A gale of retirements is expected to hit a lot of the leading footballing nations after Russia 2018 and in some cases, an increase in competition is to be expected.
In certain leading nations like France, young centrebacks are leading the team and are plentiful (Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Aymeric Laporte, Lucas Hernandez etc) so such teams have been omitted from this list.
#1 Niklas Süle and Jonathan Tah (Germany)
A central defensive pairing that has been much talked about in the German media, Süle and Tah will certainly have their work cut out for them to break into a German set up already boasting the world-class talents of Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels (both are also ahead of Süle at Bayern Munich) and the more than able deputies of Shkodran Mustafi, Matthias Ginter, Antonio Rüdiger.
The pair has earned rave reviews for characteristics they seem to share; strength, gold aerial ability and excellent reading of the game. While Süle is a more aggressive defender, Tah is more in the ball-playing mould with his excellent distribution.
One or both of them are expected to be part of the Mannschaft’s Russia party and unless an injury crisis erupts, both players are not expected to be coach Jorgi Loew’s starting line-ups.
With 10 caps between them (7 for Süle and 3 for Tah) the future of the national team appears secured with the presence of these two giants.
#2 Marc Bartra and Jorge Meré (Spain)
The Sergio Ramos- Gerard Piqué combination has been crucial to everything good (and a few bad things) that La Furia Roja has done in the last 6 years since the retirement of stalwart Carles Puyol.
Bartra has emerged as the third choice centre-back for Spain since he moved to the Bundesliga to join Borussia Dortmund where he has gotten better than he was at FC Barcelona.
A ball-playing defender with an excellent reading of the game and great distribution, Bartra was seen as the long-term replacement for Gerard Pique while he was at Barcelona and will look to replace the Catalan at the national level as well.
Expected to be his partner is Jorge Meré who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Also regarded as the natural successor to captain Sergio Ramos, the left-footed Meré shares Ramos’ aggressive style of defending although he is also capable of playing out from the back.
With other centre-backs like the Real Madrid pair of Nacho and Jesus Vallejo as well as Real Sociedad’s Diego Llorente in contention, the pairing of Bartra and Meré looks like one for the long term given the relatively young ages (for defenders) of Ramos (31) & Piqué (30).
Bartra has earned 12 caps so far while Meré is yet to be called up after playing through all the youth ranks for Spain.
#3 Daniele Rugani and Mattia Caldara (Italy)
Similar to the defensive axis that the Azzurri have had for a while (before Leandro Bonucci’s surprise move to AC Milan), Caldara and Rugani are expected to form the defensive base for club (Juventus) and country for the foreseeable future.
The pair who are owned by La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) as Juventus are known share the tall, rangy physique that the best Italian defenders (Alessandro Nesta and Bonucci) come to mind.
Caldara has been majestic at the heart of an Atalanta side that has been wow-ing Serie A and he is expected to move back to parent club Juventus after the World Cup.
While both players are excellent in the air and possess the typical Italian centre-back assets; intelligence, aggression and organizational skills, Caldara is the more rugged type while Rugani is more of an organiser and is regarded as having the higher ceiling of the pair.
With current stalwarts, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli expected to retire after the Mundial, expect the Caldara-Rugani pair to become the centre-backs of choice alongside Bonucci.
Rugani has earned 4 senior caps while Caldara is yet to don the senior Azzurri blue.
#4 John Stones and Micheal Keane (England)
A pairing whose time might come sooner than any other on the least, Stones and Keane are certainly the go-to pair for the Three Lions in the future.
With both players having recently made big money moves to upper crust Premier League clubs, Stones is looking comfortable as the defensive lynchpin of a very good Manchester City side after an uncomfortable first season.
Keane, after excelling at Burnley, made a big-money move to Everton and while the initial results and performances have been average at best, his long-term England place is not in doubt.
Like the best centre-back pairings, the Stones-Keane double act is expected to marry skill and technique (Stones) to brawn and grit (Keane). There have already been calls for the pairing to be the first choice at the World Cup and with the competition; Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and co. failing to pull up any trees, the pair might find themselves starting at the World Cup.
One of the more experienced pairings on this list, the two have earned 24 caps between them with Stones (20) and Keane (4).
#5 Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio (Brazil)
A duo that has already won silverware for their nation, they were at the heart of the Brazilian defence for the victorious side which won the Olympic gold at Rio 2016.
Marquinhos has been one of the most recognizable young centre-backs in world football since he moved to Serie A to join AS Roma at the very tender age of 18. Since his mega-money move to PSG, his status has only risen and is now a regular for club and country (alongside club teammate and captain Thiago Silva).
Caio is yet to hit the same heights, still playing his football in Brazil with Corinthians, a state of affairs that is not expected to last for too long.
Extremely fast for a central defender, Marquinhos’ agility, ball-winning abilities, and aggression are a perfect complement to Caio’s more nuanced style of game reading, intercepting and opening the game up with raking long balls from defence.
With the old guard of Silva, Miranda and David Luiz not expected to be regulars after the World Cup, this pair is already been spoken of as the next central defensive pairing for the Canarinho (Little Canary).
Marquinhos is very much the senior player of the pairing in terms of caps (23) while Caio has gotten four (4).
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