Desailly went further in his assessment, dismissing the credentials of centre-backs at several of Europe's other leading clubs when compared to Saliba's level. The 1998 World Cup winner argued that no rival currently playing for Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter Milan or AC Milan comes close to matching the Frenchman's consistency and defensive output.
"I would put William Saliba there; even though he has some problems with his back, I think he's in the conversation for the world's best centre-back," Desailly said. "Saliba is definitely one of the best ones. Gabriel is only there because of Saliba – so Gabriel, no, he's not in the conversation. Who else can we say? At Manchester United, there's nothing. Chelsea, not at that level. Inter Milan, AC Milan, absolutely not."