5 centre-backs who would have made great strikers

Football is a game that is characterized by beautiful, instantaneous transition between attack and defense. Although, people value the contribution of all eleven footballers on the pitch, some players do possess abilities that help them contribute in all parts of the pitch. Sir Alex Ferguson once very famously said, “Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles.” Here, we take a look at 5 of the top defenders in foottball who would have made great strikers had they chosen to switch their positions.

#5 Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique is a very skillful and aggresive defender, who has been a defensive rock for Barcelona during their great success in the last few years. A graduate of the famed La Masia academy, Pique is known for his great passing range, and his tendency to join in during attacks.

Given his ability on the ball, Pique can play across the defense, and in midfield, and has shown his versatility during his formative years. His ability to finish the ball is very good, and his attacking contributions are very decisive. The defender has chipped in with goals regularly during his Barcelona career, and even before his move back to the club, he had a relatively high scoring last season at Manchester United.

As he recently showed for Barcelona, the Spaniard is very eager to join in during attacks and has great interest in scoring goals, especially against arch-rivals Real Madrid.

#4 Sergio Ramos

The Spaniard is known to be one of the most aggresive defenders in football, and is relentless, both in his tackling as well as his will to win. Playing at the highest level from a very young age, Ramos played at right back for a long time to accomodate other central defenders in the squad for both Spain and Real Madrid.

His attacking instincts are very sharp, and he is ever willing to contribute to attacks, as he leads the offense out of the defense, and tries to get at the end of passes and crosses. His habit of popping up with goals at regular intervals is very well known, the most recent instance being his equalizer for Real Madrid just before the final whistle in the Champions League final, which allowed them to go and claim the title in extra time.

#3 Rio Ferdinand

The former Manchester United defensive mainstay is known to be one of the most stylish defenders in the game, who relied on a combination of his speed and anticipation to thwart the opposition’s attacks. When he was fairly young, he used to play as an attacking midfielder, and was switched to defense when he started attaining physical maturity.

However, his attacking instincts have never left his game, as has been seen by his inclination to initiate attacks for both England and Manchester United. He has also scored some very good goals in his career, most notably the ones against Liverpool and the volleyed finish against Newcastle United.

Now retired, Ferdinand was easily one of the most forward thinking defenders, and would have made a great striker.

#2 David Luiz

The Brazilian defender is known for his flamboyant style of play, which is not very surprising, considering he comes from Brazil. The former Chelsea player is very adept at taking set-pieces (Colombia can definitely vouch for his accuracy). A very versatile player, he can play in multiple positions across the defense and midfield.

Luiz is also technically a strong player, and regularly initiates attacks by injecting some much needed urgency into play with his forays from defense. He is an accomplished finisher with both feet, is a good header of the ball, and is a quick thinker. In addition to his ability to take free-kicks, he lends versatility to the attack when he joins in.

#1 Mats Hummels

The newly crowned captain of Borussia Dortmund and key to Germany’s World Cup win, Hummels is known to be a very good ball playing defender, who is calm and composed on the ball, and is technically very assured. He has great dribbling ability, and is able to bring the ball out of defense very comfortably.

The big German is also known to play raking crossfield passes to the wingers in the Dortmund, as their perpetual motion helps Hummels spot their runs and make pinpoint passes to them.

His tendency to contribute during his team’s attack is also noteworthy, as he has popped up time and again with goals at crucial junctures for both Germany and Dortmund. Hs is strong in the air, and cool and collected under the pressure, so is able to make the most of goal-scoring opportunities that he gets.