Bettor.com's Football Team of the Decade – Centre Back –- Part 2
John Terry:
The former England skipper has been at his beloved Chelsea since he was 14. He started his career as a midfielder before he was moved to central defence due to shortage of defenders, while still in reserves. Since then, he has been played in that position
and has made a name for himself.
Terry is a typical Premier League defender, strong, robust and is not afraid of making tough tackles. But, he has the game awareness to know the best option when defending. His aerial ability is one to be scared of; Terry is a major threat from corners and
has scored plenty in his time at Chelsea thus far.
Terry has a number of personal accolades. He won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2005, a rare award for a defender to win. He has also been named as the UEFA Club Football Awards' Best Defender three times in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
John Terry has made it to the UEFA Team of the Year on four occasions during the last decade. He isn't just a brilliant defender but also a leader who is a constant support to his players on the pitch. His playing style reflects the passion he has for the
game. John Terry is only 29 and can go on to become one of the top English defenders of all times.
Carlos Puyol:
Carlos Puyol is a Catalan through and through. He was promoted to the first team in 1999 by the then-coach, Louis van Gaal. Puyol throughout his early career switched positions. He played between the sticks before playing as a striker and then a defensive
midfielder, before slotting in at right back under Van Gaal.
Puyol was quick to make an impression and featured regularly for Barcelona at the turn of the century. After the retirement of Barcelona captain, Luis Enrique, Puyol was named the captain of the club.
Things did not change for him though, as he continued to put his body on the line for his boyhood club. Puyol was awarded the Best European Right Back award in 2002 and UEFA Club Best Defender in 2006.
Carlos has also won the Best European Centre Back award three times in 2005, 2006 and 2008. He led the Barcelona team to Champions League triumphs in 2006 and 2009. The Barcelona man was also part of the FIFA Team of the Year in 2008. He has been part of
the UEFA Team of the Year on 5 occasions; the highest by any player.
Carlos Puyol was also part of the Spanish team which won the European Championships in 2008. The Barcelona defender is hailed for his all action playing style. His energy levels are second to none and there isn’t a player who plays his heart out, every time
he steps on the field, like Carlos Puyol does.
Fabio Cannavaro:
The Italian World Cup winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro is best remembered for his stellar displays during Italy’s successful World cup campaign in 2006. It was said that Cannavaro single handedly won Italy that world cup.
The well traveled Italian started his career with Napoli back in 1992 as a 19 year old. He was with Napoli for three years before Parma stepped in to take the stylish defender of their books. He had 7 successful years at Parma but failed to win the Scudetto.
He then moved to Inter Milan where he spent two years, but the move did not work out and in came Juventus to sign the Italian skipper.
With Juventus, he won two Scudettos in 2005 and 2006 which were both stripped off due to the calciopoli scandal. Cannavaro was on the move again, after the World Cup. Real Madrid had snapped up Fabio Capello who brought Cannavaro with him from Turin to Madrid.
He won two La Liga titles with Real in his three years at the club. However, he decided to return to Juventus in 2009 after the expiration of his contract. He was 36 when he returned to Juventus and after showing early season form, Juventus lost the track
and were only able to qualify for Europa League. Fabio moved to Al-Ahli Dubai at the end of the last season.
Fabio is the only defender to have won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award. He was also the oldest recipient of the award at the age of 33.
There have been few defenders who have come and played at the highest level with the likes of Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid. The Italian has always been a player who would never give up. His attitude towards the game has won him many fans world over and
if there has been a defender who has given more than 100% throughout his career than it has to be none other than Fabio Cannavaro.
Verdict: Centre Back of the decade (Left side) - Fabio Cannavaro
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