Another game another goal for Branislav Ivanovic - 6 for the season. More than all of Aston Villa’s forwards put together. Probably. A timely reminder that defenders can get on the scoresheet too, as Ivanovic nets another we look at the top goalscoring defenders of all time.
Daniel Van Buyten
Hardly surprising the enormous Belgian features in our list – standing at nearly 6ft 6 and nicknamed “Big Dan” he must have got his head on a fair few. 52 in 488 appearances to be exact. But he wasn't just lethal in the air. Who can forget that stoppage time equaliser against AC Milan in the 2007 Champions league quarter finals? An excellent finish on the half volley and an invaluable away goal for Bayern Munich.
Marco Materazzi
The big Italian, perhaps more famous for being on the end of that headbutt, has scored an impressive 57 goals in his career – not a bad return for a centre back. In the 2006-07 season Materazzi bagged an astonishing 10 goals for Inter Milan, a feat Mr Ivanovic is no doubt hoping to emulate.
Ian Harte
Scoring 12 goals in just 63 international appearances, this Republic of Ireland defender is a surprise addition to our list. At a measly 5ft 9, it’s no surprise Harte is not a central defender but 85 goals is still mightily impressive even for a left back. Bagging 39 in his 9 years with Leeds United at the start of his professional career, he’s fallen by the way side in recent seasons – only netting 5 in his past 86 appearances.
Marcus Tulio Tanaka
And at number one? A Brazilian-born Japanese centre back nobody’s heard of. But with 99 goals so far in his career - who cares? Having never left the Japanese domestic league, we've had to manage with only marvelling at this unorthodox goalscoring defender from a far. Tanaka has represented Japan at the Olympics, Asian Cup and World Cup, scoring 8 goals in total in his international career. The most memorable? Probably the one he netted against England in 2010. I knew I'd heard that name somewhere before…
Source: DSG
