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The trend of buying defenders for a very hefty price came about when Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad. The Spaniard struggled in his first season in England as the ageing backline provided Pep with a huge problem as Manchester City finished trophyless for the first time since the Qatari takeover.
The next season saw Pep splashing out cash as Manchester City bought an entirely new backline with the new look defence costing more than £200 million, twice breaking the world transfer record for a defender.
All this changed when Liverpool went all guns blazing to sign Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton for a whopping 75 million, £23 million more than the previous record.
The sale of World Cup winning star Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich has once again brought forward the huge sums that clubs pay these days for signing defensive recruitments. The sale of the French defender once again puts the spotlight on the World's most expensive defenders.
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Here is the list of the top 10 expensive defenders of all time.
10. Leonardo Bonucci - £35.2 million, Juventus to AC Milan
Leonardo Bonucci became the costliest Italian defender of all-time, breaking the record held by Alessandro Nesta, when he made the short trip from Turin to Milan. The transfer happened after Bonucci reportedly had a dressing room dress-up with Allegri and Dani Alves that saw the Brazilian moving to PSG and the Italian to AC Milan.
Bonucci only spent one season in Milan before returning back to Turin for a transfer fee much lesser than what the Rossoneri paid. The central defender made 51 appearances for the Rossoneri in his only season with the club and scored twice for them.
9. Davinson Sanchez - £36.6 million, Ajax to Tottenham
The most expensive South American defender till a couple of weeks ago, Davinson Sanchez joined the Tottenham Hotspur dugout after some impressive performances with Ajax.
The Columbian joined the London club for £36.6 million, making him the most expensive player in the history of Tottenham.
After a shaky start to his career in London, the Colombian has now settled in at Tottenham and has already made over 70 appearances for the club while also having a goal to his name.
8.Eder Militao - £42 million, FC Porto to Real Madrid
The man who took the 'most expensive South American defender' tag from Davinson Sanchez. Eder Militao turned the heads of football enthusiasts when the Brazilian agreed to join Real Madrid from FC Porto at the end of the season after Los Blancos paid the buyout clause amount of £42 million
The Brazilian who is enjoying just his first season in Europe after moving to FC Porto from Sao Paulo earlier in this season has so far made over 30 appearances for Dragons and has 3 goals to his name.
7. John Stones - £47.5 million, Everton to Manchester City
The first signing made by Pep Guardiola when he joined Manchester City and the third player on the list of most expensive English players ever, Stones joined Manchester City for a whopping £47.5 million in 2017 from Merseyside after impressing everyone while at Everton.
The England international struggled during his first year under the Spaniard with Stones subjected to numerous criticisms from the pundits and fans alike due to consistently making mistakes with the ball at his feet. Pep Guardiola's trust in him has seen Stones matured and he is turning into one of the best ball playing centre backs in the world at the moment.
The defender has so far made over 100 appearances for Manchester City and has 5 goals to his name and has also won the Premier League and the EFL Cup during his short stint.
6. David Luiz - £50 million, Chelsea to PSG
For long David Luiz occupied the place of the most expensive defender of all time when he moved from Chelsea to Paris Saint Germain for £50 million. The Brazilian had enjoyed one of the best spells in his career at Chelsea when the French giants came calling for him.
The Parisian journey though ended very quickly for David Luiz as Chelsea once again came calling for the Brazilain in 2016, signing him for a reported fee of £34 million.
David Luiz made almost 90 appearances and scored 8 times for PSG and won 2 Ligue 1 titles, 2 Coupe de France, 1 Coupe de la Ligue and 2 Trophee des Champions during his stay.
5. Kyle Walker - £50 million, Tottenham to Manchester City
The most expensive English player of all time is Kyle Walker, who in fact is a defender. Walker joined Manchester City from Tottenham Hotspur for an eye-catching £50 million after consistent performances for Spurs.
Pep Guardiola after his first season identified that full backs were the main positions that he had to upgrade with Zabaleta and Clichy occupying the positions for Manchester City during his arrival. Walker who was already an established full back in the Premier League was wooed by the Spaniard to join the Manchester City project in the second season under his charge.
Kyle Walker has so far made over 80 appearances for the Citizens and has 2 goals to his name. The England international has already won the Premier League and the EFL Cup in his time with Manchester City.
4. Benjamin Mendy - £52 million, AS Monaco to Manchester City
The French full-back broke the transfer record for the most expensive defender when he joined Manchester City from AS Monaco in the summer transfer window of 2017. After several impressive performances, the full-back was devastated after knee injuries curtailed his impressive start to life in England.
This injury though did not keep the Frenchman out for the entire season as he returned to the starting lineup and even earned a place in the French World Cup winning squad.
This season too has seen the Frenchman starting brightly but injuries once again curtailing his start.
Benjamin Mendy has 18 appearances for the Citizens so far but is yet to find the net.
3. Aymeric Laporte - £57 million, Athletico Bilbao to Manchester City
The second most expensive French defender of all time and the most expensive one amongst the Manchester City defence, Aymeric Laporte joined Manchester City in the January transfer window last season after the Citizens paid the 24-year old's release clause amount of £57 million.
Like all new recruits, Laporte found Premier League a bit too tough but has come to the fore this season helping Manchester City maintain 14 clean sheets in his 27 appearances.
The 24-year old has made just over 50 appearances for the Citizens and has two goals to his name and already has won the Premier League and EFL Cup in his short Manchester City career.
2. Lucas Hernandez - £68 million, Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich
The latest entry into the 'most expensive defender of all time' list, Lucas Hernandez will become the second most expensive defender of all time when he joins Bayern Munich at the end of this season. The French defender had been subjected to numerous bids from the German giants this season, but a move failed to materialize which led to Bayern Munich parting £68 million to trigger the buyout amount for the French World Cup winner.
The 23-year old will now become Bayern Munich's most expensive player ever when the French full-back joins them at the end of the season, with the second most expensive player almost half the price of Hernandez.
The versatile defender, an Atletico Madrid youth product, has over 100 appearances for the Los Rojiblancos and has a single goal to his name.
1. Virgil Van Dijk - £75 million, Southampton to Liverpool
The best in the world at the moment, Virgil Van Dijk has been a steal for the Reds even though they parted £75 million for securing the services of the Dutch captain from Southampton.
The transfer itself was controversial after the Reds were accused of tapping the Dutch captain in order to convince him to join Liverpool.
The central defender since his arrival has gone onto to be an integral part of the Reds defence this season and is expected to be one of the contenders for the Player of the season award.
Van Dijk has made 60 appearances and scored 5 goals for Liverpool so far.
