Being a central defender is one of the hardest jobs in football. They are expected to remain alert at all times, knock off their opponents with every challenge, and acquire aerial buttons at will. Also, since they usually work in the penalty area, the slightest mistake can result in a penalty.
Performing in such high-risk situations is not everyone’s cup of tea. Only the best of them can survive and thrive as central defenders and deliver decisive performances week after week.
Here are the five midfielders who have distinguished themselves over the years by helping their teams win priceless trophies.
Without further ado, take a look at the five best midfielders of the past decade:
#5 David Alaba (Bayern Munich / Real Madrid)
David Alaba is the most versatile player on our list today. During his career, he has developed as a left-back and centre-back, as well as in several midfield positions, proving to be an asset in all of the above roles.
Alaba was originally a left-back, and has been playing regularly as a central defender since the 2019-20 season. His ability to play in defense helped Bayern Munich greatly that season, allowing them to go from attack to defense in the blink of an eye.
The Germans won the treble at the end of the season, and Alaba, who played 42 matches in all competitions, was one of their key players. The following season, the Bavarians won the Bundesliga title again but failed to defend their titles in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal Cathedral.
Last summer, Alaba joined Real Madrid as a free agent and naturally filled the void left by Sergio Ramos. His presence brought some calm in defense and helped the Whites win the Champions League and La Liga double.
Once a temporary center back, Alaba was arguably the club’s best defender, scoring three goals and making four assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
#4 Ruben Dias (Benfica / Manchester City)
A graduate of the Benfica academy, Portuguese defender Ruben Dias made his debut in the 2017-18 season.
The imposing centre-back has easily established himself in the Spanish Premier League, scoring three goals in 24 matches in his debut season. He continued his good career in the 2018-2019 season, playing great football throughout the season to help his team win the Portuguese League title.
Another impressive season later, Dias joined Manchester City for €68 million. Fearsome strikers in the Premier League have failed to intimidate the Portugal international, who has made several winning bids en route to winning the Premier League this season.
Thanks to this extraordinary campaign, he was awarded the title of “Player of the Season”.
Dias enjoyed another successful campaign in the 2021-22 season, scoring two goals and providing four assists in 29 league games for City. He helped Citizens successfully defend the Premier League title.
Dias has appeared in 90 matches in all competitions with City so far, scoring three goals and five assists. He won the League title twice and the League Cup with Pep Guardiola’s team.
#3 Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain / Chelsea)
Thiago Silva left Milan to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 for 42 million euros. The Brazilian defender quickly adapted to the pace of the French Premier League and established himself as one of its key players.
He was an absolute leader in the rear for the Parisians, making vital objections without breaking a sweat and bringing order to the backline that his predecessors could not.
Between 2012 and 2020, Silva played 315 matches in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 17 goals and six assists. His leadership and defensive acumen helped the Parisians emerge as the undisputed king of French football.
During his time at Paris Saint-Germain, Silva won 25 titles, including seven Ligue 1 titles, five French Cups and six La Liga titles.
The 37-year-old central defender joined Chelsea as a free agent in the summer of 2020 and immediately made a huge impact. Silva established himself as one of Chelsea’s best defenders, helping them win the Champions League at the end of the season.
The following season, the Brazilian international won the Club World Cup with the Blues, and played both matches in the competition.
Silva has participated in 82 games with Chelsea so far, scoring five goals and providing assists.
#2 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid / PSG)
Ramos’ biggest contribution to the Real Madrid shirt will forever be his header against Atletico Madrid in the 2013-14 Champions League Final. Los Blancos eventually won the match by 4-1 at the end of overtime. This does not mean that the Spaniard has not had other magical moments with the Whites over the past few years.
He was one of the first names in Real Madrid’s goals list during the 2016-2017 season, scoring 10 goals and making 2 in 44 matches in all competitions.
His relationship with Toni Kroos was divine that season, as the duo collected several match goals on the way to Los Blancos’ Champions League double.
Ramos once again proved his pivotal role the following season, as his discipline helped the Whites win the Champions League again, achieving their third consecutive win.
The 2019-20 season saw Ramos emerge as the best penalty shootout player in the world. He scored 13 goals in 44 matches that season, mostly from penalties.
The 36-year-old has struggled to stay fit since the 2020-21 season. The veteran centre-back played only 21 games in the 2020-21 season with Real Madrid before joining Paris Saint-Germain last summer and plays only 13 games with Paris Saint-Germain.
Nevertheless, he managed to win the Ligue 1 title in his first season in the French capital.
#1 Virgil van Dijk (Southampton / Liverpool)
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has been the best defender in the world for the past five years. The Dutch international has been a fearsome center back at Southampton, but has turned into one of the world’s best players at Liverpool.
Van Dijk joined Southampton from Celtic in 2015 and has consistently established himself as one of their most important players. The Dutchman did not win any titles during his time with the Saints, but is still fondly remembered by reaching the 2016-2017 League Cup Final (3-2 loss to Manchester United).
After scoring seven goals in 80 appearances for Southampton, Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018. His addition brought Jurgen Klopp’s men power and propelled them to their first Champions League final in a decade. But the Reds were eventually defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid in the derby.
In the following season, Liverpool led by Van Dijk fought in the Champions League final again, which they won at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.
The 2019-20 Premier League season saw the best of Van Dijk. The imposing centre-back played all 38 league games that year, scoring five goals. Taking charge of the defensive line, Liverpool finished the season with the best defensive record in the league (33 conceded), and deserved to win their first league title in three decades.
The 31-year-old missed most of the 2020-21 season due to a ruptured ACL, but made a comeback to world class form in the 2021-22 season, helping Liverpool win the Premier League Cup twice.
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