The Greatest 'Stopper' Centre-backs of All Time
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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.

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)

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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)

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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)
                                                                    

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