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Top five defenders in Ligue 1 in 2020

In terms of talents produced, Ligue 1 leads almost every league in Europe to have seen producing some of football's biggest from the French top tier.

Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain

Bengaluru, Jan 7: Ligue 1 might be one of the top five football leagues in Europe but the top tier of French football is recently losing out to the other leagues due to several reasons. One of the reasons behind that is cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain's recent monopoly in French football as the other clubs simply cannot compete with the French capital club backed by the Qatari royal family. However, in terms of talents produced, Ligue 1 leads almost every league in Europe as we have seen some of football's biggest superstars emerging from French top tier.

Ligue 1 was called off controversially last season following the outbreak of coronavirus declaring runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain champions but this season, we are finally witnessing a title race in the division after years. PSG are currently third in the table although the gap is only one point from Lille and Lyon who are respectively sitting first and second. In this article, we will take a look at five best defenders in Ligue 1 in the calendar year 2020.

5. Alvaro Gonzalez - Marseille

30-year-old Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez has been a rock at the heart of Marseille defence since he moved to the club on loan from Spanish side Villareal. The Spaniard has provided essential experience at the heart of Marseille's defence alongside 21-year-old Boubacar Kamara and 24-year-old Duje Caleta-Car and he was key behind the club's second-place finish last time out. It is no wonder why Marseille made the move permanent as the defender continues to impress at the heart of the Marseille defence.

4. Damian de Silva - Rennes

A club who have been punching above their weights over the last couple of seasons is Stade Rennais as The Red and Blacks finished third last season and are sitting fourth in the table this time out. The club's 32-year-old skipper Damian de Silva has been a pivotal figure behind Julien Stephan's side's excellent run of form with the highest number of average defensive clearances per game in the Ligue 1 last time out. He is also known for his incredible passing skills and confidence on the ball.

3. Jason Denayer - Lyon

A graduate of the Manchester City academy, Belgian international Jason Denayer moved to Lyon in the summer transfer window of 2018 and has gone on to cement a place at the heart of their defence. The 25-year-old has been an almost ever-present member at the heart of the Lyon defence that is right now second in the table. Known for his excellent range of passing and quickness, Denayer is one of the best defenders in the top tier of French football at the moment.

2. Yunis Abdelhamid — Stade de Reims

Reims have not enjoyed a good season thus far in 2020-21 but had a pretty remarkable 2019-20 season as they finished sixth in the table and they also conceded the least number of goals in the entire campaign. And, the man behind such an impenetrable defence was none other than their skipper Yunis Abdelhamid.

The 33-year-old Moroccan played every minute for David Guion's side in 2019-20, leading the defensive line with both precisions while also chipping in with three vital goals. Abdelhamid's exploits have also seen him nominated for the prestigious Marc-Vivien Foe prize, which is awarded to the best African player in Ligue 1 each year. Things have not quite worked as good for Reims this campaign but their skipper has hardly disappointed.

1. Marquinhos - Paris Saint-Germain

Marquinhos has been one of the most important players for Paris Saint-Germain since he moved to the club back in 2013 from AS Roma. Thanks to his incredible versatility, the 26-year-old is often used as a defensive midfielder or a right-back and probably that is why he is always overlooked when we talk about the best central defenders of the game right now. A technically gifted footballer and a manager's dream, the Brazilian international is the best defender in Ligue 1 without any shadow of a doubt.

Story first published: Thursday, January 7, 2021, 16:51 [IST]
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