| Rank | Player Name | Key Achievements & Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franco Baresi | 20-year career with AC Milan, best center back of all time. |
| 2 | Bobby Moore | Only Englishman to lift World Cup, 544 games for West Ham. |
| 3 | Franz Beckenbauer | 2-time Ballon d’Or winner, played for Bayern and Cosmos. |
| 4 | Gaetano Scirea | Won every UEFA award, died in car accident at 36. |
| 5 | Sergio Ramos | 469 games for Real Madrid, most cards in La Liga. |
| 6 | Ronald Koeman | 194 goals in 535 games, managed Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord. |
| 7 | Daniel Passarella | 1978 World Cup winner, 134 career goals. |
| 8 | Alessandro Nesta | 3 Serie A titles, 2006 World Cup winner. |
| 9 | Giorgio Chiellini | 9 Serie A titles, 2020 European Championships winner. |
| 10 | Carlos Puyol | 15 years at Barcelona, nicknamed “The Wall”. |
| 11 | John Terry | Played almost 500 league games for Chelsea, captain of both Chelsea and England. |
| 12 | Rio Ferdinand | 6 Premier League titles, 2 League Cups, Champions League winner, Manchester United legend. |
| 13 | Billy Wright | First international soccer player to reach 100 caps, played for Wolverhampton Wanderers for 20 years. |
| 14 | Fernando Hierro | Played 430 league games for Real Madrid, scored 102 goals, 5 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League titles. |
| 15 | Gerard Pique | Premier League and Champions League with Manchester United, 8 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League with Barcelona. |
The 15 Greatest CB Of All Time
Some of the best center-backs of all time know this golden rule: a soccer team needs solid foundations to function. The defense? It’s the bedrock. It’s where you build a great team. No messing around there!
At the center of every great team lies a formidable center-back, the spine of the team that allows the rest of their teammates to move forward in search of goals. Confidence in your defense enables a team to play freely, and everything stems from the center-back.
Some of the most well-known soccer players of all time have been center-backs; there’s something the fans love about a no-nonsense defender willing to bleed for their team.
Strikers stay away, terrified to get close. Approach an enraged center-back’s territory? That’s asking for trouble! On the street, that kind of treatment might just get you arrested.
Today, we’re going to look at the greatest CB of all time, and some of the greatest soccer players in history, players whose total commitment to the art of defending has meant that their legacies live on long after the player themselves have retired.
Here are the 15 greatest centre-backs of all time.
15. Gerard Pique
You can’t have a list of the greatest center-backs of all time without at least mentioning Gerard Pique, the Spanish International and Barcelona legend that’s won more trophies than almost any other player in history.
Both domestically and internationally, Pique has won everything; the Premier League and Champions League with Manchester United, eight La Liga titles, and three more Champions League victories with Barcelona. With that many championships, it’s hard to think that you could overlook Pique as one of the best center backs of all time.
With a World Cup and a UEFA European Championships with Spain, and enough domestic cup victories to fill a swimming pool, Gerard Pique is, without doubt, one of the most successful athletes ever to play soccer.
A member of the Pep Guardiola-inspired Barcelona team that dominated La Liga for years, Pique is a Spanish center-back without peer.
14. Fernando Hierro
An attacking center-back might sound like a contradiction in terms, but when it comes to Fernando Hierro, it’s the only term that fits. In his 14 seasons with Real Madrid, the Spanish star won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles.
Hierro played 430 league games for Real Madrid as a free-scoring center-back, scoring an astounding 102 goals. It’s a record many strikers would be proud of, and Hierro was, for a time, one of the best centre backs in the game.
His passing range was superb, and his defensive skills excellent, but his goalscoring record puts Fernando Hierro amongst the very best.
13. Billy Wright
Embed from Getty ImagesEngland’s legendary center-back, Billy Wright, captained his country a record 90 times and was the first international soccer player to reach 100 caps.
A one-club man, Wright played soccer for Wolverhampton Wanderers for 20 years, making 490 league appearances for the midlands club.
Representing England at three World Cup finals, Wright was an excellent reader of the game, strong in the tackle, and, in an era where smoking was commonplace amongst soccer players, he was extremely fit.
After retirement, Wright moved into punditry and would eventually become a board member at Wolves.
12. Rio Ferdinand
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was an elegant, composed, lightning-fast defender who often made the center-back position look easy.
Ferdinand would play the ball confidently out of defense, rarely look flustered, and preferred to simply steal the ball away from opponents rather than dive into tackles.
A member of the Manchester United team that dominated the Premier League for almost a decade, the tall center-back would go on to win six Premier League titles, two League Cups, and the Champions League.
Regarded as one of the best center-backs of his generation, Rio Ferdinand is now a respected pundit.
11. John Terry
If Rio Ferdinand typified the modern, elegant soccer player, then John Terry was the archetypal classic center-back.
A dominant, tough-tackling, determined center-back, Terry would captain both Chelsea and England in a career that spanned two decades. In his 19 seasons with Chelsea,
Terry played almost 500 league games for the club and earned a reputation as one of the most fearsome defenders in Europe.
As a player who hated losing, Terry demanded a lot of his teammates and usually got it; his tenacity and ruthlessness made him the perfect center-back.
Chelsea FC boasts a long history of crafting fearsome defenders. People often compared Terry to former Chelsea legend Ron “Chopper” Harris. Now, that nickname? It tells you everything about his rough-and-tumble style of play!
Like Harris, John Terry will go down in Chelsea folklore as one of its greatest ever defenders.
10. Carlos Puyol
Another one-club player, Carlos Puyol, became the symbol of Barcelona during his 15 years with the club, a captain whose passion and commitment were total; Puyol was a born winner.
With his long hair, complete determination to win, and rugged tackling, Puyol was nicknamed “The Wall” by Barcelona fans.
As a leader, Puyol was one of the best in the business, a captain who demanded the very best from his teammates; if you took your foot off the gas while Puyol was around, you’d soon know it.
Over his career, Puyol improved his positioning and organizational skills to the point where the Barcelona defense was one of the hardest to defeat in soccer.
9. Giorgio Chiellini
There seems to be a trend; many of the center-backs on our list are aggressive, demanding, and utterly focused on winning. Georgio Chiellini fits this mold perfectly, a serial winner with the drive and skill to dominate at the back.
A center-back without confidence is an easy target for a striker; Chiellini ensured his reputation preceded him.
With nine Serie A titles and many more domestic cup victories for Juventus, Chiellini was one of the most well-respected defenders Italy has ever produced.
On the international stage, Chiellini won the 2020 European Championships with Italy and cemented himself as one of the best center-backs in world soccer for over a decade.
8. Alessandro Nesta
Alessandro Nesta was an absolute monster of a center-back; combining both brute force and finesse, Nesta is often compared to fellow Milan center-back Franco Baresi; Nesta was quick, intelligent, and possessed excellent passing skills, which enabled him to often start attacks as soon as he recovered the ball.
A winning mentality was evident from the start of Nesta’s career, and the Italian went on to win three Serie A titles, one with Lazio and two with AC Milan. A member of the squad for the 2006 World Cup, Nesta was instrumental in Italy lifting the Jules Rimet trophy.
Alessandro Nesta was a center-back with the skills of a midfield playmaker; he exuded confidence and elegance and is regarded as one of Italy’s finest ever defenders.
Several serious injuries throughout his career possibly stopped Nesta from becoming the greatest defender of all time, but such was his talent; that it’s impossible not to mention him as one of the game’s true greats.
7. Daniel Passarella
Embed from Getty ImagesGiven Argentinians’ incredible passion for the national team, it’s little wonder that Daniel Passarella is held in such high esteem; the Argentina international lifted the World Cup in 1978, ensuring his place in soccer history.
Passarella was a superb center-back with another incredibly important attribute; he could score lots of goals.
Only Ronald Koeman has scored more goals than fellow defender Passarella, with the Argentine scoring 134 goals in his career. Passarella scored 90 league goals for River Plate in only 226 appearances, making his strike rate better than most center forwards.
Superb at taking penalties and free-kicks, Passarella was also great in the air, scoring dozens of headed goals.
6. Ronald Koeman
Former Ajax and Barcelona center-back Ronald Koeman was another attack-minded defender with an eye for goal and a goals-per-game ratio that many strikers would pay dearly for.
In a truly outstanding career, Koeman scored 194 goals in 535 league appearances; a free-kick, penalty, and long-range marksman, the Dutchman was more prolific than many attacking teammates.
The only person to ever play for and later manage Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord, Koeman is a legend in his native Holland, helped in part by his superb international record. The versatile defender was part of the Netherlands team that won the 1988 European Championships and finished up with 78 caps for his country.
With a superb passing range, Koeman operated much like a playmaker, the only exception being that he could create chances from the edge of his own penalty area.
His goalscoring feats mean that Koeman is still the top scoring defender in world soccer, and it’s unlikely that record will ever be broken.
5. Sergio Ramos
Incredibly, Sergio Ramos played 469 league games for Real Madrid in his 16 years with the Spanish giants; and given his insane disciplinary record, that’s some feat. Ramos retired from international soccer with one World Cup victory in 2010, and he was a two-time European champion in 2008 and 2012. Ramos was left of the roster by Spain’s National Coach in 2022, and officially retired from the National Team in 2023. Sergio Ramos did not seem pleased that he would not be invited back to the team.
Ramos holds the record for the most cards in La Liga history, with 191 cards, 20 red and 171 yellow. The 20 red cards Ramos has to his name is also a La Liga record.
As well as holding the La Liga record for most bookings, Ramos’ record is actually the worst in Europe, making him the record holder for most cards in every European country. Oh yes, and Sergio Ramos has been disciplined while playing for Spain more than any other player in history, having 24 yellow cards to his name.
These statistics are unbelievable enough on their own, but it’s staggering when you add the caveat that Ramos still turned out to be one of the greatest defenders of all time. If every red card gets a three-match ban, Ramos has missed 60 games from that alone.
Defensively excellent, tough to beat, aggressive, and blessed with supreme self-confidence, Ramos has won every major trophy in soccer and managed to do it while driving opponents to their limits.
When under pressure, the Spain international thrives, making him one of the most valuable assets in elite soccer. A world-class World Cup winner and an extraordinary center-back.
Sergio Ramos moved to the Paris St Germaine Team during the 21/22 Season to play alongside the likes of Mbappé and Neymar, as well as Lionel Messi, who transferred from Barcelona. You can still find an authentic Sergio Ramos Paris St Germaine Jersey from just before he retired.
4. Gaetano Scirea
One of the finest defenders of all time, Gaetano Scirea may not be as well known as many of the other top center backs of all time, in part due to his tragic death in a car accident at aged 36, but those in the know understood perfectly; Scirea was a technically perfect center-back.
In fact, Scirea was so good, even towards the end of his career, that he kept Franco Baresi out of the Italy squad.
Italy and Juventus hero Scirea is one of very few players to have won every UEFA recognized award during his career, with an astonishing trophy haul; seven Serie A victories, one UEFA Cup, two Coppa Italias, a Cup Winner’s Cup, one European Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and also the Intercontinental Cup.
3. Franz Beckenbauer
Soccer royalty Franz Beckenbauer is one of those once-a-generation players that transforms the game of soccer.
Der Kaiser, as Beckenbauer was known, is, to date, the only defender to win the Ballon d’Or twice. He was also named European Footballer of the Year twice. Beckenbauer was one of the most elegant and composed center-backs of all time.
After joining Bayern Munich as a youth player, Beckenbauer made it into the first team in 1964 and remained at the center of the defense for 13 seasons. Four Bundesliga titles and three European Cup victories later, the West Germany captain would move to the United States to play for the all-star team, the New York Cosmos.
In his four seasons with the Cosmos, Beckenbauer would win the North American Soccer League three times and become a member of one of the most incredible lineups of all time. Playing alongside legends like Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia, Beckenbauer and the Cosmos would dominate the American League.
2. Bobby Moore
Embed from Getty ImagesThe only Englishman to lift the World Cup, Bobby Moore is regarded as the finest center-back that England has ever produced.
A West Ham legend, Moore played 544 times in the league for the London club, becoming one of the most respected defenders in the game. In his 11 years playing for England, Moore’s legacy was confirmed as he helped England to their only World Cup.
Pele declared Moore the best defender he had ever played against, and it’s not our place to argue with the legendary Brazilian. Moore had composure, an incredible soccer brain, and calmness under pressure, making the game look effortless.
Bobby Moore is held in such high esteem that a bronze statue of the player stands at the entrance to Wembley Stadium, the England team’s home ground. After leaving West Ham in 1974, Moore had three years with Fulham before a move to America saw him play for four different NASL teams.
One of the greatest defenders of all time, Moore’s legacy in the English game cannot be overstated. Lauded for his fair play and sportsmanship, the ideals and skills that Bobby Moore brought to soccer stand the test of time; he was regarded as a true gentleman and the best English soccer player ever.
1. Franco Baresi
World-class center-backs often come from Italian soccer; the catenaccio style of soccer prevalent in Serie A has created some of the best defenses in history. And at the very top of the list of Italian center-backs was Franco Baresi. We have Franco listed as the best center back of all time.
The AC Milan and Italy legend spent his 20-year career with Milan, racking up 532 league appearances.
Ironically, Inter Milan rejected Franco Baresi in favor of his older brother, so he moved to AC Milan instead.
Both brothers would become club captains for their respective teams, though Franco Baresi would go on to become the most excellent defender the world had ever seen. Baresi had every mental and physical attribute to become a top-class center-back.
Blessed with pace, power, and an astute reader of the game, Baresi glided across the field, breaking up attacks and sending strikers home empty-handed.
The Italy captain was often several seconds ahead of the game, which allowed him to position himself in the right areas; it was almost impossible to outwit the three-time Champions League winner.
While at AC Milan, Baresi won six Serie A titles and two Serie B titles, as authorities had relegated the team twice in the 1980s for match-fixing allegations.
Baresi remained loyal to the club, received the captaincy award at just 22 years old, and stayed the leader both on and off the field until he retired in 1997.
That’s Franco Baresi, Best Cb Of All Time In Soccer
Baresi played a part in one of the best defenses in history, forming a formidable partnership with fellow greats Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti. There’s never been a defender to compare with Baresi, who many regard as the best CB of all time in soccer, and it’s unlikely there ever will be; pure class.
