Ranking the 10 best centre-backs in world football: Van Dijk, Gabriel, Bastoni…
World-class defenders from Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal and Liverpool feature in our ranking of the top 10 centre-backs in world football – but who comes out on top?
There’s something of a consensus on who is the best centre-back in the world, but who are his closest challengers? And will we go against the grain?
We’ve ranked the top 10 centre-backs in world football.
10. Cristian Romero (Tottenham)
Kicking things off with a defender from a team who finished 17th and conceded 65 goals last season. Never say we’re not prepared to stick our necks out here at Planet Football.
Tottenham’s dismal defensive record last season was in part down to an injury crisis, with Micky van de Ven – whose speed was integral to Ange Postecoglou’s high-wire tactical plan working – out for long periods, while Romero was absent for over half of the Premier League campaign.
Having them fit and available makes the world of difference. They were solid as a rock in the Europa League final victory over Manchester United and have looked every bit as dependable in the early weeks under new boss Thomas Frank.
Romero might be the closest thing that Spurs have to a bonafide superstar in the post Son & Kane era. Tying down the World Cup winner to a new long-term contract might be the best business they did all summer.
9. Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)
Konate didn’t look anything like the ninth-best defender in the Premier League, let alone the world, in Liverpool’s early-season wobbles.
But let’s not react disproportionately. That’s a very small handful of games, while a far larger sample size – including an imperious 2024-25 campaign – has resulted in Real Madrid sniffing around his signature.
Even then, the France international has looked more like his old, reliable self as Arne Slot’s Reds barely gave up a chance in their 1-0 wins over Arsenal and Burnley. We’d be amazed if it was anything but a blip.
8. Marquinhos (PSG)
The Brazilian finally got his flowers for 12 exceptional years of service for PSG, captaining them as they finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy last term.
It feels like he’s been around forever, but Marquinhos is still only 31 and might yet have a few years at the very top.
7. Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
He doesn’t turn 19 until January, but he already has over 80 appearances under his belt for Barcelona.
When was the last time you saw a defender look so composed at such a young age? Help us out here as we’re coming up completely blank.
In Lamine Yamal and Cubarsi, Barca have two cogs of an elite team locked down for years to come. La Masia is unrivalled.
6. Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid)
We do realise that sixth is high for a player that’s yet to win anything, and up until a few months ago was playing for Bournemouth.
But on the evidence of Huijsen’s early displays for Real Madrid and Spain, sixth might honestly look a bit low if you revisit this list next summer.
It’s not very often that Real Madrid sign players from Bournemouth. But it’s not very often that you see players like Huijsen emerge.
He looks like a world-class playmaker playing in the heart of defence. This is what the future of football looks like.
5. William Saliba (Arsenal)
As with Konate, those links to Real Madrid persist. The game’s biggest badge of honour. The proof that you belong at the very top.
Saliba is approaching the final 18 months of his current deal and Arsenal might have a decision to make next summer if he doesn’t extend.
The France international wasn’t quite at his very best last season, while he’s been sidelined for most of 2025-26 so far, but there’s no questioning that he’s a generational ball-playing centre-back.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Madrid have just picked another one of those up in the aforementioned Huijsen. Arteta might just be able to rest easy.
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4. Willian Pacho (PSG)
A controversial shout, perhaps, given that it was only really the tacticos who were aware of Pacho’s immense talent 12 months ago. The Ecuadorian’s remarkable, trophy-laden rise is worthy of a place in the upper echelons of this list.
After winning the league title with his boyhood club Independiente del Valle, he was snapped up by Royal Antwerp and quickly added a Belgian league and cup double to his honours list.
No silverware was to follow at Eintracht Frankfurt, but he only needed a year in the Bundesliga to effortlessly demonstrate he belongs at the very top European level.
Pacho’s debut season with PSG ended with him capping off a treble with a clean sheet in the Champions League final, as well as a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
On top of that, Pacho was outstanding in Ecuador’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
La Tricolour conceded just five goals in 18 games as they finished runners-up, and he helped keep clean sheets against the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Dark horses?
3. Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
“I’m very proud of how I’ve helped redefine the role of the modern defender,” Bastoni told reporters last season.
Those are big words, but he’s not wrong.
The Italian cemented his claim as one of Europe’s best in Inter’s run to the Champions League final last season.
The Nerazzurri might have suffered a collapse in the final, but that was more of a collective failing. Only fools would write Bastoni off on the evidence of one game.
2. Gabriel (Arsenal)
A few years ago, we wouldn’t have dreamt of having Gabriel above Saliba.
When the Brazilian first arrived from Lille half a decade ago, he looked solid but unspectacular. A decent meat-and-potatoes defender but too unrefined to be spoken of among the game’s very best.
Saliba’s ball-playing ability still eclipses Gabriel’s, but for the profile of centre-back that he is – physically imposing, aerially dominant, a leader at the back – Gabriel has effectively perfected his game over the past 14 months. He was comfortably the Gunners’ best player last season.
Arsenal have only conceded one goal so far in 2025-26, and that was a freak long-range free-kick.
That superlative defensive record is also thanks to a brilliant goalkeeper, Arteta’s risk-averse tactical approach and a supremely organised wider structure.
But it certainly helps to have a centre-back who doesn’t put a foot wrong, and Gabriel has been an ever-present.
1. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Some were keen to write Liverpool’s legendary captain off after an uncharacteristically shaky display in the Community Shield. He’s bounced back to look his usual, outrageously unruffable self in Liverpool’s 100% start to the season.
The 34-year-old might well be better than ever. He was an absolute colossus in Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal and the best player on the pitch by a country mile when they were under pressure in the madcap 3-2 away to Newcastle.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Van Dijk has transcended talk of being the best in the world right now and belongs in the conversation with the all-timers.
“I don’t like describing Van Dijk as the best centre-back,” Carragher said, speaking on CBS Sports after Van Dijk’s injury-time match-winner against Atletico Madrid.
“At Liverpool, a lot of people get called legends because they won the league or they won the Champions League. I’d call them giants of the club, Stevie (Gerrard), Kenny Dalglish, (Graeme) Souness, Alan Hansen, John Barnes.
“The top seven or eight players. Without a doubt he (Van Dijk) is right in the middle of that. He will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play for Liverpool.
“Not one of the greatest centre-backs, one of the greatest players.”
We’re watching one of the greats, at the top of his game, in front of our eyes. Drink it in.
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