Top 5 defenders of 2011
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Top 5 defenders of 2011
With the year coming to a close, ESPNSTAR.com takes a look at the defenders who made a difference for their respective teams over the last twelve months.
Some say the best offense is having a good defence, and the five players below are a testament to that statement.
Their infallibility at the back has provided their teams with the confidence to push forward in attack,
safe in the knowledge that should they lose possession, there's someone at the back they can count on to repel opposition attacks.
Nemanja Vidic (Man United, Serbia)
Thiago Silva (AC Milan, Brazil)
Vincent Kompany (Man City, Belgium)
Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan, Japan)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, Germany)
At the start of 2011, hardly anyone would have heard of a pint-sized Japanese fullback by the name of Yuto Nagatomo.
Then at Cesena, the 25-year-old was still trying to make a name for himself in Italy, having joined from FC Tokyo in the summer of 2010.
However, he impressed Inter scouts sufficiently in his sixteen Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri to sign him on loan for the rest of the 2010/11 season, sending Davide Santon in the other direction.
And the dynamic defender slotted in seamlessly into Leonardo's starting eleven,
scoring two goals in 19 appearances and convincing the Inter hierarchy to sign him on a permanent deal.
Since then, he has featured prominently under both Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri.
Nagatomo not only tasted success with Inter, being part of the Coppa Italia-winning squad,
but also on the international front, when he helped Japan to the Asian Cup in January, despite missing a penalty in the semi-final shootout victory over Korea Republic.
Top 5 defenders of 2011
With the year coming to a close, ESPNSTAR.com takes a look at the defenders who made a difference for their respective teams over the last twelve months.
Some say the best offense is having a good defence, and the five players below are a testament to that statement.
Their infallibility at the back has provided their teams with the confidence to push forward in attack,
safe in the knowledge that should they lose possession, there's someone at the back they can count on to repel opposition attacks.
Nemanja Vidic (Man United, Serbia)
Thiago Silva (AC Milan, Brazil)
Vincent Kompany (Man City, Belgium)
Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan, Japan)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, Germany)
At the start of 2011, hardly anyone would have heard of a pint-sized Japanese fullback by the name of Yuto Nagatomo.
Then at Cesena, the 25-year-old was still trying to make a name for himself in Italy, having joined from FC Tokyo in the summer of 2010.
However, he impressed Inter scouts sufficiently in his sixteen Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri to sign him on loan for the rest of the 2010/11 season, sending Davide Santon in the other direction.
And the dynamic defender slotted in seamlessly into Leonardo's starting eleven,
scoring two goals in 19 appearances and convincing the Inter hierarchy to sign him on a permanent deal.
Since then, he has featured prominently under both Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri.
Nagatomo not only tasted success with Inter, being part of the Coppa Italia-winning squad,
but also on the international front, when he helped Japan to the Asian Cup in January, despite missing a penalty in the semi-final shootout victory over Korea Republic.