The best defenders according to the Ballon d'Or rankings 

As everyone knows, the Ballon d'Or has almost always been dominated by attackers and the last time a defender got the coveted was way back in 2006, when it was difficult to look past Italy's legendary central defender Fabio Cannavaro.

That being said, defenders do not usually win it and it is a bit of a shame since stopping the opposition from scoring is often more important than scoring them, when a team comes up against another team of equal strengths.

So, here is a look at the defenders who were ranked in the Ballon d'Or rankings and were definitely the best defenders in Europe last season.

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#4 Mats Hummels

The German international has been one of the top central defenders in Europe for many years now and served as the defensive rock of the German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich as they romped to yet another league title in 2016-17. According to Squawka, he was the 3rd best defender in the league and in this regard it needs to be added that an elite defender at an elite club like Bayern Munich has very little defending to do when compared to other sides.

Hence, it is a bit of a misleading stat and Hummels' prowess as a defender is not in question. Instead, Hummels has to assist in the build-up of Bayern's attacks and is an excellent passer, which is why he is so highly rated in European football. Last season, he recorded as a pass accuracy of 88%, the third highest in the Bundesliga and in the Ballon d'Or short-list, he was placed at 27th which made him the 4th highest ranked defender in Europe.

#3 Leonardo Bonucci

Leonardo Bonucci was Juventus' defensive rock last season

Italian central defender has been one of the top players in his position for some years now and despite his troubles with manager Max Allegri last season, he emerged as the 3rd best defender in Europe. He was jointly ranked at number 21 in the Ballon d'Or rankings and one must say, it was richly deserved.

Bonucci is a defender with hardly any flaws and in addition to his prowess as a superb reader of the game, he is an excellent passer as well and was instrumental in Juventus' build-up play last season.

He was a key figure in Juventus' Serie A win and their run to the UEFA Champions League final last season. He figures among the top 10 defenders in the Champions League last season, according to Squawka and had the third highest pass accuracy of 86%. He was equally good in the Serie A and is rightly ranked as the 3rd best defender in Europe.

#2 Marcelo

Marcelo's attacking output as a defender was unmatched last season

Real Madrid's Brazilian left-back is arguably the best player in his position in the world and over the past two season, he has become a player who is directly responsible for much of the club's attacks from down the left-hand side of the pitch. Needless to say, he is an excellent defender as well but his long-range passing and vision have taken him to a league of his own. Last season Real Madrid won the treble and Marcelo's influence in that historic season was profound.

He was superb in the La Liga but it was in the UEFA Champions League that he was even better. Marcelo recorded the 6th highest pass accuracy in the competition with an accuracy of 83% and delivered as many as 20 key passes, which is the 2nd highest among the top 10 defenders, according to Squawka.

Last but not the least, he won 54 duels throughout the course of the competition and these figures indicate that he is a player who was at the top of his game last season. It is not a surprise that he was ranked at number 16 in the short-list.

#1 Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos was head and shoulders above other defenders in Europe

Last season Real Madrid won the treble and while Cristiano Ronaldo was their best attacker, it was their captain Sergio Ramos who was the defensive colossus and it is no surprise that he was ranked as the best defender (ranked 6th overall) in Europe in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

Ramos has actually been among the best defenders in Europe for some years but last year he was in a zone of his own and completely dominated his opponents in both the La Liga as well as in the Champions League.

Ramos was involved in 79 'defensive actions' according to Squawka and that is the 8th highest among all defenders. On the other hand, he recorded a pass accuracy percentage of 87%, which was the 2nd highest in the tournament and overall he was ranked at number 5 by Squawka. He was equally imperious in the La Liga as well as Real Madrid completed a remarkable season under his stewardship.