Ranking Real Madrid’s best defenders in 2021
By Eesh Jhamb
1. Eder Militao
Who else did you expect to see up top? Eder Militao is an absolute beast. If you ask me, I see him as a perfect replacement for our beloved Sergio Ramos. The Brazilian is a center back of the future and he is already on top of the world. He is indeed one of the best center backs at the moment.
Many reasons convince you to believe that Eder Militao has been Real Madrid’s best center back this year.
For starters, Eder Militao has paired up pretty well with almost every defender, be it Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez, or David Alaba. The Brazilian has played a different role with each of them. Sometimes he was the one who would press higher, while at other times he would stay back and stand like a pillar.
What makes Eder Militao a great defender is his great qualities. The Brazilian is very sharp defensively, and his fast sprints help him keep up with quick attackers. Other than this, Eder Militao is very dangerous from the set pieces as we saw near the end of the last season and in the game against Alcoyano where he scored the opener by heading Rodrygo’s cross past the keeper easily.
His statistics tell us a lot about his performances last year. In this season only, Eder Militao averages 1.8 tackles, 1.85 interceptions, and 3.1 clearances a game. Other than this, Eder Militao uses his height to great advantage, and with his bodily strength, the 23-year-old wins 2.55 aerial duels on average. This is all way too impressive for someone this young.
With the mentality of a beast that Eder Militao plays with, he is someone Los Blancos was looking for as a long-term investment. I believe that the Brazilian is a future leader and one of the pillars in defence that Real Madrid can rely upon.
Next. 3 Players who are as Good as Ever. dark
So far Eder Militao has impressed with his performances against top teams, Atletico Madrid for example where his long shot helped Los Blancos take the lead and it will be interesting to see if he can live up to the high standard (he has set with solid performances) in the future.