Luka Vušković, Loïc Badé and the top-tackling defenders of the 2025/26 Bundesliga so far
Hamburg's star defender Luka Vušković leads the way, but find out who else is among the league's meanest defenders when it comes to duels won...
*Rankings compiled among outfield players who have played at least two thirds of their team's total Bundesliga minutes so far in the 2025/26 season.
1. Luka Vušković (Hamburg), 70.4 percent of duels won
The 18-year-old loanee has been one of the sensations of the season so far, winning Rookie of the Month twice already. The younger brother of Mario is not someone you want to contest a header with - winning a staggering 81 percent of his aerial duels. His 70 per cent of total duels won makes him officially the league's top-tackling defender, and he was also heroic on the pitch recently by rushing to the aid of Rasmus Kristensen.
Watch: Vušković wins October Rookie of the Month!
2. Jeff Chabot (VfB Stuttgart), 68.0 percent
Stuttgart's Mr Consistent has been at his tough-tackling best again this season, with Chabot improving his 65.2 percent success rate from last season to an incredible 68 percent so far. It's the same proportion of tackles he won in 2023/24 when he was the Bundesliga's top defender in this metric.
3. Loïc Badé (Bayer Leverkusen), 67.8 percent
Leverkusen have lost the man who topped the tackling charts last season, Jonathan Tah, but found the perfect replacement in Badé. The composed 25-year-old is a fraction behind Chabot in these rankings and has a better ratio than Tah at Bayern Munich, who has dropped from 67 percent last season to 63 percent this time around.
4. Willi Orbán (RB Leipzig), 66.4 per cent
5. Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig), 66.1 per cent
Leipzig's centre-back pairing are the Bundesliga's top-tackling defensive duo. Both Orbán and Lukeba won over 66 per cent of their duels, making them a combined rock in defence. It's no wonder that Leipzig's backline rarely rotates: Orbán is the outfield player with the most playing time for the Saxony-based club, with Lukeba in third place.
Related news
Ambitious Hamburg hard at work
After a seven-year absence from the Bundesliga, Hamburg are keen to continue their upward trajectory.
Vušković rushes to opposition player's aid
Luka Vušković made a potentially life-saving intervention following an injury to Rasmus Kristensen during Hamburg's meeting with Frankfurt.
HSV edge Bremen in five-goal Nordderby thriller
Hamburg claimed bragging rights in the first Bundesliga Nordderby in eight years in a thrilling match.