The full-back role has been totally reimagined in recent years.
For some of the elite sides, the position has become essential in attacking phases and it’s now occupied by players among the most technically proficient.
The demands on both sides of the ball are enormous with the responsibility to provide quality going forward, but also diligence and energy in reverse.
At the moment we are blessed with witnessing some of the finest players in the world emerge from the full-back position and naturally that means discerning the best, is no easy task.
It’s been 12 months since we last released our Tiered Rankings and here from Tier 4 to Tier 1, in ascending order, we examine eight of the best full-backs in the world right now.
The players have been measured by their form over the last year with talent, statistics and reputation used as a guide.
TIER 4
Juan Bernat (Paris Saint-Germain)
Valencia’s conveyor belt of left backs sees Bernat join Jordi Alba, Alex Grimaldo and Jose Gaya in emerging from the Los Che production line.
But it’s been in the last 12 months Bernat has stood out among this crowd.
He’s usurped Layvin Kurzawa at PSG and made the left-back slot his own, a pivotal role in Thomas Tuchel’s system which requires a combination of slick technique on the ball and a strong work ethic.
The 27-year-old is vastly underrated because his style is a little more subtle. He’s very clever on the ball and his passing always allows his team-mates to open up and make their next move with ease.
This intelligent positioning carves open space for others and the way he moves to occupy opposition defenders is sharp.
He’s among the most accurate passing full-backs in Europe at 91 per cent and has added six assists, too.
A defensive liability in the past, he’s improved in all areas of his game in 2019/20, from aerial duels to tackles.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United)
‘The Spider’ crawls his way onto the bottom tier, but he will climb much higher in the years to come as his attacking capabilities continue to develop.
An outstanding one-v-one defender, Wan-Bissaka almost lures wingers in by being caught out of position only to use his blistering speed and supreme tackle timing to whip the ball away.
It’s as if his legs are a giant knife and fork set with the way he just gobbles up attackers with such ease. And not just any attackers; Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling is one of the best wide forwards in the world and he endured a torrid time against the United right-back this season.
Defensively Wan-Bissaka is brilliant, going forward he requires some refinement with just two assists this term. But the 22-year-old is already showing signs of marked improvement in 2020.
Evolution could see this spider become the man among full-backs.
TIER 3
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
Alphonso Davies has joined a growing crew of elite prospects this season.
The Canadian is one of the most unplayable full-backs on the planet and if any evidence is required, just ask a Chelsea defence terrorised by Davies on his Champions League knockout debut.
That first-leg encounter in London saw him billboard his talent to the entire world. But since breaking into Bayern’s first XI last October, the 19-year-old has impressed.
His speed is frightening, surging forward as if running from collapsing earth behind him. Dribbling ability at speed is what makes him so dangerous.
He uses that pace adeptly defensively as well, and is physically stronger than he looks, all the more impressive considering he’s developed as a winger.
In fact, his rise has been so emphatic, a player of David Alaba’s quality is now being widely tipped with a move away from Bayern Munich this summer.
Jordi Alba (Barcelona)
Seeing Alba so low is surely going to vex a number of people reading this, but over the last 12 months the Barcelona left-back has been ravaged by injury.
Indeed, in terms of talent, Alba remains one of the best around but at 31-years-old, physical decline has impacted his ability to demonstrate that.
A series of muscular injuries have seen him sidelined on three separate occasions, limiting his telepathic combination with Lionel Messi, resulting in just one goal and one assist in 22 games across all competitions this term.
Still, reputation counts for a lot, especially for a player who contributed 13 assists in 2018/19 and before this campaign averaged seven Liga assists per season from 2015/16.
Barring the second leg at Anfield, Alba remains defensively sound plus he’s one of the best full-backs at running in behind and providing quality into the box.
Even Andy Robertson still considers him to be the best left-back around.
TIER 2
Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)
Ricardo Pereira is finally receiving the plaudits he deserves.
Towards the back end of last season the Portuguese was showing he’d fully acclimated to Premier League football, shoring up his previous defensive liabilities while maintaining his ferocious attacking output.
And he’s taken his overall game up another notch in 2019/20, becoming a crucial source of consistency for Brendan Rodgers.
His ability to win the ball high up the field has been vital to Rodgers’ smothering pressing style. Indeed, no player in the Premier League has made more tackles than Pereira (119) and he’s the only one in triple digits this season.
He’s within touching distance of top-10 for interceptions (49) and ranks first among defenders for total passes blocked (31).
A previous weakness has become a strength and the 26-year-old is still his slick self going forward.
No defender has dribbled more (97) or come close to his success (58) and his threat has even led to oppositions doubling up on him, freeing up space for attackers further in front or inside to infiltrate defences.
He’s proving to be a goalscoring threat as well, scoring four times this season. The only negative is the serious knee injury picked up in last month’s match against Aston Villa.
Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
There are few players with highlight reels hallmarked by the type of lung-busting runs a Tour de France cyclist would be proud of.
That’s the type of player Robertson is, though, a 90-minute all-action, high-energy machine.
He makes up one half of the most productive full-back pairing in the world alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and his devilish crossing ability is matched only by his team-mate.
Granted, Robertson doesn’t have the same variety as Alexander-Arnold, but he’s precise and can generate a tremendous amount of dangerous whip on the ball.
And while there are better attacking full-backs and better defensive full-backs out there, none balance both duties better than the Scot.
He’s closing in on a second-straight season with double-figured assists and only Jordan Henderson has tackled more for Liverpool this term – evidence of binary qualities.
TIER 1
Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund)
It looks like Hakimi will return to Real Madrid for next season, but Los Blancos owe a debt of gratitude to Dortmund for his development over the last two years.
Hakimi was clearly talented but so obviously raw before joining the Black and Yellow on a two-season long loan. He will return much more refined.
Hakimi was a soft spot prone to errors when he initially broke into the Madrid team, something naturally expected considering his age.
But the Morocco international is now 21 and flying.
Only Trent Alexander-Arnold has more assists from full-backs this season, with Hakimi reaching double figures in the Bundesliga. He’s also totted up his statistics with seven goals across all competitions.
He’s comfortably the quickest player in the German top flight and uses that acceleration to routinely pin back and destroy defences.
Now, he’s one of the best attacking full-backs, but there are still problems with his defensive qualities.
He requires the midfield help Henderson provides Alexander-Arnold and without that can look vulnerable.
But it’s a price worth paying with what he gives Dortmund both in the press and in attack.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
By just about every metric, the best full-back in the world.
Alexander-Arnold has made the role fashionable as he parades the silkiness of a centre-midfield playmaker from right-back.
Neutralise Alexander-Arnold and teams go some way to stopping Liverpool. The only issue is that he’s practically impossible to stop.
His range of passing off either foot is majestic. He can whip balls into the box from deep, cross and cut-back with accuracy from the byline, break lines with passes into the likes of Roberto Firmino or switch play out wide with his signature diagonal fade.
The only way to prevent the 21-year-old from authoring a game is to push him as far away from the box as possible and that is no easy feat.
His long legs allow him to eat up ground quickly so he’s able to get back and defend, and in those defensive phases he continues to improve his positioning and challenge timing.
It’s hard to find a weakness with the England man these days and given only four players have more than his 12 league assists from Europe’s top-five leagues this season (Angel Di Maria, Jadon Sancho, Thomas Muller and Kevin De Bruyne), he’s proving to be Liverpool’s biggest strength.
