Kendall Waston is a classic towering centre-back, built around physical presence, aerial dominance and strong mentality rather than technical polish. At almost 2 metres tall with a big frame and very high balance, he is extremely hard to move in duels and a constant threat on set pieces, both in defence and attack. On the ball he keeps things simple, short, safe passes and clearances, but without trying to play like a ball-playing defender.

His prime came with Vancouver Whitecaps, where he became captain and defensive leader, winning individual awards and scoring a good number of header goals from corners and free-kicks. For Costa Rica he is remembered above all for the dramatic header against Honduras that basically sent the team last-minue to the 2018 World Cup, and for his presence at the tournament itself in which he scored a header against Switzerland. He embodies the “old school” stopper profile: dominant in the air, aggressive in duels, very committed and capable of organising the back line, but not particularly fast or agile.

On top of his defensive work, he’s also an elite goal-scoring threat for a centre-back, even scoring and assisting with headers in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups against Switzerland and Germany, respectively. According to IFFHS rankings, he is one of the top 10 highest scoring defenders in the WORLD in the current decade (2021–2024). Furthermore, IFFHS even noted that in their ranking for the current decade he is the defender with the most goals scored from open play (no penalties) in the world (source: https://iffhs.com/posts/4259), which says a lot about how often he attacks the box and how dangerous he is in the air.