7 greatest Brazilian defenders of all time

#1 Djalma Santos

Djalma Santos was a stalwart in defence for Brazil for many years

The late Djalma Santos was one of the mainstays in the great Brazilian teams of the 1950s and 1960s. He represented his country at four consecutive World Cups from 1954 to 1966, winning the 1958 and 1962 editions. He became the first player to appear in three separate World Cup All-Star teams (1954, 1958 and 1962). A record he now shares with Franz Beckenbauer and Philip Lahm.

He spent most of his professional club career with Palmeiras, with whom he made over 500 appearances and won seven domestic titles.

With Brazil, he won a total of 98 caps between 1952 and 1968 which was a long time record until it was broken by Taffarrel almost 30 years later in 1998. He started in all of Brazil's games at the 1954 World Cup as they finished fourth, scoring one goal which led to his inclusion in the team of the tournament.

In the 1958 World Cup, he lost his starting position to De Sordi, only playing in the 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden in the final, but his dominant performance in that single match was enough to earn him a spot in the team of the tournament.

He was once more a regular as Brazil retained her World title in Chile 1962, setting up a goal for Vava in the final against Czechoslovakia with a beautiful lobbed pass and was once again included in the team of the tournament.

Primarily deployed as a right-back, where he terrorized opposition flanks alongside partner-in-crime Nilton Santos, Djalma's versatility meant that he could also be deployed as a centre-back. He was quick and physically imposing, earning the nickname 'la Muralha' (The Wall). Famed for his dribbling, excellent technique, and accurate distribution, Djalma along with Nilton were among the earliest full backs to contribute to their team's attacks by venturing forward. He was also a specialist in the art of long throw-ins and used this ability to devastating effect in favour of his teams.

In addition to his extraordinary abilities as a footballer, Djalma Santos was also an exemplary sportsman and was never sent off in his long and distinguished career. A true legend of the Brazilian and World game, Djalma Santos is one of a few players to have played over 1,000 professional games (a rare feat in his era) and was a part of Pele's FIFA 100 in 2004, as well as the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team in 2004 and is a member of the Brazil football Hall of Fame.