1. Thiago Silva & Marquinhos (PSG)
The most expensive of the five duos mentioned in this article, but PSG were very sensible in spending such an amount on the two Brazilians. Thiago Silva is arguably the greatest centre back in world football, whilst Marquinhos has shown the potential to match - or possibly exceed - Silva's abilities. In a recent interview, Silva stated that Marquinhos is already as good as the now-Liverpool centre back Mamadou Sakho, who was sold in the summer transfer window. The 19-year-old may be lacking in the experience department, but he is quite possibly the most promising footballer in the world. He has been flourishing in the goals department too, with three in his last six games. After four months out, he has made an impressive start for his new club and at such a tender age, he can only improve. If Silva can get-and-keep fit, it'll be interesting to see how well two of the best centre backs in football can play together. It won't be long until they're starting together for the Brazil national squad, if Marquinhos does not opt to play for Portugal instead. Perhaps the two could form the partnership for the 2014 World Cup, who knows? The
reported £27 million paid for Marquinhos and
42 million (around £35 million) for Thiago Silva may have seemed hefty at the time, but the young age of the duo along with their immense quality makes this a good investment (*cough cough* especially considering Andy Carroll cost around the same as Thiago Silva *cough cough*). There could perhaps be questions asked as to why this partnership have garnered the number 1 spot, and as the pair have played very few games together, this is understandable. The main justification for this is Thiago Silva is simply, in my eyes, the best centre back in the world, whilst Marquinhos is the centre back with the greatest potential of any, also in my opinion. Silva may not have too many years left in his career, but expect the influence of his play to rub off on Marquinhos and the two form an unstoppable partnership.