The phrase "veteran defender" means someone who has a lot of experience in protecting or guarding something, often used in sports to describe an experienced player in a defensive position. Full definition
Veteran defender who has been with club since 2010, and been part of two promotion campaign as well as a relegation. (caughtoffside.com)
Dutch will benefit from the return of veteran defender Mathijsen who missed the Denmark game with an injury. (soccerisma.com)
That would also appear to put a dent in QPR's hopes of signing veteran defender Sylvain Distin having targeted the Frenchman as an intended January transfer target. (caughtoffside.com)