Ranking the 10 best Premier League defenders of all time

Ladbrokes looks back at the best Premier League defenders of all time.

Much of the discourse when considering the best players of all time centres around the players scoring the goals but defenders form the foundations for which all great teams are built, while some in the modern era have become good attackers in their own right.

From one-club leaders to marauding full-backs, here are the best defenders to have graced the English top flight.

Known for his incredible reliability and consistency for nearly two decades at Manchester United, Gary Neville is well deserving of a place in this list.

The now pundit forged an iconic relationship while overlapping David Beckham on the right for the Red Devils and won an almost unrivalled eight Premier League titles.

While perhaps best known for his controversial move from Tottenham to North London rivals Arsenal, there is no denying Sol Campbell's excellent defensive ability.

With physicality, strength and pace, Campbell was an essential part of the Gunners' 'Invincibles' season in 2003/04 racked up 503 top-flight appearances overall.

Kyle Walker has arguably now eclipsed Neville as the Premier League's greatest ever right-backs, with the six-time Premier League winner a crucial part of Manchester City's modern era of dominance.

With his pace allowing him to make an impact at both ends of the field, Walker was undoubtedly a defender no winger would want to face in his prime. After spending the second half of last season at AC Milan, the 35-year-old has joined Burnley this summer on a two-year deal.

Campbell is narrowly beaten by former Arsenal team-mate Tony Adams, who is another iconic figure in their defence across the 90s and early 00s.

A born leader who came to have the nickname 'Mr Arsenal', Adams led the Gunners to multiple honours including two Premier League titles.

Another classic, no-nonsense defender, Nemanja Vidic formed one half of an iconic centre-back pairing alongside Rio Ferdinand which dominated the Premier League for years for Manchester United.

An intimidating physical presence at the back, the Serbian would throw himself in front of anything that came his way and his five Premier League titles are not a bad return for his efforts.

Few players contributed more towards City's years of success than their captain Vincent Kompany, who is rightly considered a club legend.

The Belgian arrived for just £6million in 2008 just before their influx of riches but is arguably more important than any of the signings who followed after leading them to their first ever Premier League title in 2012 before adding another three - last of which came partly due to his spectacular goal against Leicester in 2019.

Virgil van Dijk is one of the world's best defenders and it has pretty much been that way ever since his move to Liverpool in 2018.

The Dutch defender's leadership, aerial dominance and passing ability set him apart from many other current stars and having just signed a new deal to remain at Anfield, will have his eyes set on helping the Reds retain their Premier League crown next season.

Rio Ferdinand was well ahead of his time and is known as one of the first true ball-playing defenders in the Premier League.

The former England defender could pick a pass out with both feet, with his elegant style setting him apart from other centre-backs of his era.

The best left-back in Premier League history, Ashley Cole was the complete full-back, consistently delivering for both Arsenal and Chelsea.

Cole was not only a nightmare for any winger to get past, he was a threat going forward, collecting two titles with the Gunners and another after his controversial move to Stamford Bridge.

John Terry just edges out his former England team-mates as the Premier League's best ever defender.

The Chelsea hero formed the backbone of the Blues defence for nearly two decades, leading from the back with his no-nonsense style, while he is the competition's highest-scoring defenders with an impressive 41 goals.

Ladbrokes have also picked our Premier League team of the season, as well as the best midfielders, wingers and goalkeepers from years gone by.

View the latest football odds here.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.