Ranking the 5 highest-scoring defenders in the 21st century
Football as a sport has evolved a lot over the last century. No one has had to adapt to the huge array of changes in the game compared to defenders. While the demands of the modern game requires outfield players to be all-round ones, defenders are required to traverse the entirety of the pitch.
Apart from their regular duties of breaking up attacks and shielding the goalkeeper, defenders are also expected to create chances, put in crosses and pop up in the box to score.
Sergio Ramos' Real Madrid career by numbers:
◉ 671 games
◉ 101 goals
◉ 5x LaLiga
◉ 4x Supercopa
◉ 4x Club World Cup
◉ 4x Champions League
◉ 3x Super Cup
◉ 2x Copa del Rey
He lifted 12 of them as captain. 💪 https://t.co/IqosW9q9jO
Defenders now assist more often than ever before
As of January, Trent Alexander-Arnold is the leading assist provider in the Premier League with ten assists. Meanwhile, his teammate Andrew Robertson is also not too far behind with eight.
While the nature of the game has allowed speedy full-backs to be involved in setting up goals, scoring is still considered a rarity for defenders. That's why it is always a special moment when a player operating in the defensive third gets on the scoresheet.
On that note, here's a look at the five highest-scoring defenders this century:
Note: Ashley Young has 52 goals while Juan Cuadrado has 42, but most of their strikes came when they played as wingers. So they have been excluded from this list.
#5 Raphael Guerreiro - 36 goals
We kick off our list with French-born Portuguese left-back Raphael Guerreiro. The Borussia Dortmund defender has scored a lot of goals since making his debut in Ligue 2 with Caen in 2010.
He made his debut in the French top flight with Lorient in 2013. Interestingly, he has gone goalless through a campaign just once since then. His career-best output came during the 2019-20 campaign, where he scored eight goals for Dortmund.
The bulk of the EURO 2016 winner's goals have come in trademark fashion. His runs down the left flank are often spotted by a teammate, who tees him up near the box with a through ball. Guerreiro then unleashes a shot from his preferred left foot.
#4 Daniel Van Buyten - 39 goals
No wonder former Bayern Munich star Daniel Van Buyten finds a place on this list, as the Belgian defender started out as a striker at Charleroi. While he successfully transitioned to a central defender, his goalscoring instincts remained with him throughout his career.
Popularly known as Big Dan, he first shot to fame with Marseille in the 2002-03 campaign, where he scored eight league goals. He was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year and ESM Team of the year as well that year.
Daniel Van Buyten 
🇧🇪 Daniel Van Buyten 💪
Happy birthday to the former Belgium defender who turns 41 today! 🎈🎈🎈
🥳 @BelRedDevils https://t.co/qNzoFSDJMR
Van Buyten was the archetypical centre-back known for his strength and aerial prowess. That made him one of the most dangerous players in the opposition box in set-piece situations. He also has ten goals for the Belgium national team.