We have enough threads talking about attacking players, I think. Especially with the focus on CR7 vs Messi, we sometimes forget that there are some defensive players today who will probably go down as one of their club and country's all time greats. 1. From Spain, I think Pique and Ramos are definitely in with a shout. While I wouldn't rate either one of them too highly in the all-time list, I think both have done enough to be included in the Spain greatest XI. 2. Dani Alves faces tough competition because he'll always be compared, and probably fall short, of the Brazil greatest RBs. Objectively speaking though, he has been one of the most successful fullbacks of all-time, and a key component of one of the greatest club side of all time as well. This is a fullback with 100 assists, and is chief assistant to GOAT Messi. I think he's got a chance to be included in Barca's greatest XI as RB. 3. Lahm is someone I find fascinating. I think, quite uniquely, he lacks the athleticism we usually see in elite fullbacks. So, for him to reach the same heights as them say so much about his technique, character, and intelligence. A captain to both a great Bayern side and a World Cup winner Germany. He faces tough competition in both Bayern and German alltime XI though. 4. Chiellini is another who would be on this list if we include his late 2000s form as well. I thought he was possibly at his best then, but Juventus only became a powerhouse in 2010s. Just like with Dani Alves though, his nationality means he's facing tougher competition than most, with both Juventus and Italy. 5. Mascherano has to be, hands down, the best DM of the late 2000s and the 2010s. He is athletic, tenacious, and a master of defensive arts. Personally, I thought him and Schweisteiger were the two best players in the last WC final. I think Mascherano's case is interesting. In both Argentina and Barcelona, he face some of the finest technicians playing in his position, such as Redondo, Koeman, and Guardiola. However, both Barcelona and Argentina both lack truly world-class defensive specialist in the DM position. If anyone builds a greatest XI of either team, and needs a specialist to balance out the ulta attacking lineups (just as Makelele did for Madrid at the turn of the century) Mascherano is clearly the number one choice. 6. Thiago Silva. Very few Brazilian central defenders can ever claim to have been one of the best, if not the best central defender in the world at any point. Some would argue he's aided by the lack of truly great CBs in his era. Perhaps so. That does not change the fact that he is an amazing defender, and one that is very good on the ball as well. Baresi calls him his true heir. With the lack top level talent in the Brazil XI, Thiago Silva might have a chance of being included. It would be a very welcomed addition as well, since Brazil XI defensive depth has always lacked far behind their attack's.
Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels are two of the best centre-backs that Germany have ever had which is pretty high praise. John Terry is up among the best English centre-backs of all time. Ashley Cole, though almost retired now may well be the best left back we have ever had. Leonardo Bonucci is an outstanding defender though Italy are rather well covered in that position. Diego Godin is probably a leading candidate for among the best Uruguayan central defenders ever, even with their depth in terms of people like Matosas. Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho must be up somewhere near the likes of Germano and Humberto Coelho in Portuguese terms.
I don't watch enough Bundesliga to know that Boateng and Hummels are rated so highly. I only ever watch Dortmund vs Bayern, and their UCL games. Both face their club predecessors in Ze Kaiser and Jurgen Kohler, if they want to break into the Germany XI though. It's difficult for me to talk about either Terry or Cole. As an Arsenal fan, I have some obligatory negative feelings towards both. However, I do rate both very highly. I think at their peaks, both Ferdinand and Campbell were better than John Terry, but I think Terry's show consistency at the top leve, and with many different partners, that put him above both. I agree on Cole as well. I put forward his name as not just EPL, but the World's best LB of the 2000s decade. Bonucci faces the same problem with Chiellini. Both Juventus and Italy are super stacked in the CB department. I don't know enough about Uruguayan football to comment. I refuse to acknowledge Pepe's achievements due to my personal dislike of him. Such an unbearable character. I do think that Ricardo Cavalho, at his peak, was the best cover defender in the world for a season or two, sweeping for Terry.