# Who is the best defender in Serie A history?

> Milan and Juventus icons headline the most storied defensive tradition in the game. Who was the best?

*By YPB Team · Published May 26, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-defender-in-serie-a-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Paolo Maldini**
   Milan one-club legend regarded as one of the greatest defenders ever.
2. **Franco Baresi**
   Milan sweeper whose reading of the game set the gold standard.
3. **Giacinto Facchetti**
   Inter icon and pioneer of the attacking full-back role.
4. **Alessandro Nesta**
   Lazio and Milan centre-back famed for impeccable positioning.
5. **Gaetano Scirea**
   Juventus libero of rare elegance and a one-club great.
6. **Fabio Cannavaro**
   Commanding centre-back who won the Ballon d'Or while at Juventus.
7. **Giorgio Chiellini**
   Juventus warrior centre-back and serial Scudetto winner.
8. **Leonardo Bonucci**
   Juventus ball-playing centre-back and a pillar of their dominance.
9. **Claudio Gentile**
   Juventus man-marker famed for shackling the world's best forwards.
10. **Giuseppe Bergomi**
   Inter one-club stalwart nicknamed Lo Zio across two decades.
11. **Ciro Ferrara**
   Napoli and Juventus centre-back and a defensive mainstay of the 1990s.
12. **Alessandro Costacurta**
   Milan one-club defender and a long-serving partner to Maldini and Baresi.
13. **Javier Zanetti**
   Inter's most-capped player, a versatile and durable full-back.

Tags: football, players, serie a, defenders