'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4: Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool
The growth of Trent Alexander-Arnold under Jurgen Klopp has been phenomenal. He has quickly established himself as one of the world's best full-backs and is posting incredible stats for a defender not seen since the peak of Dani Alves at Sevilla and Barcelona.
Trending
Obviously, as a defender, his primary responsibility is to save goals from going in rather than scoring or assisting them. He is yet to reach his peak physical condition and thus is weak in aerial duels and one-on-one battles, but he makes up for that with his pace and dribbling skills.
Alexander-Arnold makes 1.6 tackles a game on average while he only makes one interception per game. But when these statistics are taken in consideration with the amount of work he does to get the ball into the final third, it is hard not be impressed by the 21-year-old.
#3: Raphael Varane - Real Madrid
Raphael Varane has been performing at the top level for a long now that it is impossible to imagine a Real Madrid side without him. He has formed one of the best centre-back pairings with Sergio Ramos and was part of the Madrid defence that only conceded 25 goals during the Merengues' victorious campaign.
Varane's contribution to the side is often overlooked, but that is as a result of the French defender's reserved character. He is physically strong, dominant in the air, fast on his feet and shows a burst of acceleration that allows him to make recoveries from dangerous positions.
Apart from the physical attributes that make him perfectly suited for the role, Varane has a great analytical mind that allows him to read the game with ease.
Tackling opposition players is a part of his job description, and thanks to his great technical ability he can do so with ease while rarely committing a foul. This season too, he was very clinical as he only picked up two yellow cards in the La Liga.
#2: Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid
Sergio Ramos valiantly led Real Madrid to their 34th La Liga title through his leadership, commanding defensive displays and even with goals if necessary.
His fierce competitive spirit has very often seen him earning red cards. But Ramos helped the club overcome a one-point deficit with Barcelona after the league restarted and helped Madrid end the season on an 11-game unbeaten streak, winning ten of those games.
Ramos' goalscoring exploits made headlines in the past two months as he ended up scoring a total of 11 goals during the 2019-20 campaign, which was only exceeded by striker Karim Benzema. Though six of them were from the spot, Ramos converted each and every one of his spot-kicks, which is not an easy task.
In 2019-20, Ramos became the only defender to score more than ten goals in a La Liga season since the turn of the century.
Despite his immense contributions in the final third, he remained solid at the back, winning three aerial duels on average every game while making three clearances per game and maintaining a 91% passing accuracy.
Also See: 10 most prolific goal-scoring defenders of all-time.
#1: Virgil Van Dijk - Liverpool
At this point it might seem cliche to state that Virgil Van Dijk is the best defender in the world, but he's just that good and currently in his prime. He helped Liverpool have the best defensive record in the Premier League as he played every single minute during their title-winning campaign.
Van Dijk completed more passes than any other player in the league. With 3148 passes as of 25 July, he leads that stat category across Europe by a good margin.
The Dutchman wins as many as five aerial duels every game and makes 4.4 clearances on average. He is a calm and commanding leader of the Reds' defensive line who leads by example.
Varane makes the most of his imposing physical presence, pace and technical ability to beat top strikers like Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After winning the Premier League this season and having already won the Champions League last season, Van Dijk is well on his way to becoming a Liverpool and Premier League legend.
Also see: Liverpool win Premier League: Dynamic at the back, deadly in attack - the Opta data behind historic Reds team.
