For years, Paris Saint-Germain has been known as the home of some of the world’s top strikers. Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Angel Di Maria all have worn the famous PSG shirt at some point. But, what about defensive players? The names don’t roll off the tongue as easy.
Thiago Silva is probably PSG’s most well-known defender in the Qatar Sports Investments era. You could make the case for David Luiz as well, but Silva is at the top for me. For years, Silva played alongside current PSG captain, Marquinhos. With those two players, PSG’s goal was as safe as https://safestcasinosites.co.uk/. Now that Silva is several years removed from being a PSG player, who is the best defender at the club today?
Marquinhos would be the easy option. The Brazil international has been at the club since 2013 and has had several memorable moments of the years. However, Marquinhos is beginning to show his age and in recent seasons, we’ve seen him make mental errors that have cost PSG in the UEFA Champions League. For that reason alone, I can’t say he is PSG’s most important defender.
Before his injury, Nuno Mendes was arguably the best left-back in football. He has since returned but not quite at his previous level. Instead, it’s his teammate in the other full-back position that I think is PSG’s most important defender.
Achraf Hakimi is an elite right-back and for me, he’s the best in world football. He can do everything a modern full-back needs to do. He has the technical ability to get forward and join the attack and the pace to track back and cover any space he leaves behind. He can put in a tackle and do the dirty work when necessary. While PSG doesn’t really have a striker to aim for on crosses, Hakimi’s ability to put in a cross is elite as well. This season, Hakimi has a goal and three assists through six Ligue 1 matches.
Combined with Ousmane Dembélé on the right side of PSG’s formation, Hakimi can overwhelm opponents with his pace and dribbling ability. He is vital to just about everything PSG wants to do and reports are he wants to stay in the French capital instead of following his best friend, Mbappé, to Real Madrid. That is great news for a PSG team looking to rebuild, as right-back is one of the most difficult and expensive positions to find in the transfer market.