In an episode of the Match of the Day Top 10 podcast, title-winning duo Alan Shearer and Micah Richards named the top 10 center-backs in Premier League history, with all four players appearing. Football fans love a debate over the best players from bygone eras, and a discussion about the best center-backs in Premier League history has the potential to take up hours of people’s time at pubs across the UK. Shearer described his top pick, Tony Adams, as the best defender he played against during his career.
On Alan Shearer’s list of the greatest center-backs in Premier League history, former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho comes in at number ten. Between 2004 and 2010, Carvalho won three Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, and two League Cups during his six seasons at Chelsea.
Shearer stated: “Despite his little size, he had a wicked side and could deliver a devastating tackle. He was clearly linked with John Terry, which was a fantastic partnership. There are many players that come to mind when you think of them and then consider their partner.
In Shearer’s rankings, a Manchester United duo came in eighth and ninth place, with Jaap Stam one spot ahead of Gary Pallister. Marcel Desailly, a former Chelsea defender, was ranked sixth on Shearer’s list. Before joining Chelsea in 1998, the 1998 World Cup champion won European Cups with Marseille and AC Milan. He stayed with the team for six seasons and helped them win the FA Cup in 2000. Regarding Desailly, Shearer stated:
He was a fantastic player who possessed all the qualities a defender needs, including speed, agility, and the ability to tackle. He once asked me why I would never go and stand on him, to which I replied, “Well, why would I come and stand on you when I can stand on Frank?” He and Leboeuf were the Chelsea partnership. But when I turned him at St. James’ Park and threw one in from thirty yards out, I reminded him of that.
The top ten center-halves in the Premier League by Alan Shearer
Place
The player
Club or clubs
Looks
Titles
The 10th
Carvalho Ricardo
Chelsea
135
3.
9th
Pallister, Gary
Middlesbrough and Manchester United
261
4.
The eighth
Jaap Stam
United Manchester
79
3.
7th
Desailly, Marcel
Chelsea
158
0
Sixth
Vidic Nemanja
United Manchester
211
5.
Fifth
Kompany, Vincent
City of Manchester
265
4.
Fourth
Van Dijk, Virgil
Liverpool and Southampton
292
One
Third
Ferdinand, Rio
Manchester United, Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, and West Ham United
504
6.
Second
Terry, John
Chelsea
492
5.
First
Adams, Tony
The Arsenal
255
2.
Micah Richards’ Top 10
Terry first, Ferdinand second
Shearer is three spots ahead of Micah Richards, who is placed 10th, while another former Chelsea player is in ninth. Regarding Ricardo Carvalho, Richards stated:
“We have preconceived notions about how these players ought to seem; Carvalho wasn’t as graceful-looking as Rio Ferdinand, for example. However, he is a good player because he won three Premier League titles while playing for Chelsea. Our eyes might deceive us sometimes. He was an amazing football player.
In eighth, seventh, and sixth place, respectively, Richards had United’s Gary Pallister, Jaap Stam, and Nemanja Vidic. Richards said of Stam, “Amazing numbers in terms of titles and appearances, but he’s not someone I would look up to and think I want to play like him.”
Regarding Vidic’s skill, Richards was equally unimpressed, stating: “He was a great player, but Fernando Torres always had him on toast.” Simply simply, I think that some of the guys I ranked higher than him had a little more in both areas of their games.”
Richard’s old Manchester City colleague Vincent Kompany was in fourth place, followed by Virgil van Dijk in fifth. Richards stated: “Sir Vincent Kompany was a number 10 for Manchester City when we played Hamburg during the preseason. We signed him because of his amazing footwork, stepovers, and stunts. He was incredibly skilled in midfield during one of his first games, sprinkling passes everywhere. He could play well in the games that followed, but in the one against Arsenal, he had terrible touch and went to centre-back. When he did that, I was like, “Wow,” he was the best defender I’ve ever seen.
“He truly is a leader. He is a perfectionist who takes things personally if you don’t perform to his level. He can also be selfish at times. We were in ruins when he first arrived to the club under Hughes. When the new owners took over, Kompany played a key role in advancing the team. He was trying to be the best, which is why he might seem a little serious at times.
Rio Ferdinand was ranked second by Richards, one spot ahead of Shearer, while John Terry was ranked first. Although Richards commended Ferdinand for his skill with the ball, he claimed that Terry’s goal-scoring record was the deciding factor between the two top-ranked players. Richards went on to say:
“I think Terry’s amazing 41-goal record is what really made the difference for me. I was unable to choose between Rio and him. Rio looked more elegant, so I would approach him if I were watching a game, but the goals won it for me.
The top ten center-halves in the Premier League by Micah Richards
Place
The player
Clubs
Looks
Titles
The 10th
Desailly, Marcel
Chelsea
158
0
9th
Carvalho Ricardo
Chelsea
135
3.
The eighth
Pallister, Gary
Middlesbrough and Manchester United
261
4.
7th
Jaap Stam
United Manchester
79
3.
Sixth
Vidic Nemanja
United Manchester
211
5.
Fifth
Van Dijk, Virgil
Liverpool and Southampton
292
One
Fourth
Kompany, Vincent
City of Manchester
265
4.
Third
Adams, Tony
The Arsenal
255
2.
Second
Ferdinand, Rio
Manchester United, Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, and West Ham United
504
6.
First
Terry, John
Chelsea
492
5.
