Defending is, quite possibly, the core of any successful team. There are those who believe the best defense is the offense though, like Barca. You can find yourself scoring 1 or 2 goals in the first 20 minutes, and with a solid and consistent defense you can virtually control the entire game and you can't lose. There were those really great defenders that changed the game and defined what a great defender could be, like the god Franz Beckenbauer, but who do you think is the best defender right now? Picks were made out of memory, if none of your favrites are on the list you can pick Other and then comment here saying who exactly. Let the voting begin!
your list missed quite a few good names like Chielini, Ramos, Godin, Dante, Vertonghen ... Puyol, DLuiz , Agger should not be in such list ...
You include a green Varane, Hummels who has some troubles lately and Puyol who hasn't played in ages but omit players like Dante, J.Martinez, Chiellini and J.Boateng?
Ehh...that's what the "Other" option is for guys. Sorry if I didn't put better defenders there, I put the ones that I could think of at that moment. I'd edit it if I could...
for me it's got to be silva. such a beast. he has great positioning and read the game so well that he is often cutting off angles before they are angles, and when he makes a mistake (not often) he is quick enough to fix his mistake, or his teammate's mistakes for that matter. one of the few "true" defenders left in my opinion.
even Canavaro also got frustrated in the quality of defenders in this last few years (or new era), he stated for SerieA, and regarding Italy NT in particular (rather than general across the world) in this case: Posted : 2013/01/11 2:52 am Serie A defenders lack quality, says Fabio Cannavaro Former Italy international Fabio Cannavaro has criticised the quality of defenders in Serie A stating there are 'fewer good defenders in one-on-one situations. 'The World Cup winner believes the lesser ability of top Italian league centre-backs is the reason for the three-man defence tactic, as coaches now look to bolster their backline to avoid leaking goals. 'The three-man defence has become fashionable because there are now fewer good defenders in one-on-one situations,' Cannavaro told Sky Sport Italia. 'As a result, coaches are looking to beef up that department.'The 39-year-old feels that the current crop of players need to return to their routes and embrace defending again. He added: 'We, as a nation, must return to our origins because we have always been good at defending and we shouldn’t be ashamed of that.'
Another great DF will leave football soon ... Time to give retiring Nesta the credit he deserves Alessandro Nesta was 13 years old when Italia '90 came around. A member of the Lazio academy, six of whose youngsters were to be selected as ball boys during the tournament; he desperately hoped to be one of them. Imagine the disappointment he felt, then, on seeing the list printed and tacked to the notice board at Lazio's Formello training ground and finding that his name wasn't on it. "I had to get away from Rome and went to Cesenatico [on the coast]," Nesta recalled, "only to realise that I hated the sea. I envied [Marco] Di Vaio and [Alessandro] Iannuzzi, the privileged teammates of mine in the academy, who were allowed to admire Azeglio Vicini's national team on the sidelines; it was a dream." ... After the failures of Roberto Ayala, Andre Cruz and a raw Fabricio Coloccini, Milan finally had a successor to Franco Baresi. The great man said so himself. "Milan have made a great signing," Baresi insisted, "because no one is better than Nesta in Italy right now. He's a player of international class. He’s young [26] and experienced. The Rossoneri can rest assured because that role is covered for a long time." Within a year, Nesta had won the Champions League. He was Milan's penultimate penalty taker in their shootout victory over Juventus at Old Trafford, scoring after Paolo Montero's miss to pile on the pressure and, to borrow a phrase from tennis, give Andriy Shevchenko a match point that he wasn't about to pass up. ... Mancini once described Nesta as the "Ronaldo of defenders." His speed, anticipation, the timing he showed in the tackle distinguished him as arguably the finest centre-back of his generation. Nicknamed "The Minister of Defence," security was never as tight as when Nesta was at the back of a team (except, Roma fans like to remind him, in that 5-1 win of theirs over Lazio in the derby in 2002). Once he hangs up his boots, the plan is to go into coaching. Italy could certainly do with producing more defenders like Nesta again. Maybe that's where il grande Sandrino can lend a hand.
I just have to say before anything that I feel the best Defender of all time is Paolo Maldini. Simply the best. Currently, I would have to jump on the wagon and say Thiago Silva even though I believe he is still injured and is completely out of form at the moment, what he showed in the Confederations was amazing, commanding the Brasil squad from the back. I would also go as far and say it's a tie with Carles Puyol, just returning from an injury himself and clearly not his best moment, everything he's done is extraordinary. Both at their BEST, there's no doubt. The Nesta article is great, there are not enough complements to give a player like him, a true Italian defender. Relating to what Cannavaro said, even though there is Chiellini who's great, Italy's defenders are lacking at the moment. And speaking about in the moment and currently, I couldn't say Nesta is it because he's glory days are over. So to not contradict myself, taking out Thiago and Carles because of their poor from at the moment, the best is clearly Phillip Lahm. Not only a brilliant player now adapting to a new role under Pep Guardiola but the little guy can sure defend and isn't afraid to get dirty. Great defender. One for the future: Raphael Varane. HALA MADRID ! "This guy will be the best, there is no defender like him, he plays like he's been doing it for 20 years" ~ Fernando Hierro
Good post, even though I disagree on Maldini as best DF all time. Thiago Silva is a very good DF, but not great ... same with Puyol (they just look great in this era though) However I do agree with your pointing out at Lahm a great DF left over from last era ... and a new "potential great" in Varane ...
Sad days for Italy indeed! And yes, in terms of pure defense Nesta is certainly a contender for best ever. It says something about the 2006 Italy NT that they had one of the most solid World Cup defenses ever in spite of Nesta being injured.
The term "All time" always brings along different opinions of course, it's a lot to do with preference, to me he is because of the way he defended, rough but kept it clean if you know what I mean, played at the highest level for 20+ years and trophy's aren't everything but 5 UCL titles is impressive, and Italian defenders are great. Who do you consider the best Defender in your opinion ? I 100% agree with your statement on Thiago and Puyol, but hey, we gotta talk about this era. Lahm is incredible and I'm a Madrid fan so I sure do hope Varane becomes what his potential is showing!
Puyol not great, T. Silva not great - "they only look great in this era" lol ok. In their prime, they'd be among the very best defenders of any era (that is: Silva now, Puyol some years ago).
for your info: Puyol at best was just a donkey next to Scirea, Maldini Krol Thuram ... Even at his best he was worse than a ... who? Old Thuram, and Abidal Thiago Silva, was not even close to a Aldair , M Santos (Brazil 90s) or Nesta, Desailly Blanc, Canavaro ... so forget to compare him with other greats like N Santos, baresi, Moore Passarela,
Look at one of the interview in recent time ... with some great names in EPL and his best defenders he has seen. An his list consisted of some familiar names in Baresi, Bobby Moore, Maldini, Nesta, Alan Hansen, Tony Adams, Canavaro, Paul Madley ... The big debate: Who is the best defender you have ever seen? By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER UPDATED: 18:32 EST, 4 November 2011 JAMIE REDKNAPP Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ate-Who-best-defender-seen.html#ixzz2keSxDIkM
Come on! Aldair and Marcio Santos? Those were not great defenders at all! they were old style punt the ball as far as you can see on the direction that you're facing defenders. And very physical, far from what today's defenders do, where dribbling out and taking the ball up the field is a must. Even Junior Baiano was better than Aldair and M Santos. I didn't trust any pass that went towards that back line in the 90s.