We have received a massive boost ahead of the new season, with Martin Skrtel set to sign an extension on his current deal at the club, as reported by Sky Sports. He has unquestionably been one of our best defenders in recent times, and it’s fantastic to hear that he’s extending his stay at Anfield.
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The Slovakian defender is arguably up there with the best Liverpool defenders of the Premier League era, and below we’ve ranked our top centre-backs of the last two decades.
6) Neil Ruddock
Razor was a real powerhouse in defence, and was known for his tough tackling and commitment. He enjoyed getting forward as well, and would regularly pop up with hugely important goals.
Unfortunately, he was part of a generation of footballers where fitness was not as key as it is today, and he failed to adapt to the increasing demands of the Premier League.
5) Martin Skrtel
The most reliable defender in our current crop, Skrtel’s new deal is a massive boost. We have lacked defensive stability at times since the departure of Jamie Carragher, and keeping our back line intact will hopefully help us to restore that stability.
Like Ruddock, Skrtel is known for getting himself on the scoresheet – most recently scoring an equaliser against Arsenal right at the death to secure a valuable point.
4) Stephane Henchoz
The Swiss centre-back formed half of arguably one of our best partnerships in a long, long time, with he and Sami Hyypia proving indomitable at times.
He was part of the side that won the treble in the 2000/01 season when Carragher played at left-back, and was a massive part of our success that year.
3) Daniel Agger
Agger occasionally split opinion among fans, but there was a time when he was one of the top defenders in the Premier League.
He was not only fantastic defensively, but he was an excellent ball player as well. It was a shame to see him leave, as he was an excellent servant to the club after signing in 2006.
2) Jamie Carragher
It’s near impossible to split the top two, and they are both Anfield legends in their own rights. Carragher is the definition of a one club player, and made over 700 appearances for Liverpool.
He spent 17 years at the club (not including his time as a youth player), and was a huge part of our defensive stability in seasons gone by. His nonsense attitude and completely uncompromisable commitment to the cause makes him one our favourite ever players, but it’ll be difficult for anyone to top our powerhouse Finn in coming years.
1) Sami Hyypia
Hyypia was not only arguably our best centre-back, he was one of the best in the Europe during his time at Anfield. He was a huge part of the treble winning 2000/01 side – not to mention the Champions League winning side of 2005 – and was a superb captain as well.
The fact that we picked him up for a pittance in 1999 makes it even sweeter, and after a decade at the club he unquestionably goes down as a Liverpool legend.