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Franz Beckenbauer
Born
Beckenbauer made the libero an attacking starting point rather than a defender who merely swept up danger. UEFA recalls his long passes with the outside of the foot and Bayern's arrangement, which let him advance while Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck supplied cover. Watch the moment he steps beyond a first opponent: his freedom works because the team's defensive balance is planned around it.
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Gaetano Scirea
Born
Scirea offered a different Italian version of the attacking sweeper: controlled defending followed by a willingness to join the next phase. Marco Tardelli recalled Scirea supplying the pass for his goal in the 1982 World Cup final, an example that places a defender within an advanced move rather than only at its start. His calm positioning is the reason the forward contribution did not require abandoning the defensive job.
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Ronald Koeman
Born
Koeman was a defender whose distribution could alter the direction of a move before the opposition had reset. UEFA describes him as an exceptional ball-playing defender, while his free-kicks and penalties made his attacking contribution unusually visible. For this list, follow the earlier work: how his first pass or carry gives a midfielder a better angle, without confusing goals from dead balls with building an attack.
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Fernando Hierro
Hierro began in midfield before becoming a central defender, a background visible in the way he could settle the ball and choose a route forward. Real Madrid specifically credits his ability to play out from the back alongside the defensive partnership he formed with Manolo Sanchís. He is useful here for the composed first decision, not merely for a defender's unusually large goal total.
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Gerard Piqué
Born
Piqué helped Barcelona keep possession under pressure by treating the first pass as part of the team's wider passing structure. His size and defensive positioning mattered as much as his comfort on the ball: a centre-back who receives a risky pass must still protect the space behind him. Watch how he waits for a midfielder or full-back to change angle before playing through, rather than making every forward pass immediately.
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Sergio Ramos
Born
Ramos's attacking reputation often centres on goals, but Real Madrid also used him to begin moves securely. UEFA's 2016/17 technical report records his repeated simple forward passes to Toni Kroos and links to Marcelo in the Champions League final. That pattern is worth studying: choosing the right nearby recipient can move an attack more effectively than forcing a long ball from the back.
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Leonardo Bonucci
Born
Bonucci could bypass a crowded midfield with a lofted pass from Juventus's back line. UEFA's technical account of the 2017 Champions League final identifies one such long ball as the start of a carefully worked move. The useful comparison is with a short-passing centre-back: Bonucci's route could be direct without becoming a clearance, provided the receiver and supporting runs were ready.
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Mats Hummels
Born
Hummels shows how carrying a few unchallenged metres can make the next pass dangerous. In Dortmund's 2024 Champions League final, UEFA's observers noted him advancing before threading a pass beyond Real Madrid's high line for Karim Adeyemi. The pass mattered because he recognised when no one had come to close him; he did not need to play it from a static position.
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Thiago Silva
Born
Silva brought patience to the first phase, using his reading of pressure to keep Chelsea able to play instead of hurriedly surrendering possession. The club's tactical review highlights his composure and passing under pressure, while his defensive judgement kept that control credible. Watch the sequence before the progressive pass: he often improves the next receiver's options by declining a poor one.
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David Alaba
Born
Alaba's experience at left-back and in midfield gave him several pictures of the same attacking lane when he moved into central defence. He told UEFA that the position let him set the pace and influence build-up more often because he had so much of the ball. His case is about the defender choosing tempo and angle, not simply possessing a good left foot.
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Virgil van Dijk
Born
Van Dijk's diagonal pass can turn Liverpool's left-sided build-up into an immediate right-sided attack. Jürgen Klopp described that long switch as a weapon, and Arne Slot has also pointed to his timing when passing through lines. Those options make an opponent hesitate over which lane to close. Watch his scanning before the ball arrives, then the speed with which he changes the point of attack.
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Aymeric Laporte
Born
Laporte gave Manchester City a natural left-footed route out of defence. Guardiola said his presence sped up the build-up, and the club noted how quickly he could switch play. That matters when a pressing side tries to trap the ball on one flank: the angle of Laporte's first touch can open a safer route across the pitch while he remains in position to defend a turnover.
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John Stones
Born
Stones changed the question a centre-back could pose in possession by stepping into midfield beside Rodri. UEFA describes Manchester City's shift from a back line into a three-two build-up shape when he advanced. The reward was an extra passing option through the middle; the condition was that teammates covered the spaces he left. His movement shows why building an attack is sometimes positional before it is about the final pass.
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Alessandro Bastoni
Born
Bastoni can pass forward from Inter's left side or carry beyond an opponent who expects the pass. UEFA's technical observers highlighted both options and his composure under pressure in the 2025 Champions League quarter-final at Bayern. Inter's rotations can temporarily move a centre-back ahead of a midfielder; Bastoni is especially revealing when his advance creates a new angle without leaving the team disordered.
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William Saliba
Born
Saliba often receives while an opponent is close enough to make the first touch consequential. Premier League analysis pairs his large passing workload with his ability to play out under pressure, while also noting mistakes that have led to shots. Both sides matter here: his value is the calm progression he usually gives Arsenal, and the risk explains why defensive security remains an entry requirement for this list.
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Nico Schlotterbeck
Born
Schlotterbeck is willing to disguise the forward pass rather than merely recycle possession. UEFA's analysis of Dortmund against Manchester City shows him shaping as if to pass wide before finding a different route through. The Bundesliga also describes his build-up value alongside his ball-winning. Watch his body position: it can move a presser before the ball goes past that player.
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Leah Williamson
Born
Williamson's passing gives England and Arsenal a way to start moves without asking a midfielder to drop beside her for every first ball. UEFA highlights her vision, choice of pass and reading of the game, qualities that make the distribution part of her defensive role rather than a separate luxury. Follow her first look after receiving: she often identifies the next line before a presser commits.
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Mapi León
Born
León's left-sided passing was an active part of Barcelona's attacking structure. UEFA's analysis of the 2023 Champions League final shows her initiating a short-passing interchange with Fridolina Rolfö and Mariona Caldentey to move beyond Wolfsburg's press. The pattern makes her a useful comparison with long-ball specialists: the progression came from timing, support and a series of small positional improvements.
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Wendie Renard
Born
Renard anchored Lyon's back line while also offering a route beyond the first press. UEFA's analysis of the 2025/26 tie with Arsenal distinguishes her long passes over pressure from Ingrid Engen's shorter build-up work. That division is the point: a team can progress through complementary defenders, and Renard's choice to play beyond a line can be as deliberate as a neighbour's short combination.
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Irene Paredes
Paredes provided Barcelona with a right-sided partner capable of keeping the ball moving while defending the space behind its adventurous possession game. A UEFA technical review of the women's Champions League records how she and Mapi León progressed play from defence to midfield through forward passing. Watch the partnership rather than isolated pass counts: each gives the other a different angle and a secure base for the next phase.
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