9. Gerard Pique – Barcelona
When Pique first left Manchester United to join Barca many were surprised at just how good he was. His towering presence at the back was beset by a proclivity to surge forward and make a nuisance of himself at the other end of the pitch. However, as the years have rolled by he has himself admit that he is no longer one of the best defenders in the world, and it is not unfair to argue that one of the main reasons he is still in the headlines is because of his celebrity wife, Shakira. Barca had to replace club legend Carles Puyol over the summer, but they would have done just as well to replace Pique.