The Top 10 Greatest Soccer Defenders of All Time

The best defenders are an essential part of any soccer team, and if you want to know who the best soccer defenders of all time are, look no further than this list of the Top 10 Soccer Defenders of All Time. Each defender on this list has been ranked on his abilities as a defender only, so you won’t find any offensive stats or awards here—just their defensive stats and awards. These guys can’t score goals, but they sure know how to prevent them from being scored by the other team!

1) Franco Baresi

Franco Baresi was born in Italy and played as a defender for AC Milan, the Italian national team, and the Italian Olympic team. The three-time world champion is widely considered one of the greatest Soccer Defenders of all time.

In fact, he is often regarded as the greatest defender in history. Some of his impressive accomplishments include five European Cups and six Serie A titles with AC Milan, two European Championship titles with the Italian National Team, and a World Cup title with Italy’s National Team.

2) Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini was born on November 26, 1968 in Milan, Italy. He grew up playing for his local soccer team and soon made the jump to one of the top teams in Europe –

AC Milan. When he was only 16 years old, he became AC Milan’s youngest player to ever play for them as well as their captain at age 18. He went on to play with AC Milan from 1985-2012 making a total of 902 appearances with the club and scoring 26 goals. He holds the record for most appearances with a single team during a career and is considered by many to be one of the greatest Soccer Defenders of all time.

3) Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish is not only the best defender on this list but one of the best Soccer Defenders of all time. He was a very physical player who did not mind getting a little dirty to get the job done.

His tackling and aerial ability were top notch, and he was a great passer with both his feet and head. He was an absolute machine, giving everything he had every single game. Kenny Dalglish is arguably Liverpool’s greatest ever player due to his leadership, skill and tenacity. Kenny Dalglish has always been known as King Kenny by Liverpool fans because he ruled the pitch like no other!

4) Bobby Moore

We conclude our list of the top ten Soccer Defenders of all time with Bobby Moore. Moore is often considered to be the best defender in English football history, and many would say he’s the greatest defender in world football history. He captained West Ham United for over ten years, playing for a total of 654 games for them before his retirement in 1973. He also captained England during their 1966 World Cup victory and won 78 caps for his country in total.

5) Matthias Sammer

Matthias Sammer, the only defender to win both the European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year awards, has been voted as one of the top ten Soccer Defendersof all time. He made his debut for Borussia Dortmund in 1985 and was part of their league title winning side in 1989. Matthias then went on to play for German giants Bayern Munich, winning four Bundesliga titles and an incredible three Champions League trophies.

6) Fernando Hierro

Fernando Hierro was a Spanish footballer and the captain of Real Madrid for more than 15 years. He was one of the best defenders in the world, he is considered by many to be one of the greatest Soccer Defenders of all time. Hierro played for Spain from 1987 to 2002 and scored 23 goals.

He captained his country for 12 years and led them to victory in both Euro ’92 and World Cup ’98, scoring a goal against France in Euro ’92 final and scoring a headed goal against Nigeria in the 1998 World Cup Final. Fernando Hierro played as a defender but was also very good at going forward into attack. His versatility on the field made him one of the bestSoccer Defenders that I have ever seen play soccer.

7) Alessandro Nesta

Alessandro Nesta is one of the most decorated Soccer Defenders in soccer history, playing for Italy on four World Cup-winning teams. He was selected to the FIFA 100 list of greatest living players in 2004, and named as one of the 125 Best Living Footballers by The Guardian in 2007. He is considered to be one of the best sweeper-Soccer Defenders ever.

8) Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer is widely considered one of the greatest soccer defenders of all time. In fact, many consider him to be the best player in the world during his prime. He led West Germany to victory in World Cup 1974 and also won a World Cup as manager. He was voted German Footballer of the Year six times and was named European Footballer of the Year twice. Beckenbauer made 126 appearances for West Germany, scoring 14 goals.

9) Carles Puyol

Carles Puyol is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a defender. He spent the majority of his career at Barcelona, where he won 26 trophies including 3 UEFA Champions League titles and 2 FIFA Club World Cups. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

Puyol made his international debut for Spain in 2000 and went on to earn 133 caps over 13 years.

10) Jose Luis Chilavert

Chilavert is the only player to have won two FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year awards. He has also been the only goalkeeper in history to score a goal from open play in an international match, which he did against Korea DPR in 1997. He played as a sweeper-keeper, known for his daring and often spectacular saves, such as a bicycle kick against England at Wembley Stadium on 20 June 2001. In 2001, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit.

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