Ranking the top 10 right backs in the world

There aren’t many tougher positions to play in football at the moment than full back. Players are expected to play a role in attacking areas, and get back and do the job defensively.

In the defensive third, they have the problem of having wingers who are faster, and more skilful. Probably the hardest aspect for defenders is dealing with attackers who are more willing to go down to try and win a free kick and have become much smarter in fooling referees.

As for going forward, full backs have a greater role to play now, with the classic winger very rare nowadays. Now we have wide players who like to come inside and influence play, leaving full backs with acres of room to bomb forward and have an impact in the attacking third.

This has led to full backs almost becoming attacking players, and in many cases, full backs being better going forward than they are going the other way. Therefore, many of the players on this list are on it for their attacking merits, rather than their defensive ones.

With that in mind, here are the top ten right backs in world football right now.

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#10 Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)

Pereira has made a strong start to his time at Leicester

It was a bit of a surprise when Pereira left Porto to join Leicester City this summer. He had an excellent season in Portugal, as Porto ended a five-year wait for a title, and he could easily have moved to a club who had established themselves in the Champions League. In fact, it was Leicester, who pulled off somewhat a coup in signing a Pereira, very early on in the transfer window.

He is one of those players who does a lot of good work going forward and is capable of an excellent delivery from wide areas. He has great pace, and that gives him an advantage when going forward, and when doing his job defensively. He has made an excellent start to his career at the King Power Stadium and is proving a real upgrade on Danny Simpson. At £22 million, he looks like a real bargain for Leicester.

#9 Sime Vrsaljko (Inter Milan)

Vrsaljko was excellent for Croatia at the World Cup

Vrsaljko is another man who it was a surprise to see move in the summer. The Croat had an excellent World Cup and was one of his side’s top performers in their run to the World Cup Final. You would have thought that he would have been right up Diego Simeone’s street, given his ability to defend, and the calmness and composure he has in possession.

This was not to be, however, and he was loaned out to Simeone’s former club, Inter Milan. He wasn’t always a first choice selection at Atletico, competing with Juanfran for his position at right back. However, Juanfran is now 33 and approaching the end of his career, while Vrsaljko looks like he is only getting better at 26. There is a chance that he returns to Atletico at the end of his loan spell, but Inter have an option to buy as part of the loan deal. Expect them to take this, because Vrsaljko is already one of the top full backs in the world, and he will only get better in the coming years.

#8 Thomas Meunier (PSG)

Meunier has had to be patient at PSG

They say competition is healthy for players, and this has certainly been the case for Meunier. Despite his undoubted talents, Meunier still isn’t the first choice at PSG and he has had to be content with a squad rotation role alongside Dani Alves. He has appeared just 44 times in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons but is still a much better player than he was when he made the move to Paris from Club Brugge in 2016.

Much like Alves, he is much more comfortable in advanced areas, which was shown by how well he played for Belgium at right wing back at the World Cup in Russia this summer. With Alves approaching the final years of his career, Meunier will be given more chances in the PSG side in the near future, and he will only get better with the increased opportunities. He will need to improve defensively as he gets older, because although that side of his game isn’t questioned too much domestically, it will be vital in European competitions, and that is where PSG’s ambitions really lay.

#7 Djibril Sidibe (Monaco)

Sidibe has been a big part of Monaco's success in recent years

Sidibe was one of a number of players who made a name for themselves during Monaco’s run to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-final during the 2016/17 season. A lot of those players have already left the club- Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva joined Manchester City, Fabinho moved to Liverpool, Tiemoue Bakayoko joined Chelsea, and most notably, Kylian Mbappe signed for PSG.

Sidibe was one of few who stuck around, and that hasn’t been because of a lack of interest. The Frenchman, who now has a World Cup winners’ medal to his name, was linked heavily with a move to Atletico Madrid this summer. That should tell you all you need to know about the full back, because Diego Simeone is only interested in players who will improve his side defensively. Sidibe is still an excellent player going forward, and has been a real threat for Monaco is attacking areas over the last couple of years.

#6 Kieran Trippier (Tottenham)

Trippier has picked up the nickname 'Bury Beckham'

A year ago, very few people would have expected Trippier to be on this list, but he has had a quite remarkable 12 months. He has made the most of Kyle Walker’s move to Manchester City and has become Tottenham’s first choice right back, despite the signing of Serge Aurier from PSG. He has become a top right back in that time and was a part of Tottenham’s excellent defensive record last season.

Tripper really came to the fore during England’s impressive run to the World Cup semi-finals, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament. It was his attacking side of the game that was most notable, as he created the most chances of any player in Russia. He also showed himself off as a set-piece specialist, netting a brilliant free kick in the semi-final against Croatia. His defensive side of the game is also excellent, and you rarely see him lose a battle with the opposition winger.

#5 Dani Alves (PSG)

Alves is approaching the end of his career

For many years, Alves would have been number one on this list, but age has caught up with the Brazilian full back. He is now 35 but is still a quality right back, and one of the best in Europe right now. Much like with Meunier, he has seen his role change since his arrival in Paris and is no longer guaranteed a start in every game. This is almost expected at his age, as he is no longer capable of playing every week.

He was favoured by Unai Emery for the bigger games last season and was his first choice in the Champions League. Obviously, we cannot be sure that this will still be the case this season under new manager Thomas Tuchel. Alves was never a full back who prioritised defending and did his best work in an attacking role. This is often why he has been so highly rated during his career, but at times, it has also been his downfall.

#4 Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Walker has really excelled under Pep Guardiola

Walker is another one of the England players who impressed during the run to the World Cup semi-final in Russia. The 28-year-old played in a different role for his country in the summer though, as he took up a centre back role in an attempt to give Gareth Southgate more options. He is, however, an excellent full back in his own right, and has proved this on numerous occasions in the past.

He has come on in a number of different ways since moving to play under Pep Guardiola. He gets into better positions in defensive areas as well as attacking ones and has become much more comfortable with the ball at his feet. Under Guardiola, he plays slightly more inside in an area where he can impact upon the game more, and use his pace to get up and down the pitch so he could cover defensively.

#3 Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Azpilicueta has been a consistent performer for Chelsea over the years

Of all the players on this list, Azpilicueta probably offers the least going forward, but defensively, there aren’t many better full backs in world football. The Chelsea full back is now entering his seventh season of English football, and he just seems to get better and better. You very rarely see a winger get the better of the Spaniard, who reads the game so well and tactically knows his role inside out.

He is capable of providing in attacking areas and has a good delivery, which he proved on a number of occasions last season, forming an excellent relationship with Alvaro Morata. He will be expected to do more on the ball this season though, particularly with Maurizio Sarri as his manager. He will continue to do his best work defensively though, and he will have a greater role defensively this season, as Sarri switches to a back four, with Azpilicueta moving back to his natural position of right back.

#2 Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)

Carvajal has been key to Real's recent success

All the headlines after the Champions League Final were about Mohamed Salah’s injury after the winger dislocated his shoulder in a challenge with Sergio Ramos. However, Carvajal was also forced off due to injury before half time, two years after he had to be taken off during 2016 final because of injury. This was a massive loss for Real, as, since his return to Real in 2013, he has been one of the top right backs in the world.

As with most Real full backs, Carvajal is excellent going forward and showed this most notably with a brilliant late winner in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla. With all the attacking talent on show at the Bernabeu, Carvajal often goes under the radar, but his consistent level of performance over the last few years have been crucial to Real’s success, particularly in the Champions League.

#1 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Kimmich has stepped up since Philipp Lahm's retirement

One of the biggest tests for Bayern Munich in recent years has been replacing Philipp Lahm, arguably one of the club’s greatest players, after he retired in 2017. Lahm was such a consistent performer in his time with the German giants, and at international level. Kimmich has managed to step up in Lahm’s absence and has been superb for Bayern, putting in a series of excellent performances in the Bundesliga, and for Germany.

He had the opportunity to learn from Lahm in his younger years and regularly played alongside him under Pep Guardiola, who moved Lahm into a defensive midfield role. Kimmich has proved himself an excellent defender, and someone with the maturity way beyond his 23 years. He has also shown that he is capable of being a threat going forward and scored in both legs of Bayern’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Real Madrid last season.