3. Vincent Kompany & Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)
If you could name two players that are sorely missed when unable to play, Kompany and Vertonghen spring to mind straight away. For their respective clubs, they are the heart of the defence and are quite possibly the two greatest centre backs in the Barclays Premier League. Aswell as their club success, this duo have been behind Belgium's recent success, leading them to a successful World Cup qualifying campaign in which they conceded just three goals in nine games. With the likes of van Buyten, Vermaelen and Alderweireld available for the national side, competition is certainly not a problem and each provide quality cover for any injuries, suspensions etc. that may occur. This partnership is mostly ranked so high in terms of their individual ability, and when on their day there is no better pairing in world football - a bold statement, maybe, but Kompany and Vertonghen are just that good. And at the age of just 27 and 26 respectively, expect this partnership to flourish for many years to come. The 2014 World Cup could be the year for Belgium with the likes of Hazard, Lukaku and Courtois at their peril (to name just a few), and should both keep fit and coach Mark Wilmots opt to use Jan through the middle, this could be the greatest partnership of the 2014 campaign.