Antonio Rudiger says Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are two of the best centre-backs in the world right now

Centre back Antonio Rudiger of Real Madrid has heaped praise on Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba of Arsenal, stating that they are among the world’s top three centre backs at the moment.

Following two seasons in which they came in second to Manchester City, the Gunners are back in the running for the Premier League crown, and their centre-back combination has been instrumental in their strong defensive play.

Gabriel and Saliba have been compared by Frank Lampard to Chelsea greats John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, as Arsenal allowed the fewest goals in the Premier League last season.

Their connection has amazed Rudiger, who attributes the North London club’s on-field development over the past two seasons to them.

The Real Madrid player responded, “I would go, William Saliba, Virgil van Dijk, and Gabriel Magalhaes from Arsenal as well,” when asked which three centre backs, excluding him, he believes are the finest at the moment on The Inside Scoop.

“If you watch Arsenal’s two centre backs playing together, they’ve been performing fantastically for the past two years.

“Those two are the foundations of it: the change from Arsenal as it was a little earlier to now.

“You have Saliba, who plays clean, and Gabriel, who is the bossy one! Given that he appears to be a quiet leader, you must give it to him.

The defensive pairing of Rudiger and Arsenal has performed admirably together over the past two seasons.

Italian full-back Riccardo Calafiori and Spanish custodian David Raya have helped the Gunners bolster their defence, and Dutch defender Jurrien Timber has returned from an injury that kept him out for most of the previous campaign.

Arsenal will want to surpass their previous performance this season, and Saliba and Gabriel will be essential to their championship victory if they are able to win the Premier League in May 2025 for the first time since 2004.