The world of defenders can often feel a lonely one. The most prestigious individual awards are geared towards attackers and forwards mostly. Franz Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro remain the only true defenders to win the Ballon d’Or.
Matthias Sammer is also there, but he was converted into a sweeper from a midfielder. No defender has won it since 2006, and nobody puts 100+ blocks in a season over 40+ goals. However, no team would be able to properly compete without a stout backline.
The tighter your defence, the better your fortunes of avoiding a loss. There are several great defenders in the world currently, and here are the best of the lot.
The top 10 defenders in world football
| Jersey No. | Name | Club/Country | Matches | Clean Sheets % (2021-22) | Red Cards |
| 4 | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool/Netherlands | 445 | 62% | 3 |
| 5 | Marquinhos | PSG/Brazil | 399 | 41% | 2 |
| 2 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich/France | 189 | 28% | 2 |
| 3 | Eder Militao | Real Madrid/Brazil | 175 | 38% | 3 |
| 23 | Fikayo Tomori | AC Milan/England | 164 | 52% | 0 |
| 22 | Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid/Germany | 424 | 41% | 4 |
| 96 | Alessandro Bastoni | Inter/Italy | 207 | 45% | 1 |
| 32 | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig/Croatia | 112 | 28% | 0 |
| 14 | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City/Spain | 384 | 55% | 3 |
| 4 | Cristian Romero | Spurs/Argentina | 157 | 32% | 1 |
Virgil van Dijk
The Liverpool centre-back has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League in recent years. Van Dijk is extremely quick across the ground with his long legs and reading of the game.
On the other side of the field is Darwin Nunez, who could be a massive source of goals for the Reds
His tall frame means he wins 4.02 aerial duels per 90, putting him in the 92nd percentile of defenders. Van Dijk’s attacking prowess is also refined, with almost 75 passes attempted per 90, completing 91% of them. Liverpool’s strong form at the back has helped Van Dijk’s cause and he has won the Premier League Player of the Year in 2019.
Marquinhos
Another ball-playing centre-back with 4.30 progressive carries per 90. Marquinhos has been an ever-present with PSG since 2013. He completes 93% of his passes, with more than 73 attempts per 90.
Marquinhos has also benefitted from the players ahead of him being excellent in their roles themselves. He will definitely be one of the more important players for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Eder Militao
Marquinhos’ international teammate was one of the most important components for Real Madrid in…
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