Aymeric Laporte claims he will have to match Sergio Ramos if he is to be considered the best defender in the world.

And the Manchester City centre-back believes it is Ramos’ controversial ‘edge’ that sets him apart from the rest.

The Real Madrid star was cast as the villain of last season’s Champions League final when dislocating Mo Salah’s shoulder during a clash with the Liverpool forward.

But Laporte believes Ramos is the benchmark for all defenders.

The 24-year-old said: “Do I want to be the best defender in Europe? Of course. Any defender will tell you that - who wouldn’t want to be the best?

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“Sergio Ramos is probably the best centre-back in the world at the moment as we know we have to match his standards or better him if we are to be as good as he is.

“City have Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones - all great defenders and we can all learn off each other. To get to the top, you must have an edge to your game, like Ramos does.”

Laporte has been one of the standout performers in City’s unbeaten start to the season, establishing himself as a near-undroppable in Pep Guardiola’s defence.

The Frenchman only arrived in the Premier League in January, following a £57m move from Athletic Bilbao, but is thriving at the Etihad and says he has embraced the English game.

“It’s similar (to Spain) but more physical, but I am really enjoying that aspect of it,” he told City’s official programme. “I’ve enjoyed it from day one and I feel very much at home here.

“Every training session you take part in, you have to work very hard and train hard because there is no other way to get where you want to be - it’s not a secret and not a magic formula - just hard work and application.”