In days gone by, if centre-backs weren’t bandaged around the head or covered in blood at the final whistle, then they hadn’t done their job. But the likes of Terry Butcher and Tony Adams would be unlikely to survive in today’s game.
The role of the old-fashioned stopper and header of crosses has evolved into a ball-playing footballer with lightning defensive reflexes and a sixth sense for sniffing out danger before it happens.
Here we pick our top 10 centre-backs in the world. We’ve used a number of stats from last season to quantify our rankings, as well as a player’s overall contribution to the game in recent times. So who makes it into our top 10?
All stats come from WhoScored.com and are correct as of the publish date.
10) Jose Fonte
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 36 appearances
- 3 goals
- 2.2 aerials won per game
- 3.8 clearances per game
- 1.9 interceptions per game
9) Aymeric Laporte
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 14 appearances
- 0 goals
- 2.6 aerials won per game
- 1.8 clearances per game
- 0.7 interceptions per game
8) Mats Hummels
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 32 appearances
- 5 goals
- 2.2 aerials won per game
- 3.8 clearances per game
- 1.9 interceptions per game
7) John Stones
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 22 appearances
- 4 goals
- 1.7 aerials won per game
- 2.5 clearances per game
- 0.8 interceptions per game
6) Raphael Varane
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 31 appearances
- 2 goals
- 2.4 aerials won per game
- 3.5 clearances per game
- 1.2 interceptions per game
5) Milan Skriniar
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 31 appearances
- 3 goals
- 1 aerial won per game
- 2.7 clearances per game
- 0.9 interceptions per game
4) Harry Maguire
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 34 appearances
- 2 goals
- 4 aerials won per game
- 3.6 clearances per game
- 1.8 interceptions per game
3) Virgil van Dijk
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 5 appearances
- 1 goal
- 2.4 aerials won per game
- 1.6 clearances per game
- 1 interception per game
2) Marquinhos
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 24 appearances
- 3 goals
- 2 aerials won per game
- 2.9 clearances per game
- 1.1 interceptions per game
1) Ruben Dias
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| Image Credits: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 32 appearances
- 1 goal
- 1.9 aerials won per game
- 2 clearances per game
- 1.5 interceptions per game
Image Credits: PA
Featured Image Credit: PA Images