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The role of full-backs has gained a lot of importance in modern day football. Gone are the days where the full-backs were only meant for defending and now, they have a larger role to play in the build-up play.
They are expected to contribute to the attack and provide overlapping runs. Nowadays, teams invest a lot in full-backs. The recent deals of Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Dani Alves, and Danilo is an evidence to that.
The game has seen some legendary right-backs over the years. Gianluca Zambrotta, Javier Zanetti, Gary Neville, Lillian Thuram, Carlos Alberto Torres, and Cafu are some of the best right-backs of all time.
On that note, let’s take a look at the top five right-backs in the world right now:
#5 Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid
Carvajal is a technically gifted right-back who enjoyed a lot of success with Real Madrid. Three UEFA Champions League titles, 3 FIFA Club World Cup titles, 1 La Liga title, and 1 Copa del Rey title in 4 full seasons with Real Madrid talks a lot about his achievements.
He is a complete defender, can dribble well, is brilliant in linkup plays, can put in some accurate crosses, and most importantly, he defends well. Injuries played a part in his start-stop career, but on his day, there is no stopping him.
In his last four seasons with Real Madrid, Carvajal has scored 3 goals and assisted 20 more in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. With 2.5 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game, the defensive aspects of his game are better than most on this list.
#4 Dani Alves, Paris Saint-Germain
Dani Alves is regarded as one of the best right-backs of his generation. He was a part of the Barcelona side that dominated Europe for almost a decade. He has won 6 La Liga, 3 UEFA Champions League, 5 Copa del Rey, and 3 FIFA Club World titles during his illustrious career in Spain. He also played a huge role for Juventus in their Serie A success last season.
The Brazilian is an attacking full-back, known for his pace and overlapping runs. His linkup play and crosses are regarded as his greatest virtues. He is known for creating a lot of goal scoring chances for his teammates. He has made a total of 82 assists in La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and Champions League combined.
Though he is 34 right now, he rarely shows signs of slowing down. In 2017/18, he made 21 starts for Paris Saint-Germain, scored 2 goals and assisted 5 more. He averages a stunning 3.2 tackles per game this season and also makes 2 Key Passes per game.
#3 Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
Like a fine wine, Antonio Valencia is only getting better with age. The 32-year-old is a natural winger who has been converted into a right-back at Old Trafford.
Manchester United has the best defensive record in Premier League this season and Valencia is at the heart of it. In 2017/18, he made 22 appearances for Manchester United in Premier League and was superb on the right flank.
The Ecuadorian is physically strong with great stamina and is always applauded for his excellent work-rate. He possesses good pace and is known for his exquisite crossing abilities.
He averages 2.2 tackles per game in his last two Premier League seasons and is brilliant in one-on-one situations. Though he is 32, there are only a handful of players in Premier League who can outrun him.
#2 Kyle Walker, Manchester City
It raised a lot of eyebrows when Pep Guardiola spent a world record fee to sign the right-back from Tottenham Hotspur. However, Walker proved his critics wrong and was instrumental for Manchester City this campaign. He made 24 starts for City in Premier League and contributed 5 assists.
Kyle Walker is one of the fastest right-backs in the world with a lot of energy. He is physically strong and his work rate is phenomenal. With an average of 2.3 tackles per game in his Premier League career, Walker is brilliant defensively and at the same time, looks to maraud forward at every possible opportunity.
The 27-year-old has made 23 assists so far in 205 Premier League appearances and was named in PFA Team of the Year for 2016/17 season. Pep Guardiola has hailed him as one of the best right-backs in the world and said, there is currently no-one better in his position.
#1 Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich
Arguably the best right-back at the moment, Joshua Kimmich has established himself as a key player of Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern side. Though he is not a right-back by nature, Kimmich is performing the role to perfection. He is one of the most versatile defenders in the world right now and known for the timing of his tackles.
Joshua Kimmich is an expert at passing and crossing. In 2017/18, he has a pass success percentage of 90.1 and 91.1 in Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League respectively. He has scored 4 times and assisted 9 more in 2017/18 so far. The 22-year-old has already made 106 appearances for Bayern and 25 for the German national team.
Kimmich made his Germany debut in June 2016 and played a stellar role for the national team in the World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign. He is Joachim Low’s first choice right-back and will play a huge role in Russia.
