Comeback_Kenwyne
Winger
All the greats have been said already but the one modern day defender who has stood out for me is Diego Godin. His performance against Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the 1-1 draw ( which he scored in) title decider in 2014 is one of the most heroic displays I've ever seen from a center half. Atletico won the league. He almost repeated this against Real Madrid in the champions league final weeks later (a game in which he also scored).
I mentioned him, terrific defender. Such a warrior. He's faded a bit now and has been overtaken by Van Djik, but he was the best defender in the world in the era you talk about.