It is a cliched in football, that while attackers win you matches, defenders win you tournaments. It underlines the stability a good defence can impart in the team as whole. So here is a look at the top 10 defenders that strikers should be vary of and prepare of in this years FIFA World Cup 2022.
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10. CESAR AZPILICUETA- SPAIN
Cesar Azpilicueta will be featuring in his 3rd world cup as the right back of Spain. The Chelsea veteran is known for his industrious skills and his ability to cover large portions of the ground. He is having quiet a challenging season at Chelsea but he will look to turn things around when he dawns the red of Spain’s national side. In this world cup, he has featured in 2 of the three matches played and showed a lack-lustre performance largely being missing from action. He will be determined to turn things around in the knock-out rounds.
- Club- Chelsea
- Country- Spain
- Other Players of the same country- Marco Assensio, Pedri, Gavi
09. THIAGO SILVA- BRAZIL
The 38 year old veteran seems to get better with age. At the club level, he currently plays for Chelsea Football Club in the English Premier League. It is pertinent to note that Thiago Silva missed Brazil’s dreaded World Cup semi-final clash against Germany due to injury which they lost 7-1. Therefore, he will look to fulfil his long standing dream of lifting the cup for his country. He alongside Danilo, Militao and Telles have shut their opponents completely in their two group games so far. They would try to continue their run and rely on their very potent attack to score goals to win them games in the 2022 World Cup.
- Club- Chelsea
- Country- Brazil
- Other Players of the same country- Vinicius Junior, Neymar Junior, Richarlson, Allisson Beker
08. RAPHAEL VARANE- FRANCE
Raphael Varane will defend alongside Upamecano of Bayern Munich. Varane currently plays for Manchester United and has recently found his way back into the team. Before Manchester United, he had a prolific career with Real Madrid where he won 4 UCL trophies to go with 2 La Liga titles. He was also France’s main man in defence in their World Cup winning 2018 campaign. However, the last two campaigns have been particularly difficult for him with question marks being raised over his crucial errors that led to concession of goals in important games including the 2020-2021 UCL semi-finals. He will be keen to make a thumping come-back and prove his critics wrong in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
- Club- Manchester United
- Country- France
- Other Players of the same country- Oliver Giroud, Theo Hernandez, Kylian Mbappe
07. ASHRAF HAKIMI- MOROCCO
Ashraf Hakimi starts as Morocco’s right back with great attacking instincts. After having briefly played at Real Madrid, then proving his mettle at Borossia Dortmund, he now plays for the star-studded Paris Saint Germain team. Morocco builds majority of his attack from the right flank which is led by Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech. Morocco after beating Canada have qualified for the knock out stages for the first time. He is in exemplary form this world cup winning over 24 duels and landing close to 10 successful tackles in 3 matches alongwith his crucial support in Morocco’s attacks in the 2022 World Cup.
- Club- Paris Saint Germain
- Country- Morocco
- Other Players of the same country- Boufal, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri
06. JOHN STONES- ENGLAND
John Stones is one of the two starting centre backs alongside Harry Maguire who plays for his city rival club Manchester United. He is a regular starter for Manchester city and has been there in the club since August 2016 and has won multiple Premier titles with them. He has also been in fine form this season for Manchester city. He holds key to England’s attacking plans as well as they tend to start attacks from the back. He maintains a pass accuracy of 95%. He has not been tested so far in the World Cup but can expect to have his work cut out in the challenging round of 16 fixture against Senegal who have a very potent attack.
- Club- Manchester City
- Country- England
- Other Players of the same country- Marcus Rashford, Jordan Pickford, Henderson
05. RUBEN DIAS- PORTUGAL
Ruben Dias is next on the list who will lead the defence for Portugal. He is a regular starter for Manchester City and rose to recognition in the 2020-2021 season with wall-like defending for Manchester City. However, his performances for Portugal have been a bit below par including in the Euro 2021 where Portugal exited in the Quarter Finals round. Growing in the shadows of Portuguese legend Pepe, he has learnt from the best and will look to shut opponents down in the knockout stage of the tournament. So far in the tournament, Ruben Dias has conceded two goals in one match while he managed to keep a clean sheet in the other match.
- Club- Manchester City FC
- Country- Portugal
- Other Players of the same country- Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Fonte, Bernardo Silva
04. KALIDOU KOULIBALY- SENEGAL
Senegal were dealt a huge blow when there star forward, Sadio Mane was ruled out of the tournament because of an injury. Kalidou Koulibaly who is one of the hottest propositions when it comes to defenders across the world, now has to shoulder added responsibility of inspiring the team forward. Koulibaly plays for Chelsea Football Club in the English Premier League. In this World Cup he has conceded 4 goals in 3 matches without a single clean sheet. He certainly has to bring his A game to the fore when they face England in the Round of 16 and subsequent rounds it they progress.
- Club- Chelsea
- Country- Senegal
- Other Players of the same country- Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Idrissa Gueye
03. EDER MILITAO- BRAZIL
Eder Militao will be defending for Brazil alongside the legendary Thiago Silva. Militao joined Real Madrid in 2018 and since then has gradually risen up the pecking order to now being one of their first names on the team sheets. He is having a very good season with Real Madrid conceding only 1 goal per match. However, after 2 matches in this world cup he is yet to concede a single goal and Brazil fans would expect more of the same from their centre back in the knockout rounds. Given their star-studded attack, this seems to be a combination of dreams. As modern centre backs are expected to be, he is a very potent header of the ball in set pieces and can score crucial goals.
- Club- Real Madrid FC
- Country- Brazil
- Other Players of the same country- Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Richarlson, Neymar Jr
02. ANTONIO RUDIGER- GERMANY
Antonio Rudiger will lead the defence line of Germany who will be on a mission to redeem themselves after their early exit in the 2018 World Cup. He currently plays for the Real Madrid team. They had a disastrous start to the campaign when they were handed a shock defeat at the hands of Japan on their first matchday. Rudiger has conceded 3 goals in the first two games and question marks are being pointed at him for his role. He has a tackle win percentage of only 50% and was dribbled past in crucial places in the field. Rudiger rose through the ranks of German league football starting his career in 2012 for VfB Stuttgart. He was crucial to Chelsea’s UCL triumph in the 2020-2021 season where he perfectly fit into the plans of Thomas Tuchel.
- Club- Real Madrid FC
- Country- Germany
- Other Players of the same country- Kai Havertz, Manuel Neuer, Gundogan
01. VIRGIL VAN DIJK- NETHERLANDS
Virjil Van Dijk, who currently holds the record for the most valuable defender will be leading the Netherland’s back line. In the last four years, he has arguably been the best defender while playing centre back for Liverpool. He has been part of three UCL finals and winning one of them in 2019. He also played an instrumental role in Liverpool’s much awaited Premier League trophy. However, recently some very clear flaws have been identified in his game and these loopholes have been thoroughly exploited in various league matches. He possesses a threat with headers in the opposition box in set-pieces. He has only conceded 1 goal in the three group stage matches.
- Club- Liverpool FC
- Country- Nederlands
- Other Players of the same country- Memphis Depay, Frankie De jong, Gackpo
