After hanging up his boots in 2015, Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand is undoubtedly remembered as one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history.
Six top-flight titles, alongside a Champions League honour in 2008, is enough evidence of that. But perhaps the ultimate question surrounding the 39-year-old is whether he was the very best we’ve seen over the last 25 years of the Premier League.
Football FanCast takes a look at the candidates in with a shout for that title, and then give you the power to decide…
Rio Ferdinand
No centre-back on this list earned more top-flight honours than the former England man, which is a stunning achievement in itself. In many ways though, Ferdinand’s credentials for being the Premier League’s greatest centre-back lay in the fact he was much more than simply a talented and athletically imperious centre-half; during Ferdinand’s era, few central defenders offered his quality in possession, speed and agility in quite the same way.
It made him the perfect centre-back partner, capable of covering behind a more old-fashioned accomplice or bringing the ball into United’s midfield to link up with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes – a vital component of the Red Devils’ ability to build attacks from the engine room.
It’s incredibly telling two clubs spent a combined £52million on him in the space of two years, back when that was an almost unprecedented amount of money for any player let alone a defender. But if there’s one criticism of Ferdinand, it’s that he was only truly at his best when placed alongside someone like Nemanja Vidic who offered that physical and aerial dominance.
Sol Campbell
A considerably less elegant centre-half but for what Sol Campbell lacked in style he more than made up for in sheer brutish physicality. In that sense, Campbell had absolutely everything; a towering leap, plenty of speed and the strength to wrestle a baby rhyno. Add great positional intelligence and occasional running-back-esque marauds up the pitch into the equation and Campbell was easily one of the most feared defenders in Europe during his hay-day.
He was also a vital member of Arsenal’s Invincibles starting XI as it’s most defensive element, which is perhaps the strongest endorsement of the former England international’s credentials – he started all but three games that season. Likewise, it takes an exceptionally brave man to trade the Tottenham captaincy for a place in the Gunners’ backline by way of a free transfer and mental toughness was a huge part of Campbell’s game as well; for varying reasons, he’s had to endure his fair share of stick and abuse down the years.
The obvious negative compared to the rest on this list though, is that Campbell is the only one to concede more goals than make appearances in the top flight. That’s largely due to his time at Portsmouth and Spurs’ many years wading through mid-table mediocrity.
Vincent Kompany
The only candidate still plying his trade in the Premier League, albeit at a far reduced capacity due to continuous injury problems. But that shouldn’t take away from how exceptional Vincent Kompany was during both of Manchester City’s title-winning seasons, all the more impressively playing alongside Joloen Lescott and then Martin Demichelis.
What always stands out most about Kompany, aside from the usual physical dominance and aerial ability you’d expect of top-class defenders, is how he plays on the front foot, regularly stepping up to nick the ball and instigate a counter-attack rather than simply waiting for the action to come to him. That underlines the attacking ethos the Sheik owners have attempted to create at the Etihad and the Belgium international has been a central figure in City’s stunning rise, captaining them from 2011 onwards.
Only this season have City looked anywhere near as formidable without the crocked captain in their starting line-up and while that’s partly inevitable considering how exceptional a centre-half he is, it’s also a testament to the leadership, organisation and inspiration he provides.
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidic made the fewest Premier League appearances of any centre-back on this list but he was the second-most successful during that time, his five titles only trumped by defensive partner Rio Ferdinand. And that’s not a mere coincidence; he was the perfect foil to Ferdinand’s more technical style. While Vidic was no slouch on the ball himself, his greatest strengths resided in the more traditional centre-half job description – essentially, keeping the ball out of the net by any means possible.
That required body-on-the-line blocks and last-ditch tackles, while few, if any Premier League defenders, have come close to matching his utter dominance in the air. He and Ferdinand produced arguably the most balanced and fearsome centre-back partnership in Europe during their best years and nine seasons together produced five titles, alongside a European honour in 2008.
There are drawbacks, though – chiefly that Vidic did have a knack for getting himself sent off and after a serious injury during the 2011/12 season, he was never quite the same force again.
John Terry
The complete centre-back, pure and simple. John Terry was the best in the world at defending the near post for pretty much his entire Chelsea career, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of what the Captain, Leader, Legend offered the Blues. Much like Vincent Kompany at City, he was one of the the driving forces behind Chelsea’s rise under Roman Abramovich, captaining the team to five Premier League titles (the first and last a decade apart) and a Champions League in 2012.
On top of that though, Terry was simply an exceptional footballer up until a few years ago when his talents noticeably waned. Completely dominant in both boxes, to the extent that he’s the top-scoring defender in Premier League history, a fantastic reader of the game and brilliant at distributing the ball with both feet – something that went unappreciated for much of his career.
Terry’s game lacked any real weaknesses and evolved over time to suit his age. Furthermore, it’s a testament to his mental strength that a player who drew such negative attention from the media, often rightly so, for a whole host of different reasons never allowed it to affect his performances or his ability to lead the team. People have questioned whether he almost had too much influence at Stamford Bridge though, and whether that’s affected the success of the club over the years.
So, who do you rate as the best centre-back in Premier League history? Vote below…
