William Saliba Says He Is One of the Best Defenders in the World

William Saliba says he believes he is one of the best defenders in the world, and the Arsenal centre-back is backing that claim with the profile he has built since returning to the first team in 2022. The 25-year-old said he still wants the major titles that usually settle reputations at the top level.

Saliba and Arsenal’s climb

“I’m someone who prefers to speak only when there’s something to say,” Saliba said, adding that “Those who should speak have won titles and achieved great goals.” He also said, “When you haven’t reached them yet, you shouldn’t talk as much; you should work hard first.”

That caution runs through his rise. Saliba officially joined Arsenal in 2019, but he only really started playing for the first team in 2022 after a string of loan spells in Ligue 1 to gain experience and toughen himself up for the Premier League. “This is where I dreamed of being: a first-team regular at a big club,” he said.

Bondy and the centre-back role

Saliba grew up in Bondy, the Paris suburb where Kylian Mbappé also grew up, and he said he once dreamed of being a striker. “God decided I’d be a centre-back,” he said. The switch has left him in a position where his own standard now sits alongside the expectations that come with Arsenal.

He said, “Football is a team sport,” before adding that trophies are what make people remember a player. That is the friction in his own story: he has won the Community Shield with Arsenal in 2020 and 2023, but he said he is still missing the big titles.

Arteta’s standard

The pressure around Saliba has not come only from his own ambitions. In 2024, he said Mikel Arteta wanted “players to be afraid when they see [him],” a demand that fits the role he has carved out at Arsenal.

Saliba also said, “I knew I had the qualities and the talent to be a top-class player, so I fought to get back to Arsenal and show that my place was there.” He added, “I’m careful not to get complacent,” and warned that “Football moves too fast: if you let up, someone will come and replace you straight away.”

He was crowned an English Champion on 19 May, a milestone that gives more weight to his claim that he belongs among the best defenders in the game. For Arsenal, the next step is no longer about whether he can handle the level; it is about whether the honors catch up with the standard he says he already has.