Top 10 centre-back duos of all time

#8 Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea

Scirea (second from top-left) and Gentile (second from top-right)

A club that’s been perennially known for churning out one world class defender after another, Juventus has seen many great defenders of the game in black and white colours. However, the greatest centre back pairing ever seen by the fans of the Old Lady of Turin, still remains that of Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea.

One vowel less, and Gentile’s name could’ve been the biggest oxymoron to see the face of the earth. Repeatedly regarded as football’s hardest, roughest and toughest player of all time, the Italian was a powerhouse of a defender, breaking down attacks, with a perpetual scowl on his face. The Gennaro Gattuso of yesteryears, if I may call him so.

However, the Yin to the Gentile Yang, was Gaetano Scirea, the classy, polished Italian great. Not getting dismissed even once in an astonishing career, during which he kept even Franco Baresi out of the Azzurri squad, Scirea is arguably amongst the greatest defenders ever. And together with his rugged partner, he formed an immovable object that was seldom encroached.