Virgil van Dijk has been one of the most dominant centre-backs in the world after joining Liverpool from Southampton back in 2018, with the Dutch star almost always in control of things at the back.

In the current day, he's been rivalled by the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba at Arsenal who have set the gold standard for defending after winning the Premier League in 2026.

However, who is the best top-flight central defender the Premier League has seen since its creation in 1992? Where do Van Dijk and Co all rank?

We've witnessed elegant ball-players, goalscoring brutes and pure sweepers, but someone has to be number one. Here's how we've determined our rankings...

Ranking factors

• Appearances
• Titles
• Clean sheets
• Personal honours
• What others have said about them

20 Gary Cahill - Aston Villa, Bolton, Chelsea & Crystal Palace

After beginning his Premier League career with Aston Villa and Bolton, Gary Cahill made his name at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea, winning two league titles with the Blues alongside John Terry.

In fact, at one point, Terry described Cahill as “different class” and “England's best centre back”, with the latter being named in the PFA Team of the Year on three separate occasions.

19 Kolo Toure - Arsenal, Man City & Liverpool

Not many players can say they have played for Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool, but that is the Premier League path Kolo Toure took between 2002-2016.

The Ivorian was part of the Gunners’ famous ‘Invincible’ squad and his man-marking ability, speed and strength in the air have seen him named as one of the most underrated players of the Premier League era in the media.

18 Marcel Desailly - Chelsea

Not only was Marcel Desailly a top centre-back, but the French icon could also turn out as a holding midfielder if required as well.

He won multiple trophies throughout his career, including three honours as a Chelsea player, and made defending look easy in England. Desailly didn’t win a Premier League title, but he was named in the PL team of the decade between 1992-2002.

17 Paul McGrath - Aston Villa & Derby County

Aston Villa legend Paul McGrath was 32 years of age when the Premier League was formed, but he still went on to make more than 160 appearances in the top flight, the majority of which came at Villa Park.

Former manager Ron Atkinson even hailed McGrath as the best centre-half ever to play in the Premier League and is still referred to as ‘God’ by the Villans.

16 Sami Hyypia - Liverpool

A key member of the Liverpool side that won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2000/01, Sami Hyypia was a bargain buy for the Reds after signing for just over £2.5m from Willem II.

The Finnish giant has gone down as "one of the smartest pieces of business the club has ever conducted” and would go on to captain Liverpool. He never won the Premier League but left his mark as an imposing centre-back.

15 Gabriel Magalhaes - Arsenal

One of the modern Premier League icons is without a doubt Gabriel Maglhaes. The Brazilian centre-back is an absolute colossus and has been one of the mainstays of the Arsenal team under Mikel Arteta's stewardship.

He's now a league winner with the Gunners and has become one of the greatest goalscoring defenders of his generation. Only Virgil van Dijk has more goals (23) than Gabriel (20) since he first signed for the north Londoners in the summer of 2020.

14 John Stones - Everton & Man City

A great modern day centre-back of the Premier League era, there hasn't been many better on the ball in defence than John Stones.

He’s been a favourite of Pep Guardiola’s at the Etihad Stadium, who has even used him as a holding midfielder at points during his time. Guardiola said he “loves” Stones and called him “incredible”, with the former Everton man winning six titles and being named in the PFA Team of the Year twice while at City.

13 Martin Keown - Everton & Arsenal

One defender who did lift the title, on three occasions in fact, was Arsenal’s Martin Keown. In the peak years of his career at the age of 26 when the Premier League was formed, Keown moved to the Gunners from Everton in 1993 and got better with age.

After starring at Highbury for more than ten years, Keown got the fairytale send-off in May 2004 as part of the ‘Invincible” squad and is regarded as ‘one of the club's greatest defenders’.

12 Gary Pallister - Man Utd & Middlesbrough

At the age of 27, when the Premier League began, Gary Pallister was at the top of his game and would go on to help Man Utd win four titles in five years.

The towering defender had pace, ‘terrific ball control’ and ‘excellent aerial ability’. Pallister has gone down as a Red Devils legend and was even named in Roy Keane’s dream Man Utd XI.

11 Ricardo Carvalho - Chelsea

In his six seasons as a Chelsea player, Ricardo Carvalho won the Premier League on three occasions and formed a brilliant partnership at the back alongside John Terry.

The Portuguese star won 95 of the 135 games he played in and kept an impressive 65 clean sheets, with his tough tackling, aerial ability and positioning seeing him ‘recognised as one of the best defenders to grace the Premier League’.