To describe someone as one of the best left-backs in the world used to be damning them with faint praise.
Left-back used to be where you'd stick the worst player on the team. No left foot? No problem; left-back was the spot for anyone who didn't have a specific job. Boy, have things changed. Left-backs these days are multifunctional footballers capable of providing stability and creativity.
They're just as valuable a member of anyone else and these days, some of the best players in the world right now are tasked with holding down the position.
How FourFourTwo's expert panel decided the best left-backs in the world
FourFourTwo collated several experts for this task, including not just our own team members but esteemed figures from the industry such as European football expert Julien Laurens, Breaking the Lines' chief editor Zach Lowy, freelance analyst/scout Ben Mattinson and Scouted co-founders Phil Costa and Tom Curren for their rankings of the best players in the world in their opinion right now.
We asked them to rank their top 10 left-backs based on general technical ability of course, but also recent form and standing over the past couple of years. On top of a point-scoring system, we added minimal points for statistical metrics such as crosses into the penalty area, progressive passing, tackles won and a percentage of dribblers tackled.
30 players were chosen by our experts, with the top-rated player receiving 141 points – and we adjusted all our lists to decide whether players like Josko Gvardiol counted as a left-back over a centre-back (he does for this list). Our honourable mentions below contain the five highest-rated players who didn't make the top 10, while all values are courtesy of Transfermarkt and correct as of June 2025.
This list is refreshed every three months to accurately convey the role of the left-back, along with nine other positions across the pitch. We have lists on the best goalkeepers, defenders (that's right-backs, centre-backs and left-backs, of course) midfield (defensive midfielders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders), and attack (right-wingers, left-wingers and strikers). Shall we get started?
The full list
10. Antonee Robinson
Antonee Robinson hasn’t always looked quite so assured at Fulham. In an ever-changing landscape of left-backs in which some invert and others stay back, however, the United States international has easily been the standout performer at Craven Cottage this season for his old-school bombs down the left flank.
Now, he's a captain for the Whites, too, establishing himself as a major leader in the capital. He's blossomed into a solid player.
9. Ferland Mendy
Club: Real Madrid
Date of birth: June 8 1995 (30)
National team: France
Value: €20.00m
Ferland Mendy’s glittering football career may never have been when he was confined to a wheelchair aged 15, following hip surgery that he was told could end his dreams.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman’s grit and determination shone through, taking him from PSG’s youth setup to Real Madrid, via stops at Mantois, Le Havre and Lyon.
The 30-year-old has had to utilise all that resilience in the Spanish capital, dealing not only with the febrile atmosphere of the Bernabeu but also personal setbacks in the shape of injury and selection issues amid Los Blancos ever-expanding star-studded line-up.
But, whenever required, he has brought the perfect blend of defensive solidity and well-timed attacking runs to complement and elevate the course of Vinicius Jr’s career ahead of him.
8. Theo Hernandez
Theo Hernandez is that brand of flying wide man that opposite numbers will wake up in cold sweats, fretting about the night before a game.
However, the France international is not just a winger in full-back’s clothing, as many such attack-minded players are; he’s also a quality defender, and has even filled in at centre-back for Milan at moments.
But there’s no escaping Hernandez’s creative output as one of his primary assets. He posted 11 Serie A goal involvements in the Rossoneri’s first title win in 11 years, back in 2022, and that's just the sort of numbers he puts up regularly every season, now.
In a world now packed with forward-thinking defenders, Hernandez can sometimes fly under the radar, but few boast the consistency of the 27-year-old.
7. Alejandro Balde
La Masia don't just produce technical midfielders.
In fact, Alejandro Balde might just be one of the most important players to have come through in this recent generation: because as much as Barcelona need superstar no.8s, Balde offers the kind of width to complement others.
That's not to say that the young Spain international isn't devastating in his own right: he's an excellent attacking weapon and can hurt teams as much as the players further forward.
Balde might just be one of the most important players in this recent La Masia generation
Mark White
Having Balde is like having another winger in your team. He is dangerous on the overlap, for sure, but can underlap, too, and can provide incision as much as a whipped ball from the flanks.
He's had his injury issues but at just 21 years old, the future is all Balde's for club and country in this role.
6. Alphonso Davies
Club: Bayern Munich
Date of birth: November 2 2000 (24)
National team: Canada
Value: €50.00m
It is easy to summarise Alphonso Davies as a speed merchant, a player whose remarkable speed gives him an advantage against his comparatively sluggish opponents. And there is no question that the left-back’s explosiveness is his most eye-catching attribute.
But Davies is more than just a runner. He is a superb dribbler, an adept defender and has real vision. His pace, though, is what gives him that extra edge required to both burst past defenders and keep up with attackers.
It's a real shame he's out injured – and we can't wait to have him back
5. Alex Grimaldo
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Date of birth: September 20 1995 (29)
National team: Spain
Value: €30.00m
Alex Grimaldo will go down as a Bayer Leverkusen legend for his work in the club’s historic 2023/24 Bundesliga triumph. From his left-back berth, the Spain international racked up freakish creative stats: 10 goals and 15 assists in the league. From left-back.
His power is in his delivery, be it a cross, a corner or an effort at goal directly from a free-kick; Grimaldo can shape the ball to his will and find a route to a team-mate or the goal with ease.
While his pace certainly helps the attacking side of his game, it regularly comes in handy through defensive phases of the game, particularly on transition, when recovery speed is key.
Grimaldo's power is in his delivery, be it a cross, a corner or an effort at goal
Isaac Stacey Stronge
Grimaldo may never hit the heights of Leverkusen’s title-winning season again, but he doesn’t need to to maintain his place as one of the world’s best left-backs. Even in a poorer season for the Schwarzroten, he's been hugely reliable.
One of the greatest free transfers ever?
4. Federico Dimarco
Club: Inter Milan
Date of birth: November 10 1997 (27)
National team: Italy
Value: €60.00m
The wing-back-based system that Simone Inzaghi constructed before his departure from Inter relied extremely heavily on intensity at both ends from the players selected for those roles. Therefore, in Inzaghi’s hands, a Swiss Army Knife of a player like Federico Dimarco is a dangerous weapon.
Not only is the Italy international comfortable getting forward, regularly contributing with goals and assists as wing-backs are often most prominent for, he’s also a sturdy defender.
He has even, in glimpses, been used on the left of a back three by the Inter boss, a scary proposition for most modern wing-backs. With former Parma boss Cristian Chivu now at the helm at San Siro, it remains to be seen how the former Inter player uses the left-back.
One thing is assured though: there will be a role Dimarco is perfect for. Forget that disasterclass in the Champions League final: he's still one of the best in Europe.
3. Milos Kerkez
Club: Bournemouth
Date of birth: November 7 2003 (24)
National team: Hungary
Value: €45.00m
There was a time when Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were the most envied full-back duo in Europe. As luck would have it, as Trent departs and Robertson’s powers wane, Bournemouth stumble upon the latter’s ready-made replacement.
Taking a season to adjust with the Cherries, Kerkez’s second season saw him clearly rise to become one of the best in the Premier League, renowned for his rapid surges up the left flank to find a crossing angle. He claimed six assists in the Premier League in the season just gone.
Still only 21 and already seemingly on his way to Liverpool, the best the Premier League has to offer in this position may already have been tied up for another generation, just as the Reds were waving goodbye to the last holder of that title.
2. Josko Gvardiol
Club: Manchester City
Date of birth: January 23 2002 (23)
National team: Croatia
Value: €75.00m
Josko Gvardiol certainly wasn’t the first player Pep Guardiola reinvented, and he’s unlikely to be the last, but he’s one of the most interesting.
Eyebrows raised when City splashed £77m, but it soon made sense when Premier League watchers saw quite how adaptable he is. Notionally brought in as a centre-back, Gvardiol was not only converted to a left-back by Guardiola, he also became an extremely attacking one.
There was a stage towards the beginning of the 2024/25 season, when the Sky Blues’ sketchy campaign had not yet crystallised, that the full-back was one of City’s most lethal attackers.
With City now bringing in Wolverhampton Wanderers' Rayan Ait-Nouri, it seems likely Gvardiol will be moved back central, but that he briefly became one of the world’s best in a new position is a measure of the player.
1. Nuno Mendes
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Date of birth: June 19 2002 (22)
National team: Portugal
Value: €70.00m
Paris Saint-Germain’s long-awaited ascension to the peak of European football has coincided with Nuno Mendes living up to the hype that he showed long ago at Sporting, as a wiry wing-back with bags of pace. The Portuguese’s development has been nothing short of extraordinary.
He was always capable of providing a reliable overlap and delivering a whipped cross but Mendes has locked up some of the best right-wingers in the world with ease this season, proving himself to be more than Achraf Hakimi’s equal at right-back.
The question is no longer: Is Nuno Mendes the best left-back in the world? The question is: Nuno Mendes is the best left-back since who?
Zach Lowy
In an era where left-backs tend to either be defensive or attacking, Mendes is one of the most complete in his position in the world, and has shown this term that stamina and discipline are still are most important traits in this position, despite its evolution.
Just look at all the right-wingers he locked up en route to the Champions League title. Just look at all the attacking prowess he offered Les Parisiens at the same time, allowing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Co. to roam into dangerous areas.
Sometimes, defining a footballer's ability is really that easy. And Mendes is set to remain at the top for a very long time, for sure.
Honourable mentions
These five players only just missed out on a shot in our top 10…
FAQs
Who's the greatest left-back of all time?
It's Paolo Maldini for our money. The Italian was ranked highest of any left-back in our list of the greatest footballers of all time, which also featured the likes of Giacinto Faccheti and Roberto Carlos.
Who is the greatest left-back in Premier League history?
It's widely regarded to be Ashley Cole, who was ranked at no.18 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Premier League players ever, higher than any other full-back on the list.
Has a left-back ever won the Ballon d'Or?
No, a left-back has never won the Ballon d'Or – though Roberto Carlos finished second in 2002.
In October 2024, Trent Alexander-Arnold said that he wanted to be the first full-back to lift the award.
What makes a good left-back?
A successful modern left-back needs to be a strong defender, but also possess excellent attacking attributes like crossing ability, pace, and stamina to contribute to their team's offence down the flank.
What is the role of left-back?
The primary role of a left-back is to defend the left flank, prevent opposition attacks, and provide width and attacking impetus in offensive phases, often overlapping with wingers or midfielders.
