Arsenal centre back, William Saliba is one of the world’s brightest defensive talents, having performed unbelievably in his past two seasons at Arsenal in the Premier League, following an impressive season on loan at Marseille in Ligue 1 before that.
Saliba showed off his abilities at Euro 2024, helping his side keep four clean sheets in the six games they played as France reached the semi-finals in Germany. Partnered alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of Arsenal’s backline, Saliba has thrived in recent seasons, using his calmness on the ball to play out from the back while also possessing all the physical attributes needed to shine at the top level.
His hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed among the elite of the game. Former Arsenal cult hero and World Cup winner Per Mertesacker believes the Frenchman is world class, rating the centre-back above some of the greatest to play football in a game of ‘winner stays on,’ for Mail Sport.
Mertesacker favours Saliba
The German picked the Arsenal defender above giants of the game
In the game, the World Cup winner must choose between two centre back options, with the winner remaining as an option for the next round of picks. The video begins with a choice between former Manchester United and England defender, Rio Ferdinand, and former Arsenal centre back, Sol Campbell, where, with a bit of apprehension, he chooses Campbell.
When asked to choose between Campbell and Jaap Stam for the next round, Per opts for the Dutchman with confidence, going against the Gunner. However, in the following round, Mertesacker really begins to turn up the temperature, as he is given the choice between Stam and William Saliba. Without hesitation, he selects the French international.
Then comes the battle of two current Premier League stars, as Manchester City centre back, Ruben Dias is thrust forward. But, once again, the Arsenal man came out on top, with only a small amount of uncertainty.
William Saliba’s 2023-24 Arsenal Statistics | |
|---|---|
Appearances | 50 |
Clean Sheets | 22 |
Pass Completion Percentage | 92.4% |
Ball Recoveries Per 90 | 5.61 |
Progressive Passes Per 90 | 4.13 |
Tackles Per 90 | 1.08 |
Next up was slightly more of an easier choice for Per picks Saliba over former Arsenal centre back and Invincible Kolo Toure. At this point in the game, it is becoming obvious how highly Mertesacker rates the 23-year-old, so the interviewer then throws a curveball, asking him if he rated himself higher than the Frenchman, to which he responded immediately that he was not as good, a very modest response from the 39-year-old.
In the following round, a colossal name is thrown into the mix. A player who has won everything there is to win in English football, one of the most iconic and well-renowned defenders of this generation of football, Virgil Van Dijk. Despite this, and after a short moment of hesitation, he once again says Saliba.
So it seems at this point that eclipsing the French international is going to take some doing, and next up to rival him is Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, which end once again with Saliba on top.
It is not just Mertesacker that rates him so highly, as Ferdinand heaped praise towards the centre back during the European championships. He said:
“Their [France] defence, on paper, is better than ours [England]. Saliba and Upamecano have formed a really good partnership. They’ve been brilliant. I think if you were going to pick the best centre-half in the world right now, you’d rather go with William Saliba.”
Tony Adams Top Dog
Mertesacker chooses Adams as his last man standing
Notwithstanding, entering the next round, the interviewer brings out a name that gives Per a lot to think about. As iconic Arsenal defender, Tony Adams is the name that is brought forward, but this time, after a long pause, Saliba finally does not make the cut, and Adams is selected.
In the next round, there is a player who has won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, and two European Cups, former Chelsea legend John Terry, but Mertesacker did not even give it a moment’s thought as he chose the Arsenal legend instantly.
Manchester City legend and current Bayern Munich head coach, Vincent Kompany, was then the next name to be thrown into the mix, but predictably, this was not even a consideration for the German, as once again Adams was the immediate choice.
Then, in the final round of the game, there’s a choice between Adams and former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic. Again, without hesitation, the World Cup winner picks Tony Adams as his all-time favourite defender.