Top five defenders with most goals in the 21st century

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Bengaluru, March 2: 'Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles' - the saying could not be any more apt. Quality defenders are absolutely necessary for a good team to the next level and winning silverware. While the job of defenders is defending, we have witnessed plenty of top-class defenders contributing towards their team by not just defending but also by getting on the scoresheet often when the team need goals desperately.

In this article, we take a look at five of the highest-scoring defenders in the 21st century:

5. Branislav Ivanovic - 66 goals

Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanovic was a world-class defender in his prime who could play both at right-back and centre back. The former Serbia international spent the best years of his professional career at Chelsea and was a key part of the Blues' golden era. The 37-year-old, who is currently on the books of West Bromwich Albion, was pretty decisive in front of the opponent goal having scored a total of 66 goals in his career and among those, many were absolutely crucial goals.

4. John Terry - 72 goals

The leader of the golden Chelsea team that was one of the most dominant sides in European football, John Terry was fondly called 'Mr. Chelsea' by the Blues fans. The former England skipper was regarded as one of the best defenders in the world in his prime and he also had a solid record at the other end of the pitch. The 40-year-old, who now serves as the assistant manager of Aston Villa, scored a total of 72 goals in his career, a tally that can put most midfielders to shame.

3. Daniel Van Buyten - 72 goals

One of the most underrated defenders of his generation, Daniel Van Buyten was an excellent central defender who played for the likes of Marseille, Manchester City and Bayern Munich while also making 83 appearances for Belgium. Van Buyten was not only a top-class defender but was also quite prolific in front of the goal having scored a total of 72 goals in his career.

2. Rene Aufhauser - 79 goals

Rene Aufhauser might not be as famous as the other names in this list, but he was a dependable player who spent the majority of his career in his native Austria, while also making 58 appearances for his country. The 44-year-old who currently serves as the assistant coach at RB Salzburg netted 79 goals in his illustrious career during which he played for clubs like Red Bull Salzburg, FC Liefering, LASK Linz. Austria Salzburg, Grazer AK, ASK Voitsberg and ASK Köflach.

1. Sergio Ramos - 126 goals

One of the all-time greatest defenders, Sergio Ramos is known for his knack of getting on the scoresheet when his team is in need of goals desperately. There are so many instances when Ramos came up as the saviour of Real Madrid with crucial goals. The legendary Spanish defender currently sits only below Barcelona great Ronald Koeman in the all-time list of highest scoring defenders. Now 34 years of age, Ramos is still one of the best in his role and Real Madrid will find it difficult to replace their skipper if he decides to move on which could well be at the end of this season.