10 Toughest Centre Backs At World Cup 2018

7. Gerard Piqué (Spain)

Sergio Ramos Spain
Manu Fernandez/AP

The man who made his professional debut in a Manchester United shirt back in 2004 has gone on to become one of the world's most recognised and respected central defenders. Barcelona's Gerard Piqué already knows exactly how it feels to win a World Cup and will surely want to relive those emotions all over again this summer.

Regarded as the perfect example of a modern defender, Piqué has it all: pace, passing, vision, technique, aerial ability, and composure. Standing 6ft 4, he's been a huge player for Spain over the last decade, scoring 5 goals in 97 total appearances.

Piqué's remarkable consistency has continued at club and international level for many years now, and it's exceptionally rare to see him have a bad game. He finished the latest La Liga season as one of Spain's best-rated defenders once again and this will, in all likelihood, be his final World Cup, so he'll be wanting to go out in style.

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Mike Pedley hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.