Who is The best Defender (Ever) In your eyes

[St Eve]

George Cohen of course

[God The Mechanic]

Ramos is the best centre half playing currently in my view. world class

Really? Gets too many cards IMO to be classed as the best. He's damn good I'll give you that, but too often too rash or cynical. Unlike the Italians of course ;)

[Enter the Frei]

Currently Chiellini is by far the best cb in the world. so consistant and just a proper brick wall.

[Lighthouse]

Bobby Moore at his best and Franz Beckenbaur were the best defenders. I have no idea who would be the best nowadays. However I still find good defending worth watching as much as the goals scored. It seems to be so much harder now to be a good defender without falling foul of the rules.

[nevzter]

As long as we're not discussin' 'if the glove don't fit, you must acquit...," then I'd go with Kompany as the best present-day defender.  In my time, I'd say P. Maldini, but that's a limited 20+ year perspective...

[filham]

Jim Taylor, Roy Bentley, Bobby Moor , Jim Langley, George Cohen, John Dempsey, John Lacy, Coleman and Hangeland are names that come readily to mind and there would be a few more before I would attempt to list any of those tricky foreign names who I have never seen play.

[HatterDon]

Cafu - Franz Beckenbauer - Duncan Edwards - Paulo Maldini

Wasn't Duncan Edwards (a) killed in 1958 before he turned 21 and (b) an attacking wingback for Man U and England? I'm surprised anyone here is old enough to have seen him play.

Apart from that, I'd select Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer as the two best I've ever seen -- and pretty much for the same reason: they played with their brains. I haven't seen anyone in the Premier League era who could carry either of these guys' suitcase.

[cmg]

Cafu - Franz Beckenbauer - Duncan Edwards - Paulo Maldini

Wasn't Duncan Edwards (a) killed in 1958 before he turned 21 and (b) an attacking wingback for Man U and England? I'm surprised anyone here is old enough to have seen him play.

Apart from that, I'd select Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer as the two best I've ever seen -- and pretty much for the same reason: they played with their brains. I haven't seen anyone in the Premier League era who could carry either of these guys' suitcase.

You are quite right (both with regards Edwards and the two that lived long enough to realise their potential).
As I mentioned in my post above, I am old enough to have seen Edwards play (and still able to press those little buttons on the keyboard, amazing, eh?) although I was too young to appreciate the tactical thinking of the England selectors (if any). He was always selected as what was called a wing-half and I would say that 'attacking midfield' might best describe his role in modern parlance. When I saw him play his last game in England at Highbury (an unforgettable 5-4 to Manchester United) he formed an incredible midfield with Eddie Coleman who was even younger and also died at Munich. Edwards could have made a centre-back, full back (he was deceptively fast for a big bloke) or a striker as well as any of the midfield positions.

I suppose I remember all this so well (despite my advanced age) because it was such a big deal to a football-crazy kid whose best mate at primary school was from Stalybridge.

In May 1957 England confirmed their qualification for the next year's World Cup with a 1-1 draw in Dublin. By the time the Finals had started five of that team (plus Liam Whelan of Ireland) had died (Byrne, Pegg, Edwards and Taylor at Munich, while Jeff Hall succumbed to Polio). You didn't have to be a Manchester United supporter to feel the pain.

[mangoputney]

Mal Donaghy in person... Costacurta on tv

[Rhys Lightning 63]

Cafu - Franz Beckenbauer - Duncan Edwards - Paulo Maldini

Wasn't Duncan Edwards (a) killed in 1958 before he turned 21 and (b) an attacking wingback for Man U and England? I'm surprised anyone here is old enough to have seen him play.

Apart from that, I'd select Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer as the two best I've ever seen -- and pretty much for the same reason: they played with their brains. I haven't seen anyone in the Premier League era who could carry either of these guys' suitcase.

You are quite right (both with regards Edwards and the two that lived long enough to realise their potential).
As I mentioned in my post above, I am old enough to have seen Edwards play (and still able to press those little buttons on the keyboard, amazing, eh?) although I was too young to appreciate the tactical thinking of the England selectors (if any). He was always selected as what was called a wing-half and I would say that 'attacking midfield' might best describe his role in modern parlance. When I saw him play his last game in England at Highbury (an unforgettable 5-4 to Manchester United) he formed an incredible midfield with Eddie Coleman who was even younger and also died at Munich. Edwards could have made a centre-back, full back (he was deceptively fast for a big bloke) or a striker as well as any of the midfield positions.

I suppose I remember all this so well (despite my advanced age) because it was such a big deal to a football-crazy kid whose best mate at primary school was from Stalybridge.

In May 1957 England confirmed their qualification for the next year's World Cup with a 1-1 draw in Dublin. By the time the Finals had started five of that team (plus Liam Whelan of Ireland) had died (Byrne, Pegg, Edwards and Taylor at Munich, while Jeff Hall succumbed to Polio). You didn't have to be a Manchester United supporter to feel the pain.

Yes I suppose the position of wing-half has disappeared from football, but I always thought he was a CB because he wore the #6 shirt, but I suppose in those days when they played 2-3-5, the whole number system got thrown away.

I actually purchased a 'History of Manchester United' DVD back in 2011 to help with my sports journalism course, so watching that was where I got my view on Duncan. He could do everything that Lionel Messi does today, WITH a ball that cost you 10 IQ points everytime you headed it, on a pitch that didn't have a single blade of grass and boots that weighed about as much a Range Rover

[Fulham Far East]

Zat Knight

[alfie]

my favourite player of all time anywhere
Bobby Moore

He was not the greatest of players but he like Mclintock at Arsenal knew how to read the game, and always seemed to get himself in the right position.

I miss his style an awful lot.

[Northern Cottager]

I remember Carlton Palmer shoring up the Stockport defense towards the end of his glittering career.

[cmg]

Yes I suppose the position of wing-half has disappeared from football, but I always thought he was a CB because he wore the #6 shirt, but I suppose in those days when they played 2-3-5, the whole number system got thrown away.

It's funny you should put it this way, I suppose it's a question of what you are used to. In fact the numbering system was, to my mind, much simpler then. Only 1 - 11 was used (and it was considerd quite flash, modern and 'continental' for the 'keeper to wear a number at all).

Since the 1930s the system (in England) had not been 2-3-5, but WM. 2 and 3 were the left and right backs, the centre-half played between them in a back three and always wore 5. 4 and 6 were right and left wing-halves (one might be more defensive than the other) and 8 and 10 were inside-right and left (one of which, if you were lucky, was the 'playmaker'). 7 and 11 were the wingers who stayed out wide and slung the ball over for the centre-forward (9) to deal with. There were some variations on this, but WM was the usual English system. Even then you can see in it the basis of a four man midfield.

This all started to change in England in the 60s (influenced mainly by the defensive systems of coaches like Hellenio Harrera) with one of the wing-halves being withdrawn to make a back four and Ramsey then did away with wingers totally with full-backs overlapping on the flanks. In a way, with wingers back in fashion, the old ways have crept back again, but, through the ages, systems have usually been gearred more towards defence than attack. Fortunately a true genius, an Edwards, a Haynes, a Pele, a Maradonna, a Cruyff, a Messi has always been able to make any system look silly.

Here endeth the Sunday maths lesson. Sorry.

[cmg]

my favourite player of all time anywhere
Bobby Moore

He was not the greatest of players but he like Mclintock at Arsenal knew how to read the game, and always seemed to get himself in the right position.

I miss his style an awful lot.

"Never use a superlative," an old time newspaper editor once told one of his reporters. "Nothing you run into on this kind of beat ever justifies a superlative." There is no doubt that superlativies are bandied about far too liberally these days, but the editor's view was surely an unduly pessimistic one. After all, what is football if not the pursuit of greatness?

You see, I disagree with you Alfie. I think Bobby Moore WAS the greatest defensive player I ever saw.

And Pele and Franz Beckenbauer thought so too.

[cmg]

I remember Carlton Palmer shoring up the Stockport defense towards the end of his glittering career.

NOW yer talking.

[kevin]

i've never had a defender in my eyes
but in my opinion it would be

sergio ramos

[Fulhampete]

Baresi and Moore in the centre, Fachetti and (yes honestly) Cohen. After this has to be Scirea, Brietner, Maldini and Rudi Krol. The best Premier league defenders have been Kolo Toure, Laurent Blanc and Marcelle Desailly.

[Fernhurst]

, Franco Beresi

IMHO

[alfie]

my favourite player of all time anywhere
Bobby Moore

He was not the greatest of players but he like Mclintock at Arsenal knew how to read the game, and always seemed to get himself in the right position.

I miss his style an awful lot.

"Never use a superlative," an old time newspaper editor once told one of his reporters. "Nothing you run into on this kind of beat ever justifies a superlative." There is no doubt that superlativies are bandied about far too liberally these days, but the editor's view was surely an unduly pessimistic one. After all, what is football if not the pursuit of greatness?

You see, I disagree with you Alfie. I think Bobby Moore WAS the greatest defensive player I ever saw.

And Pele and Franz Beckenbauer thought so too.

Well that told me