Revealed: The Top 15 Defenders Who Have Won The Most Aerial Defensive Duels This Season

Chelsea star Kurt Zouma has beaten Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire to be named the defender with the best aerial defensive record this season.

Blues boss Frank Lampard has frequently partnered the 26-year-old French centre-back alongside the experienced Thiago Silva, who arrived in the summer on a free transfer.

And the CIES Football Observatory has found that Zouma holds the best aerial defensive record for any defender in the world this season.

The France international has won a total of 26 headers out of 27, meaning that he holds an impressive 96.3 per cent record.

Zouma's 96.3 per cent puts him well clear of Maguire, who finished third with a 90 per cent aerial defensive record.

Posted below are the 15 best defenders who have won the highest percentage of aerial defensive duels this season.

15. Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moskva) -- total headers: 46; headers won: 39 (percentage won: 84.8 per cent)

14. Salif Sane (Schalke) -- total headers: 33; headers won: 28 (percentage won: 84.9 per cent)

13. Aleksandr Putsko (Akhmat Grozny) -- total headers: 28; headers won: 24 (percentage won: 85.7 per cent)

12. James Tarkowski (Burnley) -- total headers: 28; headers won: 24 (percentage won: 85.7 per cent)

11. Loic Bade (Lens) -- total headers: 36; headers won: 31 (percentage won: 86.1 per cent)

10. Yerry Mina (Everton) -- total headers: 29; headers won: 25 (percentage won: 86.2 per cent)

9. Lorenzo Tonelli (Sampdoria) -- total headers: 24; headers won: 21 (percentage won: 87.5 per cent)

8. Jhon Lucumi (Genk) -- total headers: 24; headers won: 21 (percentage won: 87.5 per cent)

7. Olivier Boscagli (PSV Eindhoven) -- total headers: 32; headers won: 28 (percentage won: 87.5 per cent)

6. Sebastian Holmen (Willem II) -- total headers: 25; headers won: 22 (percentage won: 88 per cent)

5. Pablo Nascimento (Bordeaux) -- total headers: 25; headers won: 22 (percentage won: 88 per cent)

4. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) -- total headers: 25; headers won: 22 (percentage won: 88 per cent)

3. Harry Maguire (Manchester United) -- total headers: 30; headers won: 27 (percentage won: 90 per cent)

2. Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta) -- total headers: 23; headers won: 22 (percentage won: 95.7 per cent)

1. Kurt Zouma (Chelsea) -- total headers: 27; headers won: 26 (percentage won: 96.3 per cent)

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Harry Maguire, Football News, Football, Kurt Zouma, Raphael Varane

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9