Ex Man-City star Julian Alvarez names the three best defenders he has ever faced and snubs one Premier League star

Julian Alvarez has named the top three defenders he's faced in his career, and he's left out some big names.

Alvarez enjoyed two seasons in the Premier League with Manchester City, where he won back-to-back league titles.

He scored 36 goals in 103 appearances across all competitions before moving on from the Etihad this summer.

The Argentine swapped England's top flight for La Liga, linking up with fellow countryman Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid in a transfer worth £81.5 million.

During his time in the Premier League, he came up against some of the world's best defenders.

And in a recent interview, he named the top three defenders he's faced in his career.

The 24-year-old began with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk before selecting international teammates Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez.

"Van Dijk because he's very strong. He's one of the best defenders in the world," he told ESPN UK, before opting for the Tottenham and Manchester United defenders.

"'Cuti' Romero and 'Licha' Martinez," he added.

On Romero and Martinez, he explained: "'Cuti' because he's very aggressive and one of the best centre-back in the world now, too.

"And 'Licha' as well. Both of them are very similar in their aggressive defending."

Julian Alvarez and Virgil van Dijk during a World Cup clash. Image: Getty

So, Alvarez failed to mention Arsenal star William Saliba, who is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in world football.

His exclusion from the forward's list got people online talking.

One X user wrote: "Don’t let anyone gaslight you that Van Dijk isn’t the best defender.. every forwards are scared of him."

A second argued: "I’ll never understand why people rate Martinez and Romero so highly. They are bang average defenders."

Referencing Saliba, a third said: "I guess Julian Alvarez forgot to mention the best of 'em all. Rolls Royce."

A fourth slammed: "No Saliba?? U got no ball knowledge."

Another commented: "VVD is the common denominator for all the strikers in the premier league shows his GOAT status."