As the old adage goes, offence wins games, but defence wins championships and that has certainly been the case in the Champions League over the years. Stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski have torn the competition apart with their exploits in front of goal, but they wouldn't have been half as successful in Europe if they didn't have unstoppable defenders playing behind them.
Take a look at the Champions League's past winners and you'll find an elite centre-back at the heart of defence for almost every single one of them and while defenders aren't afforded the same attention or praise as forwards, that's not the case today as Micah Richards and Alan Shearer ranked the 10 greatest centre-backs in Champions League history. During an episode of the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast, they were given 10 of the best defenders to ever play in the competition and ranked them from worst to best. Their rankings wound up being very different.
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10 John Terry
Both Shearer and Richards: 10
Chelsea John Terry
While he is considered one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, John Terry's legacy in the Champions League isn't quite as impressive. He was a fierce leader for Chelsea no matter the competition, but the Blues enjoyed very little success in Europe during his career. They made it to the Champions League final in 2008, losing to Manchester United on penalties and Terry's reaction after missing his own spot-kick was a lasting image.
Then, when Chelsea actually got their hands on the trophy in 2012, Terry was suspended for the final and his decision to wear the full kit after they won was met with immense ridicule. It's safe to say his legacy isn't the best in Europe and that led to Shearer and Richards both ranking him last in their list of 10 elite centre-backs. While he wasn't ranking the players himself, Lineker was effusive in his praise for Terry and said:
"John's positional play was as good as any central defender I've ever seen."
9 Jaap Stam
Richards: 9 Shearer: 8
Jaap Stam
Next up, Richards ranked Jaap Stam ninth, while Shearer had him eighth. The former Manchester United man was known for his tough, no-nonsense approach to football and he's considered one of the hardest players in Premier League history. He was more than just an imposing presence, though, and played a key role in United's success during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Stam was a pivotal figure in the Red Devils winning the treble in 1999. That treble included the Champions League trophy too, with Sir Alex Ferguson's men coming from behind to beat Bayern Munich in an iconic final.
8 Alessandro Nesta
Richards: 8 Shearer: 9
Alessandro Nesta
Next up, Richards had Alessandro Nesta at eighth, while the Italian centre-back had been ranked ninth on Shearer's list. Featuring in the 2005 Champions League final, where AC Milan famously let a 3-0 lead slip and lost on penalties to Liverpool, Nesta got his revenge against the Reds and played a crucial role in the Serie A side going all the way about beating them in the final to win the competition during the 2006/07 campaign.
Known for his impressive strength and eye-opening agility, Nesta was always a force to be reckoned with on the pitch and that was no different in the Champions League. Overall, he lifted the trophy twice with Milan, in 2003 and then 2007.
7 Virgil van Dijk
Richards: 7 Shearer: 6
virgil van dijk-1
To the surprise of Gary Lineker, who was hosting the Match of the Day podcast, Virgil van Dijk didn't make it into the top fives of either Richards or Shearer. The Liverpool man has been a revelation at Anfield following his move from Southampton in 2018 and helped transform the club into one of the best sides in the world.
In just his first campaign at Liverpool, Van Dijk made it to the Champions League final, falling short to Real Madrid, before he got his hands on the trophy just 12 months later. He's considered one of the best centre-backs in Premier League history already, but it's not enough to earn him a higher spot on this list.
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6 Pepe
Richards: 6 Shearer: 5
Pepe celebrates scoring for Porto against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Narrowly missing out on Richards' top five, will just making it in Shearer's, is former Real Madrid man Pepe. The Portuguese icon was one of the toughest defenders in the world throughout his career and never had any trouble getting into the thick of it and playing rough with just about anyone he came up against. He's considered one of the dirtiest players ever, but he managed to enjoy great success in the Champions League.
While playing for Los Blancos, Pepe was a regular fixture in the competition and managed to get his hands on the trophy on three different occasions. He went on to play 120 games in the tournament over the years, competing at the highest level right until his retirement last season. When discussing Pepe, Richards simply said:
"He's a legend of the game."
5 Gerard Pique
Richards: 5 Shearer: 2
Gerard Pique
The first major disagreement between the two was where Gerard Pique ranked. Richards had the former Barcelona man at number five, only just making it into the top half of his list, while Shearer thought he was much better than that and had him sitting at second on his list, behind just one man. The Spaniard initially struggled at Manchester United, before his move to Camp Nou where he flourished.
Pique became a legend at Barcelona and as well as dominating in La Liga, he was fantastic in Europe and won the Champions League on three occasions throughout his career. He's regarded as one of the best centre-backs ever, but Richards has ranked four players ahead of him.
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4 Rio Ferdinand
Richards: 4 Shearer: 7
rio ferdinand celtic park
Another player that the two had very different opinions on was Rio Ferdinand. The Englishman is one of the best defenders in Premier League history and was key to United winning a Champions League, as well as making it to two more finals in the competition, but Shearer only had him ranked seventh.
Richards picked him at fourth on his own list. Shearer praised Ferdinand for his knack of getting into it with the opposition on the pitch, saying: "Rio didn't mind a battle." He was ahead of his time in terms of his ability to play out from the back with the ball at his feet.
3 Carles Puyol
Richards: 3 Shearer: 4
Carles Puyol
One man the pair came close to agreeing on, but not quite, is Carles Puyol who was third on Richards' list and fourth on Shearer's. The former Barcelona man was a ferocious leader for the Catalan giants and his impact on the pitch stretched well beyond his own physical abilities. He guided the club to some of their greatest triumphs and was integral to their success in the Champions League throughout his career.
Puyol lifted the trophy on three different occasions and when describing him, Richards used these three words:
"Leader. Organiser. Warrior."
He spent his entire career with Barcelona and played 593 times for the club by the time he hung his boots up in 2014, with 115 of those appreances coming in the Champions League.
2 Sergio Ramos
Richards: 2 Shearer: 3
Sergio Ramos celebrates
At number two on Richard's list and just behind in third on Shearer's is Sergio Ramos. The Real Madrid icon is one of the dirtiest footballers of all time and there aren't many who have picked up more red cards over the years than he has. Still, he's been an excellent defender throughout his career and particularly shone in the Champions League.
Ramos played for Los Blancos, Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla in the tournament over the years and managed to win it four times with the former. He also scored 17 goals in the competition, making him its top-scoring defender ever. While some consider him the best centre-back in Champions League history, he doesn't make the top of either pundit's list, but they both agreed on number one.
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1 Paolo Maldini
Richards and Shearer: 1
MixCollage-10-Nov-2024-10-46-AM-8245
Having agreed on last place, the only other position where Richards and Shearer were on the same page was first and that's because they both ranked Paolo Maldini as the best centre-back in Champions League history. While he naturally played at left-back throughout the majority of his career, the Italian was also comfortable in the heart of defence and shone there on multiple occasions for AC Milan.
He was majestic on the pitch, composed in even the most intense of situations and an electric leader that managed to galvanise his side to some incredible success. He won the Champions League five times with Milan and finished runners-up on a further three occasions. That's a legacy unlike anyone else.
|10 Greatest Champions League centre-backs ever|
|Richards' top 10|Shearer's top 10|
|---|
|1. Paolo Maldini|1. Paolo Maldini|
|2. Sergio Ramos|2. Gerard Pique|
|3. Carles Puyol|3. Sergio Ramos|
|4. Rio Ferdinand|4. Carles Puyol|
|5. Gerard Pique|5. Pepe|
|6. Pepe|6. Virgil van Dijk|
|7. Virgil van Dijk|7. Rio Ferdinand|
|8. Alessandro Nesta|8. Jaap Stam|
|9. Jaap Stam|9. Alessandro Nesta|
|10. John Terry|10. John Terry|
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 23/03/2025