Be it at the top or bottom of the table, having a dominant central defender in your ranks often saves you a lot of trouble. Challenges, tackles, interceptions, won balls... Find out who are the centre-backs with the best statistics in Ligue 1 Uber Eats this season.

Andrei Girotto stands out from the crowd

"If he is in good form," said Antoine Kombouaré of Brazilian stopper Andrei Girotto, "there is a great chance that the team will play well."
These words from, the Nantes coach in January, summarize well the impact that Andrei Girotto has on the defensive performance of FC Nantes. Much appreciated by his coach, the second-most used Canary this season (2415 minutes) stands out in several statistical categories this season. Dominant in challenges, interceptions and tackles, the Brazilian is once again the defensive pillar of FCN and the centre-back with the best statistics in Ligue 1 Uber Eats after 28 games.

Andrei Girotto (FC Nantes, 31)
27 games played this season
1st in the number of challenges (309)
1st in the number of challenges won (185)
1st in interceptions (61)
1st in tackles attempted (96)
1st in number of successful tackles (58)
1st in number of clearances (138)

Yunis Abdelhamid still has it

At 35 years old, Yunis Abdelhamid is once again pushing his limits with Stade de Reims. That the Champagne club currently have the second-best defence in Ligue 1 Uber Eats - equal with PSG and OM (28 goals conceded) - is due in no small part to their captain. Reinvigorated by the arrival of Will Still on the bench, the former Moroccan international has been performing at a high level for several months. With ten games remaining, he is the central defender who has won the most balls in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, and second in terms of the most challenges and the most tackles.

Yunis Abdelhamid (Stade de Reims, 35)
28 games played this season
1st in the number of balls recovered (201)
2nd in the number of challenges attempted (268)
3rd in the number of challenges won (159)
4th in aerial challenges (100, 64 won)
2nd in tackles attempted (66)
2nd in number of successful tackles (40)
3rd in interceptions (51)

Kevin Danso, the sure thing

Kevin Danso arrived at RC Lens in August 2021 from Augsburg and has been one of the most successful recruits made by the Sang et Or in the transfer market over the last four years. A permanent fixture in Franck Haise's three-man defence, the solid Austrian international is unanimously appreciated in The North. Solid, fast and aggressive, the 24-year-old is the second-most successful central defender (166), with a good percentage of success (65.9% of challenges won).

Kevin Danso (RC Lens, 24 years old)
28 games played this season
3rd in number of duels played (252)
2nd in the number of duels won (166)
3rd in number of balls recovered (176)
6th in counterattacks (23)
7th in the number of aerial duels played (99, of which 72 won)

Jean-Clair Todibo takes off

Called up by Didier Deschamps for the French national team in March, after the withdrawal of his former partner William Saliba, Jean-Clair Todibo is also one of the best defenders in our league this season. Impressive with OGC Nice, and even more so since the arrival of Didier Digard on the Nice bench at the beginning of January, the former Barcelona player is notably second for central defenders in terms of number of balls recovered this season. He seems to have definitely taken off with Les Aiglons this season...

Jean-Clair Todibo (OGC Nice, 23 years old)
26 games played this season
2nd in the number of balls recovered (196)
3rd in number of tackles attempted (58)
3rd in number of successful tackles (38)
8th in percentage of duels won (65.9%)

A Toulouse duo in the air

In the air, there is a particularly well-known duo is this season, under the colors of Toulouse FC: Rasmus Nicolaisen (2nd) and Anthony Rouault (1st) are the two central defenders who have made the most challenges in the air after 28 games. The Dane, who arrived in the Rose City in 2021, also shines in two other areas: with ten games left in the season, he is the centre-back with the most blocks and the one who has the highest percentage of duels won this season (69.5%).

Rasmus Nicolaisen (Toulouse FC, 26 years old)
27 games played this season
1st in the number of blocks (30)
2nd in the number of aerial challenges made (116, of which 85 won)
5th in the number of challenges made (223)
4th in challenges won (155)
1st in percentage of challenges won (69.5%)
5th in the number of clearances made (119)

Anthony Rouault (Toulouse FC, 21 years old)
28 games played this season
1st in the number of aerial challenges made (123, of which 73 won)
4th in the number of challenges made (232)
5th in the number of challenges won (138)
5th in number of tackles attempted (52)
5th in number of successful tackles (32)
7th in interceptions (43)
7th in number of balls recovered (162)

Axel Disasi, an ever-improving boss

A world-class player with Didier Deschamps' French national team at the end of last year, Axel Disasi continues to progress. A 25-year-old AS Monaco ever-present who has worn the armband eight times this season, the Monegasque monolith looks unstoppable in 2022-23. The fourth-best central defender in terms of balls recovered and aerial challenges made in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, the Frenchman has become even more consistent and should prove an important element in the home stretch of ASM league campaign.

Axel Disasi (AS Monaco, 25 years old)
28 games played this season
4th in the number of balls recovered (175)
4th in the number of aerial challenges made (100, of which 71 were won)
6th in the number of interceptions (45)
6th in the number of counters (23)

Alexander Djiku, survival of the fittest

Despite the difficult season RC Strasbourg Alsace are having, Alexander Djiku is still ranked among the best central defenders in the competition. He appeared twice with Ghana in the last World Cup and has lost none of his flair. He is the second-best central defender in terms of interceptions this season and if he plays at his best in the last ten games, he could prove crucial for RCSA in their quest for top-flight survival.

Alexander Djiku (RC Strasbourg Alsace, 28 years old)
25 games played this season
6th in number of challenges made (218)
6th in number of challenges won (137)
4th in the number of aerial challenges made (100, of which 70 won)
2nd in interceptions (53)
6th in number of clearances (115)
8th in tackles attempted (46)
8th in number of successful tackles (29)

But also:

Promising with FC Lorient since his arrival last summer, Montassar Talbi has quickly made a place for himself in the centre of Les Merlus' defence. Fourth in the league in terms of percentage of challenges won (66.7%), and fourth for clearances (122), the Tunisian international has already made a successful debut in France. A strong link in the OM defence of OM, Chancel Mbemba is also making news in his first season in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. Trusted by Igor Tudor, he has the seventh-best percentage of challenges won in his position (66.5%).

Back in our championship since the winter, Dejan Lovren has helped stabilise OL's defence of OL. The former Croatian international, runner-up in the 2018 World Cup, is the most effective tackler in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, with 87.5% of successful tackles, ahead of Angevin Miha Blazic (83.3%) and Marseille's Eric Bailly (80%). He also shines in challenges, with 66.7% of won, the fourth-best performance in the category, along with with Talbi and Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot).