Choosing the best defender throughout the history of football is a complicated task because at all times there have been players who have made a difference and have given their clubs a multitude of titles, not to mention the individual awards they have won throughout their careers.
We can start talking about a classic like Franco Baresi. The center-back spent his entire sports career at Milan with whom he made his debut in 1977 and played for twenty years in which he played a total of 719 games, being the second player with the most games on the Milanese team after another legend of whom We’ll talk later, Paolo Maldini.
He was champion of the Italian league six times, in addition to having also won 4 Super Cups, 3 European Super Cups, three Champions Leagues and two Intercontinental Cups for a total of 18 titles. Without forgetting of course the most outstanding, the 1982 World Cup played in Spain.
In total with his national team he played a total of 81 games in which he was captain in 51, and was recently included in the FIFA gold team. He is undoubtedly a legend of world football.
At https://www.fragster.com/ you can find all the statistics of Baresi and other great defenders who have left their mark on football history.
Another great defender was Paolo Malidini. The “eternal captain” was one of the members of the great Milan of the 1980s, known as “Sacchi’s Milan” and also played his entire career for the black and white team, where he made his debut in 1978 until his retirement in 2009. In total, he has played for 24 seasons in Serie A, more than any other player and is the player with the most appearances for his club, playing more than a thousand games throughout his prolific career. With his national team he played a total of 126 matches and four World Cups, although he did not manage to win the Cup, the truth is that he has 26 titles to his credit.
Continuing with Italian soccer players, characterized by his great defensive qualities, we cannot stop talking about Fabio Cannavaro. “Il Capitano” played throughout his career for Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid, where he arrived in 2006 after captaining his world champion team, which also earned him the chance to win the Ballon d’Or that year and being named the best world player by FIFA.
Another defender that must be highlighted is Dani Alves, since he is the most successful player in history with a total of 41 titles to his credit. Along with Maldini, he is the player who has won the most European Super Cups and currently plays for Sao Paulo in his country.
He debuted in the year 2001 in the E.C. Bay where he won three titles before joining Sevilla with which he definitely exploded as one of the best full-backs in the world until his signing for Barcelona in 2008, where he was part of that historic team led by Pep Guardiola, who managed to win the well-known as a “sextet” in 2009, a feat never seen before. He is also the second foreign footballer with the most matches played in the Blaugrana entity. After his successful time in Barcelona he played for Juventus for just one season, still winning two titles and then for PSG adding another three trophies.
With his national team he has played more than a hundred games, a figure only achieved by four other players besides him. Without a doubt, a legend of professional football who will always be remembered.
