5 defenders who made a name for themselves this season

#2 Mattia Caldara, Atalanta

Mattia Caldara had a stellar season at Atalanta and was snapped up by Juventus as well

The 23-year old centre-back is one of the best defenders in Italy and had a stellar season with Atalanta. Mattia Caldara helped his side to 15 clean sheets in his 29 games in the Serie A and has finished the season with a splendid Whoscored.com rating of 7.28.

La Dea have qualified for the Europa League by finishing 5^th through a strong defensive organisation.

Caldara has already been compared with the legendary Alessandro Nesta due to his composure, game awareness and intelligence. Further, there are comparisons with Gaetano Scirea, one of the greatest ever Italian defenders.

Just like Atalanta’s legendary captain in 1974, Caldara will join Juventus back, who signed him in January and loaned him back to La Dea till the end of next season.

Caldara’s positioning and penchant to wear the no.13 jersey is akin to Nesta while his terrific goalscoring prowess is similar to Scirea. The Italian centre-back has scored 7 goals this season, including a superb double against attack-minded Napoli in February.

Another season at Atalanta, with the Europa League also on offer, gives Caldara the chance to gain valuable experience before joining the Old Lady, one of the best-organized teams in Europe at the moment.

(Video Courtesy – WorldofFootballHD YouTube Channel)