7 most valuable defenders in the world right now

#1 Raphaël Varane - €80 million

The French prodigy could be the first defender to win the Ballon d 'Or after Fabio Cannavao

What a spell-binding talent this guy is! An absolute Rolls-Royce of a defender!

In the World Cup 2018, Varane was the most unsung hero for the French national team in all likelihood and another chief cause why France's journey in the Mundial appeared so taxing yet so seamless.

The 25-year-old was a decisive brick wall in France's rearguard who exuded such immense confidence, phlegm and grit of a grizzled ol' veteran that it reminded you of Shakespeare's ever-excellent excerpt:

I beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend estimation, for I never knew so young a body with so old a head.

With Varane only 25 years old and at the peak of his powers, Real Madrid might find it hard to hold on to their starlet in the coming years.