the world include Europeans and South Americans, excellent defenders in soccer, players capable of repelling the opposition. It is the same when it comes to the individual awards. The next leading Spanish central defender? Fernandinho (Manchester City): 84 rating, 18. Godin is our best centre-back in the world. Vertonghen, who is able to play in a number of positions, offered Spurs an assured presence in defence who could also contribute to the side in attacking areas, either by bringing the ball out from the back or scoring from set pieces. Last updated 7:34 PM, Monday October 19 2020 GMT+1. He helped Real Madrid to win the FIFA Club World Cup four times till now. He began his senior career at Bayern Munich’s junior squad in 2009 and in the subsequent year [2010], he … Sven Bender (Bayer Leverkusen): 89 rating, Topics: Marquinhos, Football News, Sergio Ramos, Danny Murphy, Football, David Alaba, Dayot Upamecano, Presnel Kimpembe, Mats Hummels, Gerard Pique, Virgil Van Dijk, Raphael Varane, Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain): 88 rating, 4. If Ramos provides the grunt, then central defensive partner Varane brings style to the table whenever Real Madrid take to the field. Another who has played large chunks of his career at full-back, the length of time he has spent as first choice at Real Madrid says much of his quality and standing within the game. Across … According to Goal.com, Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay has been heavily linked with a £17 million move to Manchester United this summer and, based on performances over the past few seasons, it is not difficult to see why. We used Stats Zone to zero in on our final selection, so make sure you tell us where we've gone wrong (we have no doubt you will). On form, he is the best defender in the Premier League. This is something that has very much come into the game because of Pep Guardiola, whose Barcelona side revolutionised modern football. Now he needs to fulfil his potential – and it certainly looks considerable. Andreas Christensen (Chelsea): 82 rating, 38. Although not particularly quick, Vertonghen is positionally excellent and is among the better readers of the game on this list. Ruben Dias (Manchester City): 81 rating, 49. Clement Lenglet (Barcelona): 84 rating, 17. Don't forget that the Italian was integral to Juve's dismissal of defending champions Real Madrid in the previous round, and has since scored some crucial goals at international level. BA1 1UA. The captain of Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning side and was once the highest scoring defender in football history with 134 goals in 451 games - until Ronald Koeman came along. Cascarino added: "It's a huge blow that I don't think [Liverpool] will overcome. He is truly a great all-around central defender. You will receive a verification email shortly. “In a year, Wesley would have cost much more, because big clubs had scheduled his breakthrough for that time,” he said, per the Leicester Mercury. We update this list every Monday. What follows, then, is a ranked list of those who I believe to be the 20 best central defenders in world football. For now, though, he is part of a unit that is proving to be one of the best around at both club and international level. 9. He has duly delivered on that promise and is now regarded as one of the best in the world, despite numerous injuries. Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli): 82 rating, 34. Last June, Pique won his third Champions League medal with Barcelona, an astonishing measure of his ability as a defender – especially given that he often plays alongside others who aren't natural defenders.