The right back role has undergone quite the transformation in recent years. A typically unfashionable position on the pitch, the man chosen to guard the right side of defence has often been ridiculed as unambitious, untalented, or simply the best at doing the least important job in football.
Famously, former Liverpool defender and renowned Premier League pundit Jamie Carragher even cracked the joke that a full back is either a “failed winger or a failed centre-back”while “no one wants to grow up and be a Gary Neville” (more on the Manchester United man later).
These guys, however, broke the mould. Some of the greatest players to step foot on a football field all hugged the right touchline, guarding their goalkeeper with their lives, as they did the dirty work that no one else could manage.
Here, Sports Illustrated take a look at the best right backs to have ever played the beautiful game, inspiring generations to follow in their untrendy footsteps.
The Best Right Backs of All Time
20. Maicon
Maicon arrived in Europe in 2003, joining up with Monaco following a big-money move from Brazil. However, three years later, he would find a home at Inter Milan, enjoying success he never could have anticipated with the Italian giants.
Bombing up and down the flank, the outstanding right back lifted the Champions League during a six-year stint in Milan, as well as four Serie A titles.
He failed to win silverware with any other club in Europe, but was hugely successful in Brazil, including two Copa America titles with the national team.
19. Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker has faced his fair share of criticism over the years, but players don’t build trophy collections like his—or earn the unwavering trust of Pep Guardiola—without being truly exceptional.
Over eight seasons with Manchester City, the England international, famed for his blistering pace, won it all at club level: multiple Premier League titles, FA Cups, League Cups, and the coveted Champions League.
For everything he’s accomplished on the pitch, Walker deserves far more recognition than he often gets.
18. Jorginho
Another in a long list of Brazilian right backs, Jorginho is one of the finest the country has produced. The highlight of his career came in 1994, helping the national team win the World Cup and placing in the Team of the Tournament for his exquisite displays.
Jorginho played in Brazil, Germany and Japan throughout an illustrious and trophy-laden career, gracing both Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich during his days in Europe.
17. Trent Alexander-Arnold
Those who question Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion on a list like this would do well to remember how the former Liverpool star—and now Real Madrid man—redefined the modern right back role.
His ability to glide down the flank and deliver inch-perfect passes is unmatched, having amassed a staggering number of assists for a defender.
“He’s the full package: he has quality, dribbling skills and pace,” once said legendary full back Cafu of the England international.
Praise doesn’t come much higher than that.
16. Manuel Amoros
Manuel Amoros may not be a household name any more, but the Frenchman still ranks among the greatest right backs the world has seen.
A Champions League winner with Marseille and a Euros champion in 1984, he has claimed the biggest prizes. The 82-cap France international also helped France reach the semi-final of the 1986 World Cup, scoring in a third-place playoff victory over Belgium from the penalty spot.
15. Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal may never have been the standout star in any Real Madrid side, but for well over a decade, he was a constant—season after season, always in the XI. His tenacity, tactical intelligence, and unwavering consistency have made him one of the most decorated players in the club’s illustrious history, playing a key role in six Champions League triumphs—the joint-most of any player in history.
But it’s not just at Madrid where Carvajal has been a stalwart. For Spain, he was instrumental in their triumphant Euro 2024 campaign, delivering clutch performances on the biggest stage.
Never the flashiest, but always reliable, Carvajal has firmly cemented his place as one of the most accomplished and respected right backs the game has ever seen.
14. Gary Neville
Gary Neville was the beating heart of Manchester United’s most successful era, epitomising everything that Sir Alex Ferguson demanded from his players. The England international was a bubbling cauldron of passion, drive and determination, while also possessing the technical skills needed to survive at the highest level.
Perhaps an underrated figure in that brilliant United side, given the quality which surrounded him, Neville was also an excellent crosser of the ball, and provided the perfect foil to the unstoppable David Beckham.
13. Josimar
Two sensational strikes at the 1986 World Cup etched Josimar’s name into football folklore. The Brazilian full back announced himself on the world stage with a thunderous long-range effort against Northern Ireland in the group stage, helping steer the Seleção into the knockouts.
He struck again in the Round of 16 during a 4–0 dismantling of Poland—gliding past defenders before rifling an unstoppable shot into the top corner from an improbable angle.
Those two goals captured the essence of Josimar perfectly: bold, brilliant, and utterly unforgettable.
12. Manfred Kaltz
One of the Bundesliga’s most capped-ever players, Manfred Kaltz was a constant in a swashbuckling Hamburg team over an 18-year spell across the 1970s and 1980s.
His longevity was impressive, but he was known for his wonderful curled crosses from right back. His deliveries were even coined 'Bananenflanken', translating to ‘banana crosses’ in German.
He won the lot during his stint with Hamburg, including two Bundesliga crowns, two DFB-Pokal titles and the European Cup. A 1980 European Championship triumph with Germany was another highlight of a brilliant career.
11. Mauro Tassotti
The 1980 Italian match-fixing scandal—known as Totonero—rocked the country and saw AC Milan relegated to Serie B as punishment. While the scandal tainted many careers, it unexpectedly opened the door for a young Mauro Tassotti, who seized the opportunity to break into the first team.
He helped guide the Rossoneri back to Serie A and went on to become a cornerstone of their golden era, spending over a decade at the club as they conquered Italy and Europe.
Now inducted into Milan’s Hall of Fame, Tassotti lifted three Champions League trophies and five Serie A titles. A sharp, versatile right back, he was a key figure in one of the greatest defenses in football history—lining up alongside icons like Franco Baresi and Filippo Galli.
10. Berti Vogts
One-club men don’t come much more impressive than Berti Vogts, who spent his entire career with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The right back won five Bundesliga titles during the most successful period in the club’s history, earning the nickname 'Der Terrier' for his tenacity in retrieving possession.
His success wasn’t limited to Mönchengladbach, with the defender lifting the World Cup and Euros with West Germany. The attack-minded full back was a regular provider of goals and assists.
9. Gianluca Zambrotta
Reliability and consistency might not be the flashiest traits in football, but they’re often the foundation of success—just ask Gianluca Zambrotta.
The former Italy international wasn’t one for tricks or flair, but he was a consummate professional who did his job with quiet excellence. That’s not to say he lacked attacking prowess, either. Zambrotta was remarkably two-footed, capable of cutting inside or bursting wide to whip in dangerous crosses, keeping defenders guessing.
Tenacious at the back and intelligent going forward, his all-round quality earned him a place in the 2006 World Cup Team of the Tournament, as Italy lifted the trophy in dramatic fashion against France. A true modern full back before the role became fashionable.
8. Giuseppe Bergomi
Giuseppe Bergomi was a natural-born winner, and his tunnel-vision mentality made him one of the most ruthless and uncompromising defenders the game has ever seen.
The Italian spent his entire career at Serie A giants Inter, racking up over 750 appearances for the Nerazzurri and collecting a glittering array of trophies along the way.
While his iconic moustache may have disappeared as the years wore on, his famous monobrow remained—a symbol etched into footballing folklore as unmistakably as his fierce, unrelenting style of play. A true legend of the game.
7. Djalma Santos
You don’t win two World Cups with an average defender in your side. Luckily for Brazil, they boasted Djalma Santos in their right back slot throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, which they dominated in glorious fashion.
Santos only appeared in the final of the 1958 success, but his performance was so good that he was named in the Best XI of the tournament. That display sealed his spot as Brazil’s permanent right back for the foreseeable future, and he starred again four years later, with the Seleção triumphing over Czechoslovakia in the final.
A solid defender and a very good dribbler of the ball, Santos just oozed Brazilian class.
6. Javier Zanetti
Less thrills surrounding this full back, but that takes nothing away from the genius that is Javier Zanetti.
The Argentine was the king of longevity, producing a career that spanned over 22 years—and at the highest level of the sport, too. Zanetti marshalled Inter Milan’s defence for almost two decades, making over 850 appearances and becoming the most iconic captain in the club’s history.
A consistent, reliable presence at the back, he will forever be remembered as a football icon.
5. Lilian Thuram
A steam train of a full back, Lilian Thuram was one of the best in the business. The Frenchman is a classic 90’s defender from Serie A, celebrated for his incredible displays at Parma and then Juventus. Physically, tactically and technically, there were few better than him during his domination of the right-flank.
On the international stage, Thuram took to the field 142 times for France, scoring only two goals for Les Bleus. Remarkably, those two goals came in the form of a brace in the 1998 World Cup semi-final, a tournament France would go on to win.
4. Carlos Alberto
Another captain of a World Cup-winning Brazil side, Carlos Alberto walks straight into this list of right back legends. Known for his technical ability as well as his defensive resoluteness, Alberto was as complete as they come.
He is also remembered as the scorer of one of the greatest goals in World Cup history, rounding off a wonderful team move by rattling home a stunning drive in the cup final. A man for the big occasion, you could always rely on Alberto to deliver the goods.
3. Dani Alves
Dani Alves is one of football’s most decorated players, winning 23 titles with Barcelona alone.
The Brazilian spent an extraordinary amount of time competing at the highest level, collecting 126 caps for Brazil in a 16-year international career that yielded two Copa América crowns in 2007 and 2009.
Alves also won league titles in Italy and France, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, to complement his lengthy spell at Barcelona—one that saw him play a leading role in a team widely regarded as one of the best club sides in history.
2. Philipp Lahm
One of the most versatile players on this list, Philipp Lahm could operate at right back, left back or holding midfield, making him the most utilised star in an always-victorious Bayern Munich side.
A manager’s dream, Lahm’s tactical awareness and forensic understanding of the game meant he could outsmart any forward, who perhaps edged the German in pace, strength or any other physical attribute. His ability with the ball at his feet made him such a graceful joy to watch, but he never shied away from the gritty side of the game, either.
Oh, and he is a World Cup winning captain, too.
1. Cafu
Elegance. Dynamism. Grace. Cafu is the very best right back the world has ever seen.
The Brazilian managed to make the role fashionable, and demonstrated that you can possess silky skills and a bag of tricks even if you don’t occupy the opposition’s final third.
Cafu confirmed his place among football royalty by captaining Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, and cemented his status as the most GIF-able full back in history with a triple sombrero over Pavel Nedved during his time at AS Roma.
A winnerand an entertainer.
READ MORE OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S SOCCER RANKINGS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 20 Best Right Backs in Soccer History—Ranked.