Paolo Maldini made his AC Milan debut at 16 and was still defending at the top level at 40. In between came 25 years at one club, 902 official appearances from 1985 to 2009 and five Champions League and European Cup winners' medals, the most by any defender in the competition's history. That combination of length, consistency and quality is why he heads this list.
A defender who did not like tackling
Maldini's own line explains the style better than any highlight reel: 'If I have to make a tackle, then I have already made a mistake.' He read the game early, stood in the right place and let the forward run out of ideas.
The family name was known at Milan before he arrived. His father, Cesare Maldini, also played for AC Milan and later managed Italy.
FIFA, UEFA and a long line of football publications have put him in their greatest XIs, usually without much debate.
Then there is the loyalty. One shirt for a quarter of a century is rare in any era and rarer in the modern game, which could use a few more players like him.
Thirty days of defending
That closes the Greatest Defenders series. Over the past 30 days we started with Gary Neville's loyalty and finished with Maldini's near-perfect positioning. Along the way the list kept making the same point: defending is a craft, and the best defenders made it look quiet.
Who would be your number one?
