World Cup 2018: Top 10 Right-Backs in the Tournament

#5 Ricardo Pereira

Ricardo Pereira

Perhaps the most underrated player in these rankings, Ricardo Pereira was spectacular for FC Porto in the Portuguese league last season. In fact, the 24-year-old had the sixth highest player rating in Liga NOS (highest for any defender). Pereira (who also occasionally plays as a winger) was outstanding bombing down the right flank, as he provided two goals and five assists (along with 1.3 key passes per game).

One of his strongest suits is his dribbling, as he led all defenders with 1.8 dribbles per game in the Primera Liga. Yet what is even more impressive is that even at the rather young age of 24, Pereira has shown incredible maturity defensively. He is perhaps one of the best tacklers in the list, having averaged 3.7 per game (second in the Primera Liga) last season. At the same time, the Portuguese right-back is not as reckless as he was only dribbled past 0.6 times per game.

His other defensive stats are just as impressive, as the recent Leicester City signing averaged 1.7 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game. The only questions surrounding Pereira (and what prevent him from being even higher in these rankings) pertain to his ability to replicate this form against tougher competition. For those reasons, Pereira may not even start with Fernando Santos perhaps preferring the more experienced yet mediocre Cedric. Considering the above statistics, that may not be the right decision.