Ranking the 10 greatest defenders of all time

There is a famous saying in football that was first uttered by the great Sir Alex Ferguson. It goes, “Attack wins you games, but defence wins you titles.”

The beautiful game of football has had several great defenders over the years, with each bringing a unique skillset to the game and leaving a mark on the sport. Teams have been built around quality defenders since time immemorial, with those sides usually going on to achieve special things.

While scoring goals remains the most important and fundamental action to win football games, preventing goals is one of the most underrated and toughest actions. Defenders need to be quick, strong, decisive and also need to have an astute tactical understanding of the game. Some are also adept ball-playing defenders and contribute with goals and assists alike.

With that said, let’s take a look at the top 10 defenders of all time football to have graced the beautiful game.

10. Roberto Carlos | Brazil

Roberto Carlos is among the top 10 defenders of all time. He was a rare breed of Brazilian defenders who took pride in the art of defending but also brought his natural attacking side to the game as well.

Known for his thunderous set-pieces, Carlos had a penchant of scoring some of the best goals from free-kicks one is ever likely to see. He scored one of the most iconic free kicks in the history of the sport for Brazil against France, with the ball curling around a five-man wall and leaving goalkeeper Fabian Barthez rooted to the spot.

Carlos was famous for playing for Real Madrid, for whom he made 527 appearances, scoring 70 times and providing 116 assists. He also played 127 games for Brazil.

9. Phillip Lahm | Germany

Lahm began his career as a right-back and was one of Bayern Munich and Germany’s finest players throughout his playing career. However, his natural understanding of the game and his ball-playing abilities prompted Pep Guardiola to deploy him in a deep-lying midfield role during the pair’s time working together at Bayern.

Lahm debuted for his country at a very young age but established himself as a mainstay with his no-nonsense style of play. He remarkably never received a straight red card throughout his 20-something year career. He made 517 appearances for Bayern, scoring 16 goals and providing 70 assists. He also made 113 appearances for Germany and won the FIFA World Cup with them in 2014 as captain.

8. Alessandro Nesta | Italy

Nesta was one of the most solid, powerful, and best defenders of all time, predominantly known for representing AC Milan and Italy. He formed one of the most formidable defensive pairings in history alongside Paolo Maldini, tasting the highest levels of success in the sport together.

Nesta made over 300 appearances for Milan and over 250 appearances for Lazio, and also played 78 games for Italy, with whom he won the World Cup in 2006.

7. Sergio Ramos | Spain

Sergio Ramos is infamous for his tattoos and red cards but was one of the greatest defenders of all time to every set foot on a football pitch. Strong, pacey, cunning and highly-intuitive, Ramos is one of the most dynamic players to ever play as a centre-back since the advent of professional football.

His ability to mark players, use physicality to throw them off or intimidate them, and always stand up for his teammates makes him a valuable asset for any coach. Ramos is also a good penalty taker and a clutch goal scorer that comes up with goals at the most unexpected of times.

He made 671 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 101 goals and providing 40 assists. He has won five UEFA Champions League titles with Los Blancos. Ramos has also made a whopping 180 appearances for Spain and won the World Cup with them in 2010.

6. Matthias Sammer | Germany

Matthias Sammer began his professional career predominantly as a midfielder or a winger. However, his understanding of the game and ability to read situations aided his development into one of the best defenders of all time.

Sammer played a huge role in popularizing the ‘libero’ role in modern football, especially during his time representing Borussia Dortmund. The role is usually carried out by the team’s best defender, who takes up a position behind the team’s natural backline and acts as the sweeper in case anything goes wrong in front of him.

He was instrumental in Dortmund’s domestic success and also played a key role in their road to winning their only European title back in 1997. Sammer made over 150 appearances for Dortmund and also played over 50 games for Germany.

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5. Ronald Koeman | Netherlands

Koeman was among the 10 best defenders of all time and mercurial defenders of his time who often went toe-to-toe with his striker and midfielder teammates in the scoring charts. Predominantly a central defender, he could play in any position across the backline. Koeman had a unique ball-carrying ability which allowed him to start attacking moves from deep positions.

Koeman made a name for himself representing Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax, making a total of nearly 400 appearances for his clubs overall. He ended his career as a defender with a jaw-dropping 240 goals and 87 assists – numbers that even some midfielders can only dream of. He also made 78 appearances for Netherlands.

4. Franco Baresi | Italy

Franco Baresi stood tall and strong at the heart of AC Milan’s defence in their highly-successful periods in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the definition of a leader and was known to have created high standards and a positive culture at the club.

Baresi is among the top 10 defenders of all time football. His presence in the squad helped everyone gel together. The Italian won three Champions League titles and six Serie A titles with Milan.

3. Bobby Moore | England

Moore was arguably the greatest English defender to have ever lived and his career goes a long way in showing why that is a big possibility. He began his professional career with West Ham United in 1958 and represented the Irons for 16 years until 1974, making over 500 appearances for the club.

Despite being only 5’10, Moore was adept at defending aerially as well as along the ground. He was lauded by the great Pele as the greatest defender he had faced – a testament to his abilities on the pitch. Moore captained his nation from the age of 23 onwards and also won the 1966 World Cup for England.

2. Paolo Maldini | Italy

Second on this list only due to the time he was born in, Paolo Maldini was arguably one of the solidest and toughest defenders to come across. He was known for his unique ability to read the game and read players, so he could premeditate his moves or position himself in a way so he does not have to make a tackle.

Maldini had once famously said, “If I have to make a tackle, I am already in the wrong.”

Such were his standards for defending that the Italian believed immensely in using his body before he had to resort to using his legs and feet. He played his entire career with AC Milan, making an eye-watering 901 appearances, scoring 33 goals and providing 43 assists. He also made 126 appearances for Italy.

1. Franz Beckenbauer | Germany

Known as ‘Der Kaizer’ or “The King”, Beckenbauer was arguably Germany’s greatest-ever defender. He was one of the best defenders in the world all time and is widely credited for creating the ‘libero’ role, or the sweeper. From that position, he proved to be a formidable shield for his goalkeeper, while also dictating attacking tempo from a deep position.

Beckenbauer played the majority of his career with Bayern Munich, with whom he won several domestic honours, including three consecutive titles between 1972-74. That Bayern team also won three consecutive European Cups between 1974-76. He also led Germany to glory in the 1972 European Championship.

He made over 570 appearances for Bayern Munich, scoring 74 goals and providing 75 assists. He also made 103 appearances for Germany during his playing days.

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