Top 10 World Cup Defenders

jonjoward1998
Apr 15
5 min read

We've seen many of the world's best defenders light up the World Cup over the years and a lot of them have made their name in this very tournament.

The majority of them have also been lucky enough to win the World Cup and play integral roles for their sides and the majority of them are on the list.

When the Match of the Day Top 10 podcast did this topic during one of their Euros series their list contained a mixture of centre backs and full backs and this one is exactly the same.

When I look back at the list, the one player I probably should've put on it was Franco Baresi because he was an integral part of the Italy side that won the World Cup in 1982 and one of the greatest defenders the game has ever produced. I don't know why I didn't think of him when doing the list.

Now without further ordo, here is the list:

Roberto Carlos

Cafu

Philipp Lahm

Fabio Cannavaro

Paolo Maldini

Franz Beckenbauer

Andreas Brehme

Bobby Moore

Marcel Desailly

Sergio Ramos

Bobby Moore

Moore was England's World Cup winning captain in 1966 and he led by example not just with his leadership, but with his solid performances on the pitch as well.

He was a player who was calm and composed both on the ball and a brilliant reader of the game due to his positioning and knowing when to make a challenge.

He showed how calm he was on the ball during the final when he played that pass to set up Geoff Hurst for the winning goal.

I had to have him down in tenth because he wasn't at the level of the other players on the list.

Paolo Maldini

Maldini would be a lot higher if this was the greatest defenders of all-time but as this is about the World Cup, I had to have him quite low down because he never won the World Cup.

He played in four World Cup's with Italy and was named in two team of the tournaments in 1990 and 1994 respectively.

The closest he got to winning the World Cup came in 1994 where Italy reached the final only to lose to Brazil on penalties.

He was used at both centre back and left back throughout his career and was exceptional in both because of his reading of the game and positioning.

Andreas Brehme

Brehme was part of the Germany side that won the World Cup in 1990 where he was also named in the team of the tournament.

He was a full back who was effective at both ends of the pitch in getting back to make vital interventions at one end and getting forward to get crosses into the box at the other.

He was also determined to win the ball back for his team so they could start counter-attacks and he did that a lot during Germany's World Cup win in 1990.

He was also part of the Germany side that reached the final in 1986 only for them to lose to Argentina.

Marcel Desailly

Desailly won the World Cup with France in 1998 and was an integral part of that side as well despite being sent off in the final against Brazil.

He was a rock throughout that tournament because of his strength, aerial ability and ability to make crucial interventions due to his brilliant reading of the game.

He was even nicknamed the rock because of how strong a player and defender he was and it was because of his strength that very few players could get past him.

Sergio Ramos

Ramos won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 as part of that side that dominated international football for a good few years.

He was solid throughout that tournament and especially during the knockout stages as Spain kept a clean sheets from the last 16 all the way to the final.

He was an integral part of that side because of his ability to read the game, make key interventions both aerially and physically, and leadership on the pitch.

Fabio Cannavaro

Cannavaro captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and I have him just ahead of Ramos because I felt he was more influential in that tournament than Ramos was with Spain in 2010.

Italy had such a strong defence during that tournament and Cannavaro was one of the key reasons why because of his reading of the game, ability to make key interventions and abilty to organise a defence.

Both his solid performances and leadership on the pitch were key to Italy being successful in 2006 and his performances during that tournament played a key role in him winning the Ballon D'or later that year.

Philipp Lahm

Lahm played in three World Cup's with Germany in 2006, 2010 and 2014 respectively and impressed in every single one.

2006 was the tournament where he announced himself on the international stage with that goal he scored in the opening game against Costa Rica followed by solid displays throughout the tournament as Germany finished 3rd.

He captained Germany to glory in 2014 and was an integral part of that side as well with his leadership on the pitch and solid displays in defence.

He played a few games of that World Cup in midfield in a hybrid role which was a role he played a few games in during the lead up to the tournament.

Roberto Carlos

Carlos played in three World Cup's with Brazil including two finals in 1998 and 2002 respectively with the latter being the year he won it.

He was an integral part of the 2002 side by running up and down the left hand side and delivering dangerous crosses into the box that were tough to keep out.

He was arguably the best attacking full back in the world on his day and of all-time because he loved to get forward and always posed a threat when he did.

Franz Beckenbauer

Beckenbauer was unlucky not to be at no.1 because he's probably the greatest defender to play the game due to his reading of the game, ability to sniff out attacks and ability to carry the ball out of defence.

He essentially created the role of a sweeper by being able to carry the ball out of defence alongside doing his defensive duties.

He played in three World Cup's for Germany in 1966, 1970 and 1974 respectively with the latter being the year he went on to win it after going close on the previous two occasions.

He was an integral part of the Germany side that won the World Cup in 1974 by putting in solid displays throughout the tournament and being one of Germany's most important players.

He later went on to manage the national team and lead them to two World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990 respectively, winning the latter.

Cafu

I have Cafu at no.1 because he won the World Cup twice with Brazil in 1994 and 2002 respectively.

He didn't play a lot in 1994 as he was mostly a back up but he did start the final against Italy which Brazil would later go on to win on penalties.

He was Brazil's captain when they won it in 2002 where he was among the best full backs in the world and he showed it throughout that tournament.

He was one of the best full backs of his generation and especially from an attacking point of view because he loved to get forward and get crosses into the box due to his stamina and crossing abilities.

MY TOP 10: