World best center backs in football: 7 top faces

Who is the world best center backs in football​? In football, if strikers are the ones who bring goals and situations that end the match, midfielders play the role of connecting, building and regulating the match, then defenders are considered to be the ones who take on an important role, helping to ensure and maintain certainty in front of the goal. To become a top center back, bravery, certainty, determination, along with cunning and flexibility in playing style are always required. Having to regularly confront top attacking superstars, maintaining absolute alertness and concentration and not being allowed to make mistakes is what makes the world’s top defenders. And in this article, with Kingsoccertips.com, let’s name the top 7 world best center backs in football.

Top 7 world best center backs in football

1. David Alaba (Real Madrid) – World best center backs in football​

David Alaba, born 24 June 1992, is an Austrian professional footballer of Nigerian descent who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Austria national football team. He can play in many different positions, but his preferred position is left-back, and most recently as a center-back or defensive midfielder. Alaba is currently considered one of the best defenders in the world today.

David Alaba’s most important qualities all show that it would be better if he continued to play as a center-back in the air, tackling, accurate passing and touching the ball when pressure is on. The number of crosses has decreased but the number of accurate long passes upfield is increasing. Although it is likely that only David Alaba will be available, coach Ancelotti is very confident that the 29-year-old Austrian star will be a very quality 3-in-1 player for Real Madrid, because of his ability to play extremely well in all 3 different positions on the field. Thereby, helping him to calculate tactical solutions.

The presence of David Alaba makes the departure of veteran Sergio Ramos as well as the upcoming Raphael Varane not cause many difficulties for Real Madrid in defense, because coach Ancelotti can put this star to play perfectly with rising center-back Eder Militao. Not to mention, Real also has Nacho and Alvaro Odriozola as backups.

2. Marquinhos (PSG) – World best center backs in football​

From a 19-year-old player who is just starting to explore Europe to the captain of PSG, the leading center-back of the French team, Marquinhos has received absolute support from all members here, including the fans. That is also the reason why PSG leaders are trying to convince Marquinhos to extend his contract.

In the current PSG squad, if loyalty is measured by the number of years spent at the Parc des Princes, Marquinhos is second only to Marco Verratti. The Italian midfielder joined PSG in the summer of 2012, a year before the Brazilian midfielder arrived at the Paris club. In fact, Marquinhos has spent more than eight and a half years serving PSG and has clearly felt his maturity over time, not only physically, in terms of football thinking, but also mentally, helping him become a leader both on and off the field of the current Ligue 1 runner-up.

Marquinhos also talked about his role at PSG, about how he has to shape his star teammates, about why the fans love him and why the Parc des Princes team is trying its best to extend the contract (the current contract expires in June 2024) with the 27-year-old center-back. In particular, PSG’s dressing room is extremely complicated with a squad of superstars full of personalities such as Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Keylor Navas, Marco Verratti, … the task of a captain is not simple at all. Everything forces Marquinhos to skillfully adapt to this squad of stars.

3. Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

Ruben Dias was born on May 14, 1997 in Amadora, Portugal, and is known as a player who grew up in Benfica’s training academy before joining Manchester City for a record transfer fee of 68 million euros. With an impressive height of 1m87, Ruben Dias is considered an ideal center-back to face dangerous attacks from the opponent. His strengths are accurate passes and the ability to concentrate in all situations. This is a necessary factor in the context of Man City’s crisis in the center-back position.

In addition to his playing style that is very suitable for Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, Dias is also a player with leadership qualities to support his teammates in controlling the space behind. There are almost no weaknesses with Dias and he is considered the necessary center-back for Man City to solve the problem in defense. At Etihad, Dias was a key factor in helping coach Pep Guardiola’s team win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final for the first time. The Portuguese international has proven that he is worth every penny that The Citizens spent. Ruben Dias has made 50 appearances in all competitions for Man City. Despite being a new signing, he has integrated very quickly and played 32 matches in the Premier League this season. Dias contributed 1 goal and helped the Etihad team keep 15 clean sheets in the number 1 tournament in England.

4. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Virgil Van Dijk is a Dutch footballer who plays as a centre-back, he was born on July 8, 1991. Perhaps after his achievements with Liverpool and being honored as the best centre-back in the world, people really got to know Van Dijk. By December 2017, Liverpool put £75 million on the negotiating table, plus Van Dijk really wanted to join The Kop. This event turned Van Dijk into the most expensive center-back in the world.

The Dutch player is a solid support for the team to finish the Premier League with the championship after 30 years of waiting. Van Dijk has all the qualities to become a good center-back. That is strength, physical strength, physique, ability to compete, ability to fight in the air, thinking about playing football, the ability to read situations extremely sensitively and especially the proactive defensive style that has made this player’s brand. A tall, muscular, solid center-back combined with intelligence and confidence is the fear of many strikers when facing him.

5. Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)

Antonio Rudiger is a defender for the German national team, who played for many different clubs before becoming an international player. He is the main factor in the success story of a rookie who rose up by his own efforts. With the advantage of appearance and physical strength, Rudiger won his first UEFA Champions League championship. After he defeated Manchester City in the final at Estadio do Dragao.

Known as a defender, Rudiger has many achievements and great titles in football. He is a name that any team wants. Antonio Rudiger has a large and tall body, the height of this central defender is up to 1m90 and a body with a huge muscle mass. To compare strength or 1v1 situations, not everyone can confront and win against Antonio Rudiger. This central defender’s ability to defend in the air is very solid, and he is a player who often scores goals in aerial situations. Rudiger can play well in a system of 3 defenders and 4 defenders. This is expected to be a bargain for Real Madrid because they do not have to pay a transfer fee but still own a world-class defender.

6. Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Upamecano was born on October 27, 1998 in the Evreux region of France, playing as a central defender and is the most expensive new signing of Bayern Munich this season. In 2020, Upamecano was called up to the French national team for the first time. Before that, he was a familiar face in the teams from U16 to U21 of the French national team.

Dayot Upamecano is a central defender with many special qualities. Although his height is not too impressive at 1m86, he always has extremely strong ball-fighting situations at both low and high altitudes. His abundant and powerful physique helps him demonstrate effective pressing and defuse situations when being attacked. His ability to accelerate in short distances is also one of the factors that makes Upamecano highly appreciated.

He can quickly win the ball right from the opponent’s striker’s feet even when counter-attacking thanks to his strength and speed. Dayot Upamecano’s preferred position is center-back. He is considered a tough center-back who can play well in the defense that is inherently very smooth of the Gray Tigers. He also contributed 5 goals and 4 assists in his high-up moves.

7. Eder Militao (Real Madrid)

Eder Gabriel Militao was born on January 18, 1998, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays for Spanish club Real Madrid. Although he mainly plays as a center-back, he can also play as a right-back or defensive midfielder.

Center-back Eder Militao is expected to become the future of Real Madrid in the context that captain Sergio Ramos has left the Royal team. Despite his struggles at the Bernabeu, he is still considered a young and promising centre-back who can go further if he can develop his abilities. Although he plays as a centre-back, Eder Militao can play in other positions such as right-back and defensive midfielder.

Playing in defensive positions, he loves to attack because of his ability to handle the ball with good dribbling and crossing. Eder Militao has also proven his versatility not only in attack but also in defence, he is also capable of playing in aerial duels and interceptions very well. His fiery fighting spirit also causes him trouble for the team when he is penalized, especially when he often uses tackles in the opponent’s feet. Despite having to share the responsibility of the centre-back position with newcomer Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao continues to impress every time he is called upon. A powerful defender with an impressive leap is Eder Militao.

Conclusion

Here are the top 7 world best center backs in football. In recent years, there have been many excellent center backs who are highly appreciated in the football world. They all have impressive achievements in their careers and make great contributions to the success of the teams they play for. Among them, the best center back in the world is considered to be David Alaba of Real Madrid. Thank you for following our article!

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