Leny Yoro’s Defender Challenge: Choosing the Greatest of All Time

In a recent episode of Fan Zone, 19-year-old Leny Yoro engaged in a bracket challenge aimed at identifying the greatest defender from a selection of football legends. He commenced the quarter-finals by opting for Sergio Ramos over Gerard Pique and selecting the Italian virtuoso Paolo Maldini over Fabio Cannavaro. Demonstrating loyalty to his current club, he favored Rio Ferdinand over Chelsea’s John Terry and chose Nemanja Vidic over Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany in the Premier League segment.

The semi-finals presented Yoro with some challenging decisions. Ramos progressed past Maldini, leading to a final showdown against the winner of the “battle of Old Trafford” between Ferdinand and Vidic. Yoro opted for Ferdinand to advance to the final, but when faced with the ultimate decision between the English defender and Ramos, he acknowledged the difficulty of the choice. After a brief pause, he ultimately declared Ramos as the winner, with Ferdinand taking the runner-up position.

Despite the final decision, Yoro provided insight into his own playing style during the challenge. When choosing between the renowned partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic in the semi-finals, he expressed a preference for Ferdinand, stating, “My style is more like Ferdinand, so I’m going to say Ferdinand,” in his explanation to the host.

While Yoro clearly holds Ferdinand in high esteem, placing him among his top two defenders of all time, the impressive legacy of Ramos, marked by numerous trophies, proved too compelling to overlook. Although Ferdinand may have won the personal affinity of Yoro, he ultimately fell short in the quest for the title of greatest of all time.

This outcome carries a hint of irony considering Yoro’s journey to Manchester United. It is well-known that Ferdinand played a pivotal role in persuading Yoro to join Old Trafford last summer, acting as a mentor and promoting the club’s potential when Real Madrid, where Ramos established his legacy, also expressed interest.

Recalling their conversation, Yoro said, “He called me. First of all, I was really impressed to speak with him, and we spoke for about ten minutes about Man United. He helped me a lot in making my choice. It was truly an honor to converse with him. He emphasized the club’s history and significance, urging me to fight for the club and be prepared, as this is the biggest club in the world. It was very encouraging to discuss this.”

Additionally, Yoro shared his admiration for Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri and was asked to rank five top players, including himself, Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsi, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.