When it comes to icons of the Premier League of soccer, many of the most famous players in the league will likely be further up the field when it comes to their position on the team, either mid or up field.
This isn’t all that surprising in the grand scheme of things, as these are the players that will likely score the most goals, and have the most iconic moments of the season.
However, we should never forget the other members of a soccer team that are often just as important: The defenders.
Quite often, when the opposing team is on the attack, it is the defense that acts as the barrier that stands in their way, either intercepting the ball from the opposing team’s attacker or giving time for the goalkeeper to prep themselves for an inevitably tense moment in any match.
It’s no wonder that Alex Ferguson, legendary soccer manager for Manchester United, famously said, when discussing defenders, ‘Attack wins you games, Defense wins you titles.’
With so many teams in the Premier League and so many defenders on each team, there are bound to be a few names and figures that stand out from the rest.
Well, that is what this list is for. To shine a light on some of the best defenders that you’ll find in the Premier League!
Tino Livramento
Starting this list strong, we have one of the youngest entries on this list, in the form of the young and up-and-coming star, Tino Livramneto, right-back defense for the Southampton soccer team.
The fact that Tino is a player in the Premier League at such a young age, 19 years old, barely out of his teens, would be enough of a reason to make a note of him as an exceptional player and defense already.
However, considering that the young man has already climbed through the lower leagues at such a fast pace, as well as displacing the also exceptional Kyle Walker-Peters in a match against Manchester United, shows us that there is already some incredible talent in the feet of this young player.
Did we also mention that he’s not even 20 yet? He’s barely started, and he’s already up there with the greats! How far will he go? Only time will tell.
Lisandro Martínez
Moving on from the young star of Southampton, we move to Manchester United’s defensive wing and shine a light on another young star, Lisandro Martínez.
The Argentinian recently moved to the world-renowned football from AFC Ajax, where he built a name for himself as a highly capable defender, stopping most attackers in their tracks from getting anywhere near scoring a goal in his time with his old soccer club.
Small wonder that Manchester United, an otherwise exceptional team with a track record for making perhaps a few too many mistakes in defense in the last season, would look to bolster their ranks with this talented young blood!
Trent Alexander
Perhaps one of, if not the most expensive defender players in this list, Trent Alexander might be considered a little overrated when compared to some of the other talents on display in this guide.
However, considering his respectable track record when it comes to assists, only one behind player of the year, and fellow teammate Mohammed Salah, we’re pretty confident in saying that Trent has earned that hefty paycheck (see also ‘What Is An Assist In Soccer?‘)!
Conor Coady
If we are talking about Wolverhampton’s soccer team, we can’t mention the captain defender of the team itself, Conor Coady.
While the captain of this often-overlooked team may have had a rough last season, his recent outings have shown us all that Coady is still THE business, and has been a great representative of the Wolves as a whole pack, so to speak.
And having played in 30 Premier League (see also: Best Midfielders In The Premier League)matches, there is a lot of business that needs to be taken care of by this guy!
With over 3,000 minutes in this term alone, there is a reason that Conor Coady is the rightful captain of this wolf pack!
Oleksandr Zichenko
If we’re talking about players with plenty of versatility on the field, we can’t exactly forget Oleksandr Zichenko.
This Ukrainian soccer player might be best known for his position as a center-back when was a member of Manchester City, Zichenko has shown that he is more than capable of filling many different roles on the pitch, any defensive position, to even some mid-field positions as well.
It’s a classic jack-of-all-trades situation with this skilled soccer player. Only in this case, the jack also happens to be very good outside of their ideal role too!
With the young talent being signed on to play for Arsenal, (see also: Best Arsenal Players)time will tell how his wide repertoire of skills is put to use. However, we would love to see him shine in defense again!
Joao Cancelo
However, if we’re discussing masters of the full-back positions, we can’t go through this list and not shine a light on one of the best.
Joao Cancelo had a chance to show us just what he was made from when he managed to perform at his best showings yet in the season.
This was especially the case in the last third, where we saw him score a goal and 7 assists throughout 36 outings in the Premier League.
Now playing as a part of the already exceptional Manchester City team, it will be exciting to see where this Portuguese star goes from here.
Ben White
The purchase of Ben White by Arsenal soccer club for a cool £50 million might seem like a lot to some.
But to those who have seen this 24-year-old star climb through the leagues, they know that Arsenal wasn’t simply throwing (see also: How To Throw A Football Far)cash at a wall to see what might stick!
While his debut in the team was a little shaky at first, it has since become clear, White has only gone from strength to strength, especially after his showings this season.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it!
These are just some of the best soccer defense players out there right now, and there are plenty more that we didn’t get the chance to cover.
Soccer is the most popular sport played and watched in the world, yet it is one rarely talked about in the United States. Why is this?
Hi, my name is Adrian Turner and I am a self-proclaimed soccer head.
Since I was young, I have always been fascinated by soccer, and any of the games I could find on the TV channels. There weren’t many games broadcast, so thankfully I could find more on the internet as I grew up.
I turned all of my friends onto soccer and we’d play into the evenings after school.
