10 Toughest Centre Backs At World Cup 2018
2. Mats Hummels (Germany)
Tall, powerful, and incredibly calm under pressure, Mats Hummels is the dream German defender. Demonstrating remarkable consistency at club and international level, Hummels was a key part of the German squad that lifted the trophy at the last World Cup. In fact, it could be argued that they wouldn't have won it without him, as Hummels scored a vital winning goal against France in the quarter finals.
Highly versatile, Hummels has the technical and passing ability to play as a defensive midfielder and has proven to be simply unbeatable alongside fellow countryman and Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.
The 29-year-old has played 63 times for Germany so far, scoring 5 goals along the way and earning favourable comparisons to German legend Franz Beckenbauer for his calm and confident playstyle. Germany are favourites for this World Cup and will be hoping to achieve the distinct honour of winning back-to-back trophies. To pull off such a feat, the Germans will need Hummels to be on top of his game.