5 most underrated defenders in world football right now

#3 Diego Carlos | Sevilla

Diego Carlos' partnership with Jules Kounde has been a major reason for Sevilla's recent success.

The reason he has not been priced away from Sevilla yet is a question not many can answer with clarity. But Julen Lopetegui loves Diego Carlos and will be happy to keep hold of him for as long as possible. Carlos has an enviable engine and it's hardly a challenge for him to cover the length of the pitch.

Built like an ox, the Brazilian defender loves to impose himself on strikers and is a pain for those who thrive under space. Carlos loves to close in on his man and suffocate space. Since joining Sevilla, he has made 40+ appearances for them in all competitions in the previous two seasons and won the Europa League in his first campaign itself.

Playing alongside Jules Kounde, it has been a little difficult for Carlos to be the talk of the town on frequent occasions. The France international is much younger, more highly priced and even more versatile. But it's a centre-back partnership in the end and taking either one out is equally discomforting for the other.

Carlos' intensity and aggression makes him one of the most difficult defenders to contest for the ball in Europe. Sevilla have been great with counter attacks in recent times and one of the reasons is the big centre-back's ability to look for a midfield-slicing forward pass.

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#2 Andreas Christensen | Chelsea

Andreas Christensen celebrates a goal for Denmark at Euro 2020.

Mistakes are a part of the game and sometimes one can be judged a little too harshly. There was a time when Andreas Christensen was quite error-prone. Shy of controlling the ball, second-guessing his back passes to the keeper were things that would get him in trouble. However, Christensen was a young lad who was improving and with more maturity, he was only going to get better.

The test of patience has passed and the Chelsea fans can finally meet a confident and inspiring Christensen. The Dane has very capably held the outward centre-back position in Thomas Tuchel's demanding 3-4-3 over the last year. In his last 48 appearances for club and country, the Dane has managed 38 clean sheets, which is nothing short of remarkable.

He has also looked more inspiring on the ball and is not afraid to try shots from outside the box when given a chance. Christensen can be seen venturing out of his box with adventurous intent to contribute to Chelsea's play on various occasions. This is also something he did quite frequently in Denmark's dream campaign at Euro 2020, where they made it to the semi-finals.

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#1 Joel Matip | Liverpool

Joel Matip has so far started five games for Liverpool in the 2021-22 Premier League.

Injuries and Virgil van Dijk are two reasons that put Joel Matip on this list and really that is just fate: you can't control those two. Clearly Jurgen Klopp was aware that Matip has a habit of occupying the treatment table quite often. Yet the club extended his contract in 2019, because on his day there was no messing with a fit Matip.

Last season, with Van Dijk injured, people realized how crucial Joel Matip could be for Liverpool. He partnered with makeshift centre-backs in defense, and made sure they did not have to do anything silly. Matip uses his big strides to bring the ball out of defense and is rarely seen misjudging his progressive passes.

In their title-winning 2018-19 campaign, Matip started 37 games for the Reds, where they won 25, and kept 17 clean sheets. His injection of pace in the build-up to play helped Liverpool and he made playing the high-line less of a danger.