The top 25 greatest defenders in football history as voted by fans - Sergio Ramos in 6th

Happy birthday, Sergio Ramos.

The Real Madrid legend might not be living his best life at Paris Saint-Germain right now, but he’s long since achieved enough in the beautiful game to go down as one of its greatest ever defenders.

From captaining Los Blancos to three consecutive Champions League wins to lifting the World Cup with Spain, Ramos has been there, done that and got the t-shirt when it comes to the sport’s highest echelons.

As such, there is a very legitimate conversation to be had about where Ramos ranks amongst the finest ever male defenders in football history alongside absolute icons like Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi.

Fear not, we aren’t claiming that Ramos is threatening those GOAT contenders just yet, but even the most ardent Barcelona fan would have to hold their hands up and say that he’s up there near the top.

As such, while Ramos blows out 36 candles on his birthday cake this week, we thought that the time was right to take a closer look at where the Spaniard fits into the list of all-time defenders.

And the people have well and truly spoken, voting in their droves on the thetoptens.com in an interactive list of the ‘Best Soccer Defenders’ where they can opine who is the greatest of the greats.

Naturally, any ranking system involving football fans isn’t without its problems and inaccuracies, but it’s nevertheless a fascinating, if not occasionally infuriating, collation of view on defensive icons.

So, be sure to check out who supporters have voted as the top 25 greatest defenders in the history of the men’s game, as well as where Ramos fits into things, by reading the list at the time of writing below:

A strong start. Thuram is one of the finest full-backs of the modern era, turning out for Juventus