The top 10 right-backs in the world right now | OneFootball

Right-backs are no longer the forgotten men of football and occupants of an ever-evolving role now need a multitude of attributes to rank among the best.

Choosing the finest in world football was no easy task, but we’ve whittled it down to a shortlist of stars. Here are the top 10 right-backs in world football right now.

10. Giovanni Di Lorenzo – Napoli

We love a late bloomer and Giovanni Di Lorenzo certainly fits that brief. The Italian spent his early career in the lower leagues before making his Serie A debut at 25. A year later, a move to Napoli from Empoli saw Di Lorenzo’s career truly take off. He’s made over 200 appearances for the Neapolitans, helped Italy to European Championship success in 2021, and captained Napoli to a drought-breaking Scudetto.

The arrival of Antonio Conte this season has helped bring out the best in the 31-year-old. He’s one of the most reliable right-backs around.

9. Reece James – Chelsea

A contentious choice, given his lack of football. But in terms of talent ceiling, few can come close to the Chelsea captain.

Athletic, powerful and with delightful delivery, James has often been cited as the perfect blend between England teammates Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The failings of his body have prevented him from reaching the heights expected but time remains on the 25-year-old’s side.

8. Ben White – Arsenal

William Saliba and Gabriel Maghales tend to hoover up the plaudits at Arsenal, but Ben White has been every bit as important in the club’s defensive metamorphosis. After a shaky start, White has evolved into a key part of Arsenal’s defensive rearguard where his tactical intelligence and poise have shone.

A recent u-turn on a self-imposed England exile is good news for Thomas Tuchel.

7. Denzel Dumfries – Inter Milan

Denzel Dumfries might not be the most natural defender on this list, but the Dutchman can often resemble a steamtrain when rampaging forward.

After impressing at PSV Eindhoven, a move to Inter Milan in 2021 has helped bring out the best in Dumfries. With the Italian giants and the Netherlands each favouring a 3-5-2 system, he thrives with a greater licence to get forward from wing-back.

He has six goals and two assists from just 19 league starts this season.

6. Dani Carvajal – Real Madrid

Dani Carvajal’s season-ending ACL injury means the full-back’s spent much of the campaign injured. But an unforgettable season last term could not go without acknowledgement.

The 33-year-old helped Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League success last season, achieving his sixth European success with Los Blancos. In the summer, he helped Spain win Euro 2024. It was a long-awaited triumph after injuries forced him out of the previous two editions of the tournament. He’s been written off and come back plenty of times before and the veteran will be determined to do so again.

5. Jurrien Timber – Arsenal

Jurrien Timber’s bounce back from an ACL injury has been remarkable.

It’s tough to think of a performance in which Timber’s level has dropped, with the Dutch defender a model of consistency at Arsenal this season. Whether at right-back, left-back or central, Timber has never let anyone down. Off the back of a serious knee injury, and in essentially his first season in the Premier League, he’s been terrific.

4. Jules Kounde – Barcelona

Jules Kounde’s transformation into a full-back is now complete with few suggesting the Frenchman is out of position any more.

He’s full of powerful running from right-back, defensively sound, and offers assurance for Barcelona’s supporting cast to do their thing ahead of him.

When Lamine Yamal is often the player stationed further down the flank, it’s within Kounde’s interest to let the whizkid winger flourish without defensive burden.

3. Jeremie Frimpong – Bayer Leverkusen

Full-backs have evolved into game-changers in the modern era and few epitomise that more than Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutchman’s dynamic wing-back partnership with Alejandro Grimaldo was arguably the foundation for Bayer Leverkusen’s maiden title success last season.

Firmpong has averaged a goal or assist every 169 minutes in the Bundesliga since the start of the 2022/23 campaign. That’s a frightening rate of production from full-back.

2. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold is perhaps our favourite footballing paradox. Sure, his one-against-one defending leaves plenty to be desired, but just watch him with the ball at his feet.

Alexander-Arnold is unique, unashamedly ambitious in his passing range, and capable of carving up defences better than your ma does with Sunday’s roast chicken.

At 26, he’s already achieved it all with his boyhood side and it’s looking increasingly likely that Spanish suitors might land their man this summer. If there is such thing as a Galactico right-back, Alexander-Arnold is that player.

1. Achraf Hakimi – Paris Saint-Germain

After bouncing around some of Europe’s top teams, Achraf Hakimi has found himself a home in Paris as part of a rebranded Paris Saint-Germain team.

After offering a relentless overlap to the club’s less industrious superstars, he’s now marauding forward to join a more vibrant and youthful frontline. He’s electric when charging box-to-box and has the technical talent to knit together attacks and smash home set-pieces.

He’s claimed major honours in four different countries and, scarily, might not yet have hit his peak.

Read – The 10 best goalkeepers in the world right now

See more – 5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok