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Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

There have been many great defenders over the years who have graced the football field. The names of Paolo Maldini, Franz Beckenbauer and Sergio Ramos comes to our mind whenever we think of the greatest defenders of all time. But the debate of who is the greatest can never be settled down.

As we step into 2021, fans have voted the greatest defenders of all time. According to the results, via Ranker, here are the top 10 greatest defenders of all time according to fans in 2021:

costacurta Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021
Milan, ITALY: AC Milan’s captain defender Alessandro Costacurta (C) salutes his supporters as he leaves the field at the and of his last match against Udinese, during an Italian serie A football match at milan’s San Siro stadium, 19 May 2007. AFP PHOTO/ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)

10. Alessandro Costacurta

Nationality: Italy

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Alessandro “Billy” Costacurta (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro ˈbilli ˌkɔstaˈkurta]; born 24 April 1966) is an Italian football pundit, manager and a former professional defender, who usually played as a centre back.

Throughout his club career, Costacurta spent over twenty years with Milan between 1986 and 2007, as well as a brief season-long spell on loan at Monza. He is best known for his role alongside Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, forming one of the greatest defences in Serie A and European football during the late 1980s and 1990s, under the success of managers Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello. He mainly operated as a central defender, and was a leading exponent of the position, receiving International acclaim, winning 7 Serie A titles and 5 Champions League/European Cup trophies throughout his career, along with many other trophies Costacurta retired from professional football at the age of 41, on 19 May 2007. In his final match for Milan, he scored a goal from a penalty in a 3–2 defeat against Udinese, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Serie A.

Along with his Milan teammates, Costacurta was also an important member of the Italian national side during the 1990s. He made 59 appearances for Italy, scoring 2 goals, and he participated in two World Cups (in 1994 and 1998), as well as a European Championship in 1996. With Italy, he managed to reach the 1994 World Cup Final, which was lost against Brazil on penalties.

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giacinto Facchetti inter Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

9. Giacinto Facchetti

Nationality: Italy

Giacinto Facchetti (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaˈtʃinto fakˈketti]; 18 July 1942 – 4 September 2006) was an Italian footballer who played as a defender for Inter Milan from 1960 to 1978. He later served as Inter chairman from January 2004 until his death in 2006. He played 634 official games for the club, scoring 75 goals, and was a member of “Grande Inter” team under manager Helenio Herrera which won four Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups. He placed second for the Ballon d’Or in 1965.

Facchetti represented Italy internationally on 94 occasions, including three FIFA World Cups. He was also elected to the 1970 World Cup All-Star Team, in which Italy were runners-up. He was also captain of the national side that won Italy’s first-ever UEFA European Championship on home soil in 1968, where he was also elected to the team of the tournament.

Facchetti is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking full-backs. He is regarded as one of the best ever at his position, due to his pace, technique, intelligence, physique, and stamina. He formed a formidable defensive partnership with fellow full-back Tarcisio Burgnich in Inter’s defensive catenaccio system and with the Italian national side. In addition to his ability on the pitch, Facchetti was lauded for his discipline and leadership and captained both Inter Milan and Italy for several years.

In March 2004, Pelé named him one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA’s 100th anniversary celebrations. In 2015, he was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

passarella Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

8. Daniel Passarella

Nationality: Argentina

Daniel Alberto Passarella (born 25 May 1953) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre back, and former manager of the Argentina and Uruguay national football teams. He was captain of the Argentina team that won the 1978 World Cup. He was president of the River Plate sports club for four years after winning the elections by a very close margin in December 2009.

Considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, Passarella was also a proficient goalscorer; at one point he was football’s top-scoring defender, with 134 goals in 451 matches, a record subsequently broken by Dutch defender Ronald Koeman. In 2004, Passarella was named one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony. In 2007, The Times placed him at number 36 in their list of the 50 hardest footballers in history. In 2017 he has been included in the FourFourTwo list of the 100 all-time greatest players, at the 56th position.

rijkaard Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

7. Frank Rijkaard

Nationality: Netherlands

Franklin “Frank” Edmundo Rijkaard (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfrɑŋk ˈɛdmuːn.doː ˈrɛi̯kaːrt]; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a midfielder or defender. Rijkaard played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan and represented the Netherlands national team side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his managerial career, he was at the helm of the Netherlands national team, Sparta Rotterdam, Barcelona, Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabia national team.

Regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in footballing history and as one of the best players of his generation, in 2010 Rijkaard was described by British broadsheet The Daily Telegraph as having been “a stylish player of faultless pedigree”.

booby moore Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

6. Bobby Moore

Nationality: England

Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore OBE (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He most notably played for West Ham United, captaining the club for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of football and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against.

Widely regarded as West Ham’s greatest ever player, Moore played over 600 games for the club during a 16-year tenure, winning the FA Cup in 1963–64 and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1964–65. During his time at the club, he won the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1964 and the West Ham Player of the Year in 1961, 1963, 1968 and 1970. In August 2008, West Ham United officially retired his number 6 shirt, 15 years after his death.

Moore was made captain of England in 1964, at age 23, going on to lift the World Cup trophy in 1966. He won a total of 108 caps for his country, which at the time of his international retirement in 1973 was a national record. This record was later broken by Peter Shilton. Moore’s total of 108 caps continued as a record for an outfield player until 28 March 2009, when David Beckham gained his 109th cap. Moore is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century. A national team icon, a bronze statue of Moore is positioned at the entrance to Wembley Stadium.

A composed central defender, Moore was best known for his reading of the game and ability to anticipate opposition movements, thereby distancing himself from the image of the hard-tackling, high-jumping defender. Receiving the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1966, he was the first footballer to win the award and he remained the only one for a further 24 years. Moore was given an OBE in the New Year Honours List. He was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a player and in the same year he was named in the BBC’s list of the 100 Greatest Britons.

cesare maldini Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

5. Cesare Maldini

Nationality: Italy

Cesare Maldini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃeːzare malˈdiːni, ˈtʃɛː-]; 5 February 1932 – 3 April 2016) was an Italian professional football manager and player, who played as a defender.

Father to Paolo Maldini, Cesare began his career with Italian side Triestina, before transferring to Milan in 1954, whom he captained to win four Serie A league titles and one European Cup during his twelve seasons with the club. He retired in 1967, after a season with Torino. Internationally, he played for Italy, earning 14 caps and participating in the 1962 World Cup. He served as team captain for both Milan and Italy.

As a manager, he also coached his former club Milan on two occasions, as well as Italian sides Foggia, Ternana and Parma. He had a successful career in charge of the Italy under-21 side, winning the European Under-21 Championship a record three consecutive times; he later also coached the Italy senior team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the Paraguay national football team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

cafu Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

4. Cafu

Nationality: Brazil

Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu [kaˈfu], is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defender. With 142 appearances for the Brazil national team, he is the most internationally capped Brazilian player of all time. He represented his nation in four FIFA World Cups between 1994 and 2006 and is the only player to have appeared in three World Cup finals, winning the 1994 and 2002 editions of the tournament, the latter as his team’s captain where he lifted the World Cup trophy. With Brazil, he also took part in four editions of the Copa América, winning the title twice, in 1997 and 1999; he was also a member of the national side that won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup.

At club level, Marcos de Morais won several domestic and international titles while playing in Brazil, Spain and Italy; he is best known for his spells at São Paulo, Roma and Milan, teams with which he made history, although he also played for Real Zaragoza, Juventude and Palmeiras throughout his career. Known for his pace and energetic attacking runs along the right flank, he is regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, one of the best defenders ever to play in the Italian Serie A, and as one of the greatest Brazilian and South American players of his generation. In 1994, he was named South American Footballer of the Year, and in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players. In 2005 he was named in the FIFA World XI.

beckenbauer Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

3. Franz Beckenbauer

Nationality: Germany

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (pronounced [ˈfʁants ˈbɛkn̩ˌbaʊɐ]; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career, he was nicknamed Der Kaiser (“The Emperor”) because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the field, and also as his first name “Franz” is reminiscent of the Austrian emperors. He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. A versatile player who started out as a midfielder, Beckenbauer made his name as a central defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper (libero).

Twice named European Footballer of the Year, Beckenbauer appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three FIFA World Cups and two European Championships. He is one of three men, along with Brazil’s Mário Zagallo and France’s Didier Deschamps to have won the World Cup as a player and as a manager; he lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974 and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. He was the first captain to lift the World Cup and European Championship at international level and the European Cup at club level. He was named in the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and in 2004 was listed in the FIFA 100 of the world’s greatest living players.

At club level with Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967 and three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. The latter feat made him the first player to win three European Cups as captain of his club. He became team manager and later president of Bayern Munich. After two spells with the New York Cosmos he was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Beckenbauer led Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup and chaired the organizing committee. He worked as a pundit for Sky Germany, and for 34 years as a columnist for the tabloid Bild, both until 2016.

baresi Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

2. Franco Baresi

Nationality: Italy

Franchino Baresi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko baˈreːzi; -eːsi]; born 8 May 1960) is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons. He is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time and was ranked 19th in World Soccer magazine’s list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. With Milan, he won three UEFA Champions League titles, six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, three European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.

With the Italy national team, he was a member of the Italian squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 1990 World Cup, where he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team, finishing third in the competition. At the 1994 World Cup, he was named Italy’s captain and was an integral part of the squad that reached the final, although he would miss a penalty in the resulting shoot-out as Brazil lifted the trophy. Baresi also represented Italy at two UEFA European Championships, in 1980 and 1988, and at the 1984 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals on each occasion.

The younger brother of former footballer Giuseppe Baresi, after joining the Milan senior team as a youngster, Franco Baresi was initially nicknamed “Piscinin”, Milanese for “little one”. Due to his skill and success, he was later known as “Kaiser Franz”, a reference to fellow sweeper Franz Beckenbauer. In 1999, he was voted Milan’s Player of the Century. After his final season at Milan in 1997, the club retired Baresi’s shirt number 6. He was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at the FIFA centenary awards ceremony in 2004. Baresi was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

maldini Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

1. Paolo Maldini

Nationality: Italy

Paolo Cesare Maldini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpaːolo malˈdiːni]; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left-back and central defender for A.C. Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever defenders, and as one of the greatest players of all time. As the Milan and Italy captain for many years, he was nicknamed “Il Capitano” (“The Captain”). Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He is currently serving as technical director for Milan, as well as being co-owner of USL Championship club Miami FC.

Maldini spent all 25 seasons of his playing career in the Serie A with Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009. He won 25 trophies with Milan: the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, five European/UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. Maldini won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards at the age of 39, as well as the Serie A Defender of the Year Award in 2004. Following his retirement after the 2008–09 season, Milan retired his number 3 shirt.

Maldini made his debut for Italy in 1988, playing for 14 years before retiring in 2002 with 7 goals and 126 caps, an appearance record at the time, which has since been surpassed by Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon. Maldini captained Italy for eight years and held the record for appearances as Italy’s captain (74) until he was again overtaken by Cannavaro and Buffon. With Italy, Maldini took part in four FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. Although he did not win a tournament with Italy, he reached the final of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, and the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988. He was elected into the all-star teams for each of these tournaments, in addition to Euro 1996.

Maldini came second to George Weah for FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995. He also placed third in the Ballon d’Or in 1994 and 2003. In 2002, he was chosen as a defender on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team, and in 2004 Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players. Maldini held the record for most appearances in UEFA Club competitions, with 174, until he was overtaken by Iker Casillas in 2017. He is also the record appearance holder for Milan with 902 appearances in all competitions. He is one of only 18 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances. In December 2012, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. Maldini’s father Cesare also played for and captained Milan, and was a successful national under-21 manager, who also coached Milan and the senior national side during the 1998 World Cup.

maldini 1 Top 10 greatest defenders of all time, according to fans in 2021

So here we complete the top 10 greatest defenders of all time. There are a total of 5 defenders of Italy, which goes on to show Italy has always produced some great defenders with the likes of Chiellini and Bonucci still playing.

As a bonus, here are the defenders who are ranked between 11-50:

50. Diego Godin
49. Ciro Ferrara
48. Javier Zanetti
47. Hans-Peter Briegel
46. Jamie Carragher
45. Jaap Stam
44. Morten Olsen
43. Manfred Kaltz
42. Emlyn Hughes
41. Andreas Brehme
40. Gerard Pique
39. Maicon
38. Aldair
37. Dani Alves
36. Philipp Lahm
35. Antonio Cabrini
34. Paul Breitner
33. Nilton Santos
32. Carles Puyol
31. Gary Neville
30. Marcelo
29. Fabio Cannavaro
28. Virgil van Dijk
27. Roberto Carlos
26. Jurgen Kohler
25. Sol Campbell
24. Phil Neal
23. Ruud Krol
22. Wim Suurbier
21. Claudio Gentile
20. Thiago Silva
19. Lucio
18. Giuseppe Bergomi
17. Alan Hansen
16. Sergio Ramos
15. Luis Pereira
14. Lilian Thuram
13. Fulvio Collovati
12. Mauro Tassotti
11. Alessandro Nesta

Lets us know how you liked the raking of the defenders and tell us who are the greatest defenders according to you.

*All player bios are taken from Wikipedia

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Rahul Roy
Rahul Roy
I am a computer guy by profession and a sports fanatic by choice.
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