Best La Liga defenders of all time
La liga is one of the greatest professional football leagues in the world, and in this article, we will present a list of the best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion!
What footballer does not dream of playing in the great, famous and proud teams of Spanish La Liga?
Although the competitions of professional football leagues all over the world are attractive and spectacular and attract a lot of fans, but the fact is that the top leagues of some countries have a higher level than other countries, and in the meantime Spanish La Liga is without a doubt one of the bests!
In the following, we will present a list of best ever La Liga defenders in our opinion, and share the personal and professional backgrounds of each of these all-time best La Liga defenders.
Best La Liga defenders of all time
La Liga, the dream destination of the best players from all over the world, has hosted many unique stars throughout history. This makes it difficult for us to choose all-time best defenders at La Liga, and unfortunately in this short article we can not name all of these legendary players. However, in the following, we will have a brief overview of the personal and professional characteristics of the best La Liga defenders ever in our opinion!
#1 Carles Puyol
Full name:
Carles Puyol Saforcada
Date of birth:
13 April 1978 (age 42)
Place of birth:
La Pobla de Segur, Spain
Height:
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position(s):
Defender
Senior career: Barcelona
National team:
Spain, Catalonia
The first player of the list of the
best ever La Liga defenders
in our opinion is Carles Puyol.
Puyol is one of the best defenders of his generation. Although he was mostly a central defender, he was a versatile player with experience playing on both sides, mostly as a right-back, defensive midfielder, and even goalkeeper and striker.
His reputation was mainly for his ability to read the opponent's game, commitment, physical strength and his very quick actions.
His honors include La Liga titles (6), Copa del Rey (2); runner-up (2), Supercopa de España (4), UEFA Champions League (3), UEFA Super Cup (1), and FIFA Club World Cup (2); runner-up (1) with Barcelona, and FIFA World Cup in 2010, and UEFA European Championship in 2008 with Spain national team.
And from the individual point of view, being part of ESM Team of the Year (4), UEFA Team of the Year (6), FIFA World Cup Dream Team (1), and UEFA Euro All-time XI (published 2016), in 2016 he was named "Golden Foot" as football legend.
The next player in the list of
best La Liga defenders of all time
in our opinion is Fernando Hierro.
#2 Fernando Hierro
Full name:
Fernando Ruiz Hierro
Date of birth:
23 March 1968 (age 52)
Place of birth:
Vélez-Málaga, Spain
Height:
1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s):
Centre back / Defensive midfielder
National team:
Spain
Senior career:
Valladolid,
Real Madrid, Al Rayyan, Bolton Wanderers
The second player in the list of the
all-time best La Liga defenders
in our opinion is Fernando Hierro.
Having the ability to play as a central defender and defensive midfielder or defensive midfielder, Hierro was both an inherent defender and a perfect scorer at the same time, making him one of the best players in the world.
After his amazing talent in scoring, his reputation was mainly for his good performance on the air, his stubbornness and his good timing in passing passes.
Some of his honors are La Liga titles (5), Copa del Rey (1), Supercopa de España (4), UEFA Champions League (3), Intercontinental Cup (2), UEFA Super Cup (1), and Copa Iberoamericana (1) with Real Madrid, and Emir of Qatar Cup (1) with Al Rayyan.
And from the individual point of view, he was UEFA Club Defender of the Year (1) and part of FIFA XI (3), ESM Team of the Year (2), and FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1).
The next player in the list of
best La Liga defenders of all time
in our opinion is Sergio Ramos.
#3 Sergio Ramos
Full name:
Sergio Ramos García
Date of birth:
30 March 1986 (age 34)
Place of birth:
Camas, Spain
Height:
1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s):
Centre-back
Current team:
Real Madrid
Senior career: Sevilla, Real Madrid
National team:
Spain
The next player in the list of
best La Liga defenders ever
in our opinion is Sergio Ramos.
Ramos is a player with unparalleled physical strength who performs very well in the air due to his height, good vision and accuracy in his shots. He also specializes in free kicks.
Part of Ramos's reputation for his tough tackles is that he sometimes gets a card. Ramos holds the record for most carded player in La Liga. Among these 191 cards, his 20 red cards make him the most sent-off player in La Liga.
His honors include La Liga titles (5), Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de España (4), UEFA Champions League (4),UEFA Super Cup (3), and FIFA Club World Cup (4) with Real Madrid, and FIFA World Cup in 2010 and UEFA European Championship in 2008 and 2012 with Spain national team.
And from the individual point of view, he has been La Liga Best Defender (5) and UEFA Defender of the Season (2). Being part of UEFA Team of the Year (8), FIFA World Cup Dream Team (1), ESM Team of the Year (4), UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament (1), and FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team (1), he has won one FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball.
The next player in the list of
best La Liga defenders of all time
in our opinion is Roberto Carlos.
#4 Roberto Carlos
Full name:
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha
Date of birth:
10 April 1973 (age 47)
Place of birth:
Garça, São Paulo, Brazil
Height:
1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Playing position(s):
Left back
National team:
1992–2006: Brazil
Senior career:
União São João,
Atlético Mineiro (loan)
, Palmeiras, Inter Milan,
Real Madrid
, Fenerbahçe, Corinthians, Anzhi Makhachkala, Delhi Dynamos
The next player in the list of the
all-time best defenders at La Liga
in our opinion is Roberto Carlos.
Carlos started out as a football forward but later became one of the best left-backs in the world.
He was nicknamed El Hombre Bala ("The Bullet Man") for his powerful flexion and free kicks, and has been described as "the most attacking left-back in the history of the game." His flexural speed was measured at more than 105 mph (169 km / h).
Some of his honors are Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (2) and Campeonato Paulista (2), Torneio Rio-São Paulo (1) with Palmeiras, La Liga titles (4), Supercopa de España (3), UEFA Champions League (3), Intercontinental Cup (2) and UEFA Super Cup (1) with Real Madrid, Turkish Super Cup (2) with Fenerbahçe, and FIFA World Cup in (1), Copa América (2), FIFA Confederations Cup (1), CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament (1), Umbro Cup (1), Lunar New Year Cup (1), and 1996 Summer Olympics Bronze Medal with Brazil national team.
And from the individual point of view, he was UEFA Club Defender of the Year (2) and FIFA World Player of the Year (Silver Award) (1), and part of ESM Team of the Year (7), FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (2), UEFA Team of the Year (2), Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year (1) and FIFA 100.
Inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame, Roberto Carlos has won Bola de Prata award (3), and Ballon d'Or: 2002 (Runner-up) and was named as Golden Foot in 2008.
The next player in the list of
best La Liga defenders of all time
in our opinion is Marcelo.
#5 Marcelo
Full name:
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior
Date of birth:
12 May 1988 (age 32)
Place of birth:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height:
1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s):
Left back
Current team:
Real Madrid, Number 12
Senior career:
Fluminense, Real Madrid
National team:
Brazil
The next player of the list of
best defenders in La Liga history
in our opinion is Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior.
Marcelo is best known for his attacking abilities, fine technical technique, shooting skills, speed, agility, and ability to control the ball. He is a versatile player who usually plays as a full-back, but can also play as a left winger or even as a midfielder.
His explosive speed, energy and clever movement make him a great counter-attacker and he practically plays as an extra attacker during the counter-attack.
Among his honors with AC Milan we can mention Campeonato Carioca (1) and Taça Rio (1) with Fluminense, La Liga titles (5), Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de España (4), UEFA Champions League (4), UEFA Super Cup (3), and FIFA Club World Cup (4) with Real Madrid, Olympic Silver Medal in 2012, Olympic Bronze Medal in 2008, and FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 with Brazil national team and FIFA U-17 World Cup runner-up in 2005 with Brazil U17.
And from the individual point of view, he was part of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year (1), France Football Team of the decade (1), UEFA Team of the Year (3), FIFA FIFPro World11 (6), FIFA World Cup Dream Team (2), La Liga's Team of the Season (1), UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (4), ESM Team of the Year (2), and IFFHS Men's Worlds Best Team (2).
The next player in the list of best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion is Gerard Pique.
#6 Gerard Pique
Full name:
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu
Date of birth:
2 February 1987 (age 33)
Place of birth:
Barcelona, Spain
Height:
1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position(s):
Centre-back
Current team:
Barcelona
National team:
Spain, Catalonia
Senior career:
Manchester United,
Real Zaragoza (loan),
BarcelonaThe next player in the list of best ever La Liga defenders in our opinion is Gerard Pique.
Piqué's defense style is a modern and commanding style. He is also able to play as a defensive midfielder by combining strength, beautiful tackles, excellent technique, good performance in the air and accurate passes.
According to many experts, his style of play is very similar to the German myth, Franz Beckenbauer.
His honors includes Premier League title (1), FA Community Shield (1), and UEFA Champions League (1) with Manchester United, La Liga title (8), Copa del Rey (6), Supercopa de España (6), UEFA Champions League (3), UEFA Super Cup (3), and FIFA Club World Cup (3) with Barcelona, and FIFA World Cup (1), and UEFA European Championship (1) with Spain national team.
And from the individual point of view, he was La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year (1), La Liga Best Defender (1) and Footballer of the Year in Catalonia (1), and part of La Liga Team of the Season (2), UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament (1), UEFA Team of the Year (5), FIFA FIFPro World11 (4), and ESM Team of the Year (4).
The next place in the list of best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion belongs to Ronald Koeman.
#7 Ronald Koeman
Full name:
Ronald Koeman
Date of birth:
21 March 1963 (age 57)
Place of birth:
Zaandam, Netherlands
Height:
1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position(s):
Defender / Midfielder
Current team:
Barcelona (manager)
National team:
Netherlands
Senior career:
Groningen, Ajax, PSV,
Barcelona
, Feyenoord
The next player in the list of All-time best La Liga defenders in our opinion is Ronald Koeman, the best goal-scoring defender in world football with a record of 90 goals in all competitions.
He was a master of free kicks and penalties, and was nicknamed the "The King of Free Kicks" during his career.
With 26 goals from free kicks, Koeman is Barcelona's second top scorer from free kicks (after Lionel Messi) and with 46 goals from the penalty spot, he's the best penalty-scoring defender in La Liga history, and the second top scorer from the penalty spot In the history of Barcelona (once again after Messi).
Some of his honors are Eredivisie (1) and KNVB Cup (1) with Ajax, Eredivisie (3), KNVB Cup (2), and European Cup (1) with PSV, La Liga title (4), Copa del Rey (1), Supercopa de España (3), European Cup (1) and European Super Cup (1) with Barcelona, and UEFA European Championship in 1988 with Netherlands national team.
And from the individual point of view, he was Dutch Footballer of the Year (2) and UEFA Champions League top scorer (1) and part of UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament in 1988.
The next player in the list of best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion is Diego Godin.
#8 Diego Godin
Full name:
Diego Roberto Godín Leal
Date of birth:
16 February 1986 (age 34)
Place of birth:
Rosario, Uruguay
Height:
1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s):
Centre back
Current team:
Cagliari
National team:
Uruguay
Senior career:
Cerro, Nacional, Villarreal,
Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Cagliari
The next player in the list of best La Liga defenders ever in our opinion is Diego Godin.
Although Godin did not have a particular speed or athletic power, he was an intelligent, situational and cool center-back, with excellent leadership, who organized the offensive line.
He was also known for his outstanding performance in the air and his extraordinary jumps, which allowed him to score with a header in addition to excellent defense against long balls.
Godin was also strong in one-on-one situations because his defensive position often allowed opposing players to have little time and space for the ball.
His honors include La Liga title (1), Copa del Rey (1), Supercopa de España (1), UEFA Europa League (2), UEFA Super Cup (3), and UEFA Champions League runner-up (2) with Atlético Madrid, UEFA Europa League: runner-up (1) with Inter Milan, and Copa América (1) and China Cup (2) with Uruguay national team.
And from the individual point of view, he was UEFA Team of the Year (1) and part of La Liga Team of the Season (2), UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (3), La Liga Best Defender (1), UEFA La Liga Team of the Season (1), ESM Team of the Year (1), and FIFA World Cup Dream Team of 2018.
The next player in the list of best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion is Eric Abidal.
#9 Eric Abidal
Full name:
Eric Sylvain Abidal
Date of birth:
11 September 1979 (age 41)
Place of birth:
Saint-Genis-Laval, France
Height:
1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s):
Defender
National team:
France
Senior career:
Lyon Duchère, Monaco, Lille, Lyon,
Barcelona
, Olympiacos
The next player of our list of all-time best defenders at La Liga in our opinion is Eric Abidal.
Abidal was a tactically smart and versatile defender who was able to play in midfield or left defense.
His fame was mainly due to his sense of position and ability to read the opponent's game. He was also very fast and strong, and with his technical ability and good eyesight, he was able to help his team's attack from the wings during the counter-attack, and practically acted as an extra striker.
Among his honors we can mention Ligue 1 title (3), and Trophée des Champions (1) with Lyon, La Liga title (4), Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de España (3), UEFA Champions League (2), UEFA Super Cup (2) and FIFA Club World Cup (2) with Barcelona, Super League Greece (1) with Olympiacos , and FIFA World Cup runner-up in 2006 with France national team.
And from the individual point of view, being part of Ligue 1 Team of the Year (3) and UEFA Team of the Year (1), he was LFP Defender of the Year (1) and FC Barcelona Player of the Season (Trofeo Aldo Rovira) (1).
And finally, the last player in the list of best La Liga defenders of all time in our opinion is Pepe.
#10 Pepe
Full name:
Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira
Date of birth:
26 February 1983 (age 37)
Place of birth:
Maceió, Brazil
Height:
1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s):
Centre back
Current team:
Porto
National team:
Portugal
Senior career:
Marítimo, Porto,
Real Madrid
, Beşiktaş
The last player of our list of best defenders in La Liga history in our opinion is Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira, better known as Pepe.
He is a fast, aggressive, stubborn and tall defender who also excels in aerial games. Although he usually plays as a central defender, he also has the ability to play as a defensive midfielder.
However, despite his defensive abilities, he has received numerous yellow cards for his violent or unsportsmanlike conduct, and is sometimes criticized in the media.
Some of his honors are Primeira Liga (3), Taça de Portugal (2), Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (2) and Intercontinental Cup (1) with Porto, La Liga title (3), Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de España (2), UEFA Champions League (3), UEFA Super Cup (1) and FIFA Club World Cup (2) with Real Madrid, and UEFA European Championship in 2016 and UEFA Nations League in 2018–19 with Portugal national team.
And from the individual point of view, he was part of UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament (3) and ESM Team of the Year (1).
In this article we had a brief look on the best defenders in La Liga history in our opinion. In the next articles we will review other best players in La Liga history and their honors and achievements.
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