Latino American best defender at present
Thiago Silva
Thiago Emiliano da Silva (Brazilian Portuguese: [tʃiˈaɡu ẽmiliˈɐ̃nu dɐ ˈsiwvɐ]; born 22 September 1984), commonly known as Thiago Silva, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Premier League club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Known for his pace, aerial ability and leadership skills, Silva is regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation. [4][5] After moving back to Europe to join Milan in 2009, Silva established himself as one of the highest rated defenders in the world, winning the Serie A title with the Rossoneri in the 2010–11 season. In July 2012, Paris Saint-Germain signed him for a reported €42 million, making him the then second-most expensive defender in history behind Rio Ferdinand.[6] With PSG, Silva has won a joint record seven Ligue 1 championships, five consecutive (six overall) Coupes de la Ligue and five Coupes de France and led his team to their first ever UEFA Champions League final in 2020. A full international since 2008 and a non-playing member of their team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Silva captained Brazil to victory at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and fourth place at the World Cup a year later, both on home soil. He was also part of their squads for the two Olympic tournaments – winning a bronze in 2008 and silver four years later – and three Copa América editions, winning the 2019 edition of the tournament on home soil; overall, he has earned 92 international caps in total.
Statistics for this Xoptio
Nicolás Otamendi
Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi (Spanish pronunciation: [nikoˈlas otaˈmendi]; born 12 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Argentina national team. Otamendi played for Vélez Sarsfield and Porto in his early career, winning eight major titles with Porto, including three Primeira Liga championships and the 2011 Europa League. He signed for Valencia in 2014 and spent four months on loan to Atlético Mineiro of Brazil. In 2015 he moved to Manchester City and won the Premier League in 2017–18 and 2018–19, as well as four League Cups and an FA Cup. An Argentina international since 2009, Otamendi represented his country at two World Cups and three Copas América, in which he contributed to consecutive runner-up finishes. Born in Buenos Aires, Otamendi made his Primera División debut for Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield on 10 May 2008, in a 2–1 home win against Rosario Central for the Clausura tournament.[4] During manager Hugo Tocalli's spell he was only fifth-choice stopper, behind Waldo Ponce, Fernando Tobio, Marco Torsiglieri and Mariano Uglessich. However, his role in the first team changed during Ricardo Gareca's first season as head coach, the 2009 Clausura: he replaced Ponce for the third game after the Chilean was injured while playing for his national team,[4] and eventually won a starting position alongside Sebastián Domínguez,[4] playing 17 of the 19 games in Vélez's winning campaign.