The Premier League has been graced by some of the most iconic defenders in football history, players who have left an indelible mark on the English top flight with their remarkable skill sets, leadership, and contributions to their teams.
Up until 2024, the Premier League continues to showcase exceptional defenders who play with passion and defend with unwavering dedication.
In a very general sense, centre-backs tend to be one of two types of defender – those who actively try to defend and those who hold off and wait for play to reach them.
This article ranks the 10 greatest defenders in Premier League history, considering factors such as importance to the team, club trophies, and longevity.
10. Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez is legimitamely in the conversation of the best passer in the Premier League, he’s that good with the ball at his feet.
Martinez possesses the on-the-ball ability that every modern centre-back, particularly at the top level needs, and has the aggression to match.
Despite his height, Lisandro never shies away from a tackle either, and was part of the reason Man Unitedwere so hard to score against last campaign.
With an even better goalkeeper behind him this season in Andre Onana, there’s no telling how good Martinez could go on to become for The Red Devils.
9. Manuel Akanji
Manuel Akanji may be one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. The Switzerland international goes about his business in a quiet and composed way, and rarely ever puts a foot wrong. Pep Guardiola has a lot of faith in the former Borussia Dortmund defender, trusting him in the biggest games.
Not only is he technically gifted enough to play the ball out from the back, but Akanji has often stepped into full-back and midfield roles with ease. Nothing looks to faze the impressive 29-year-old, who is often selected by his manager despite the incredible competition at Man City.
8. Ruben Diaz
Now in his fifth season at Manchester City, where Dias has been one of Pep Guardiola’’s most dependable players since his £60 million move from Benfica in 2020.
The closest thing Pep has had to Vincent Kompany since the Belgian called it a day, Dias’ physical attributes and his reading of the game have seen him develop into one of Europe’s best defenders, with the 27-year-old excelling for both club and country.
7. Ibrahim konate
Thanks to the imperious nature of Van Dijk, the brilliance of his partner in crime, Ibrahima Konate, is often overlooked. Regarded as one of the best bargains of the Klopp era, the Frenchman is as comfortable on the ball as he is imperious. Standing at an eye-catching 194cm, Konate can rival anybody off the ground, while no attacker dares stand him up.
A great all-rounder for the Merseyside-based outfit, he’s undoubtedly a big presence, whether that’s off-field or while playing – and hence why his importance cannot be quantified. Aged 25, Konate is set to be a key player for the club in years to come. That’s how good he is.
6. Micky van de Ven
There was a lot of excitement when Micky van de Ven moved from Wolfsburg to Spurs last summer. An up-and-coming Dutch central defender, his exceptional speed in the Bundesliga had caught the attention of Tottenham supporters and Premier League observers. Van de Ven was known as the fastest player in the Bundesliga, and many wondered if he would maintain that title in the English Premier League.
As it turns out, he did, but there is more to van de Ven than just his speed. He has shown significant development under Ange Postecoglou, demonstrating his ability to play on the ball and his aggressive defensive traits. In his first season for Spurs, he was only dribbled past nine times, had a 72.7% true tackle success rate and won 65.5% of his ground duels.
With great potential, there is a strong chance that he will challenge to be the league’s best central defender rather than just the fastest.
5. John Stones
Whether you love or hate Pep Guardiola’s ongoing “build the entire plane out of center-backs!” tendencies, Stones was the template for it. His emergence as a defensive midfielder (of sorts) during City’s 2022-23 treble season was a revelatory moment in Guardiola’s tactical history.
When healthy, Stone is a sure interventionist, sure in the air (73% aerial success rate in all 2023-24 competitions) and even surer in buildup play (94% completion rate). Early-season injuries hindered his opportunities this season, but he’s a proven commodity at this point.
4. Cristian Romero
“I wouldn’t argue with Messi,” Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou’s response after the record eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient described Cristian Romero as the world’s best defender. “Most of the boys don’t like to train against him. He’s a real competitor and I love that about him. Whether it’s training or a game, what you see is what you get with Romero,” the Australian added.
Now in the Tottenham leadership group, the Argentine seems to have calmed down slightly this season and is forming an impressive defensive partnership with Spurs’ summer signing Micky van de Ven who is also ranked here . His aggressive nature always sees him play within the absolute limits of the game’s laws at times as he intimidates opposition forwards, but his ability to bring the ball forward and his impressive passing range and accuracy has seen him become vital in Tottenham’s set up under Ange Postecoglou when he is available.
3. Gabriel Magalhães
Gabriel can play as part of a back three. Despite his height, Gabriel is known for being fast. Christophe Galtier spoke about Gabriel, saying “He has a lot of character for a 22-year-old boy. Despite his 190cm height, he is super fast and covers his side well. He is the player who has won the most aerial duels in the first part of the season.
Gabriel is also known for his distribution ability, generally looking to play the ball forward or to the left-back. In the 2019–20 season, Gabriel completed the most passes into the opposition half in all of Ligue 1. According to his Lille teammate and mentor José Fonte, Gabriel “has to keep defending well by being aggressive, being well positioned, and not taking risks.
2. Van Dijk
Liverpool’s return to the top coincided with Van Dijk’s arrival on Merseyside in January 2018 and he may end his career higher than No3 on our list.
The Dutch powerhouse has picked up Player of the Match awards in three major finals for the Reds — including the Champions League — and was unlucky not to win the Ballon d’Or in 2019.
Since delivering a first league title in 30 years, Van Dijk has been getting the recognition he deserves and will be hungry to win more silverware before his contract expires.
1. William Saliba
Arsenal defender William Saliba believes he is one of the three best defenders in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old has established himself at the heart of a well-organised Arsenal defence that pushed Manchester City hard for the Premier League this season, after initially spending three years back on loan in France following his move from St Etienne.
Tactical analysis
At 6ft 3ins, Saliba is built to be a centre-back. But while his size is clearly useful for a young defender breaking through at the top end of European football, he stands out more for his reading of the game, and actually needs to offer an improved aerial presence.
Saliba is a proactive defender who likes to step out of defence and steal the ball from a forward (below) rather than stand off and try to shepherd play back the way it came. He is clever in the way he positions himself to use his body to manoeuvre opponents away from play in order to steal the ball
