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The Greatest 'Stopper' Centre-backs of All Time
Shirt number: 5 or 6

The true 'Stopper' centre-back was born when Herbert Chapman pulled back the centre-half to deal with the centre forward in the late 1920s, in response to changes to the offside rule. Before this the two "full-backs" were effectively mobile stoppers operating across the back line. The stopper centre-back, now as then, has to be strong and dominant in the air in order to deal with the muscular threat of the centre-forward. Their role is all about winning the ball, by marking and tackling their opponents and being dominant in aerial challenges. Now they will form part of a two or even three man central defence, and they will have to form a partnership with a ball playing defender, but otherwise their duties remain the same. These are the hard men of the team. They aim not to be passed, spreading fear into their opponents and a sense of belief and security to their team-mates. The best stoppers also offer a goal threat in the penalty box at set pieces and may even stay upfield at desperate times when the team is in need of goal.

Picture
Nasazzi

Jose
Nasazzi  Uruguay  1923-37  (Nacional)

Milutin Ivkovic  Yugoslavia  1925-34  (Belgrade)

Jacinto Quincoces  Spain  1928-36  (R.Madrid)

Eraldo Monzeglio  Italy  1930-38  (Bologna)

Severino Minelli  Switz  1930-43  (Grasshoppers)

Pietro Rava   Italy  1935-46  (Juventus)

Alfredo Foni  Italy  1936-42  (Juventus)

Erik Nilsson  Sweden  1938-52  (Malmo)

Neil Franklin  England  1946-50  (Stoke)

Schubert Gambetta  Uruguay  1941-52  (Nacional)

 

Picture
Gentile
Ernst Happel  Austria  1947-58  (R. Vienna)

Santamaria  Uru/Spain  1952-62  (Nacional/R.Madrid)

Billy NcNeill  Scotland  1961-72  (Celtic)

Claudio Gentile  Italy  1975-84  (Juventus)

Karl-Heinz Forster 
Germany  1978-86  (Stuttgart/Marseille)

Oscar Ruggeri  Argentina  1983-94  (R.Plate/R. Madrid)

Tony Adams  England  1987-2000  (Arsenal)

Ciro Ferrara  Italy  1987-02  (Napoli/Juventus)

Alessandro Costacurta  Italy  1991-98  (AC Milan)



 

Picture
Stam

Jurgen Kohler  Germany  1986-98  (Juventus/B.Dortmund)

Marcel Desailly  France  1993-04  (AC Milan/Chelsea)

Miguel Angel Nadal  Spain  1991-02  (Mallorca/Barcelona)

Fabio Cannavaro 
Italy  1997-10  (Parma/Juventus/R.Madrid)

Carlos Gamarra  Paraguay  1993-2006 (At. Madrid/Corinthinans/...)

Sol Campbell  England  2000s  1996-07  (Tottenham/Arsenal)

Jaap Stam  Neths  2000s  (PSV/Man Utd/Lazio/Milan) 1996-04

John Terry  England  2003-  (Chelsea)

Carles Puyol  Spain  2000-  (Barcelona)

Nemanja Vidic  Serbia  2000s/10s  (R.S.Belgrade/S.Moscow/Man Utd)
                                                            

Sergio Ramos  Spain  2000s  (Sevilla/ Real Madrid)  

​​Chiellini  ​Ita​  200s/10s  (Juventus)

Godin  Uru 2010s (Atl Madrid)       

Kompany  Bel 2010s (Man City)
                                                                    

To explore, use the tabs on the header or click on the links below:

Alltime Legends

Best Players in Each Position

Best Ever National Teams 

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