Top 5 Centre Backs Currently and Historically

Ramos
Godin
Pique
Hummels
Chiellini

Of my time
Maldini
Puyol
Cannavaro
Nesta
Vidic

A position that's really lacking at the moment. no wonder teams will pay 40 million for VVD

 

Loved Ayala when I was younger, Fernando Hierro was another.

 

Aye mate, good player. While we're on Spanish league player's, no sure if Puyol has been mentioned. Another wee-ish excellent centre half..

 

* just seen Wolf above. My bad....

 

Remember him looking dodgy at City, looks a different player at Bayern though.

World Cup, Champions League, Bundesliga winning centre half. Last year was probably his best year and was actually voted Bundesliga POTY.

Ledley King deserves a mention when it comes to English centre backs, brilliant defender.

From the Spanish league, Fernando Hierro is one of my all time favourite players.

 

Currently:

Pepe
Ramos
David Luiz
Thiago Silva
Bonucci

Since I started watching football:

Pepe
Cannavaro
Nesta
Ferdinand
Lucio

 

No one remember this big lump?

 

Juan?

 

That's all paper talk. The guy has only just started getting a game for Holland who are the pishest they have been since the early 60's. I'm not denying he is a quality player, he is but he's not anywhere near top 5 in the world. Not yet anyway.
I'd have the Juve back 3 (Barzaghli, Bonnucci & Chiellini) and in before him in any list Varane, Topal, Pepe, Hummels, Boateng, Silva, Ramos, Pique, Kompany, Godin off the top of my head are better players right now.
He's top 5 easily in the Premier League - Kompany, Vertonghen, Luis, Otamendi , Cahill are probably his competition for a spot on that 5. Plus his team mate at Southampton Fonte is very good as well. Always helps!

 

Aldair. Probably one of Brazil's best ever CB's. Never got headlines as he didn't play for any massive teams (Roma for 13 years!) and won the World Cup in 94 strolling about looking like he was playing against the Under 12's.

 

I have always thought Roberto Ayala was the biz. Tough and rough as *, could also ball. Also always admired players like Maldini, Cannavaro and Nesta. Think they were very skillful and elegant to watch.

Football is lacking a world class CB these days. there are some very good ones, but no one who are like the ones mentioned earlier.

Who do I rate today? The Juve-Connection is pretty solid, so is Godin (still underrated). Pique and Pepe are good, Boateng, who I have been a critic of, has improved his play extremely in the past few years and is not as prone to mistakes anymore as he used to. Hummels (Dortmund form) was strong as well.

Ramos is good offensively, Mascherano is tough as nails. Haven't seen much recently from Silva, so I can't really tell wassup with him.

Although not a CB, Philipp Lahm has also been a magical defender.

 

Pique
Ramos
Hummels
Boateng
* in.

Since getting into fitba

Maldini
Nesta/cannavaro
Hierro/Nadal
Baresi
Desailly/ aldair (good shout earlier)

 

Efe..

 

Kompany can't string two games together, don't think he can be considered. Cahill I don't rate at all, David Luis is a * bombscare, as is Otamendi. Vertonghen and Alderwields probably his only competition there but I'd have him before any of them, bigger physical presence, faster and far better on the ball.

Think once you see him move on to a bigger team you'll finally see him get the recognition that he deserves, he's the full package.

 

I still think Kompany has every right to be considered a better centre half, tbh. Even Terry I would argue the case for.

VVD is very green in terms of the top level, half way through his second Premier League season.

I think he will be in the elite bracket over the next couple of years and has the potential to be as good as a peak Kompany. Terry, however, I don't think he reaches his peak level.

Want to see him at a top club competing for the Champions League, a transfer to the right club with the right partner will do wonders for his legacy within the game.

 

Would you take Kompany over Van Dijk right now? Kompany can't be trusted to string 3/4 games together. Van Dijk is far more reliable than that. As much a shame as it is that must be taken into consideration.

John Terry I never really rated at his peak tbh, a good defender but looked that much better because he was playing next to Ricardo Carvalho, who was streets ahead of him. Extremely clever defender. Terry was a good leader but a poor mans Vidic for me.

 

Right now? Probably not, purely for injury reasons. That's only if we are talking consciously trying to pick players from a managers perspective. If it comes down to defensive qualities, Kompany is the better defender, for me.

John Terry at his peak, was on par with any central defender going, IMO. Better than Carvalho and easily on par with Vidic, Rio.

Interesting topic though, good to talk about defenders for once, especially as I masqueraded as one.

 

Consistency needs to come into it, we're judging Kompany on what he can do not what he's doing if you get what I mean?

Got to disagree there, Carvalho was 10 times the defender John Terry was for me. He strolled it in there next to him, made Terry look better than he was. Don't think he was anywhere near the likes of Vidic or Ferdinand, more a Jamie Carragher level for me.

 

I think JT was a cracking defender. If you wanted to defend a lead and needed a guy to throw himself in front of everything, Terry was as good as anyone. Think he's been done, at that level, the last few seasons though which has tarnished his reputation.

 

I think it was Paolo Maldini who said if you need to make a last ditch tackle you've already done most lf your job wrong as a defender. Terry was one of they kinda guys, whereas the likes of Nesta, Maldini, Cannavaro, Carvalho where always in the right place. Very rarely needed to be that guy that needs to throw their body on the line because most of the time they already had the * ball back.