The best full-backs of all time

It's historically had an unfair reputation as the least glamorous position on the pitch, but we're about to prove to you that full-backs can be just as special as any other player.

From tough-tackling hardmen to graceful scorers of brilliant goals, these are the 32 greatest full-backs in football history (in FourFourTwo's humble opinion).

Let's get straight to it!

32. Jorginho

No, not that one. This Jorginho won 64 caps for Brazil between 1987 and 1995 and established himself as one of the top right-backs in world football.

A 1994 World Cup winner and a 1993/94 Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich, Jorginho also claimed league titles in Japan and his homeland.

31. Manuel Amoros

A European champion for club and country, Manuel Amoros won Euro 1984 with France and the 1992/93 Champions League with Marseille.

Born to Spanish parents who had escaped the regime of dictator Francisco Franco, Amoros was among his era’s best right-backs, earning 82 caps for Les Bleus in all.

30. Marcelo

Winner of a whopping 25 trophies at Real Madrid, Marcelo goes down as one of the most decorated players of all time – and you don’t tend to manage that unless you’re pretty special.

Among the game’s best ever left-backs, the fuzz-afroed Brazilian finished his time at Real as captain becoming the first non-Spaniard to wear the armband for 97 years.

29. Eric Abidal

A league champion in France, Spain and Greece (of course), Eric Abidal had a quite remarkable career – largely because of what happened to him off the pitch.

In 2011, Abidal, then a key player for Barcelona, had to undergo surgery for a liver tumour. Just over a year later, he needed a transplant – and, a little under 12 months later, he was playing professionally again.

28. Brandi Chastain

An all-time great of the women’s game, Brandi Chastain racked up 192 caps for the United States from 1988 to 2004.

A highly versatile right-back who could also operate in midfield or attack, Chastain’s career pinnacle came in 1999 as she scored the winning shootout penalty in the World Cup final.

27. Denis Irwin

The greatest full-back to go by their middle name? Quite possibly. (Joseph) Denis Irwin was one of the best left-backs of his generation, playing an integral role in Manchester United’s 90s dominance.

Signed from Oldham Athletic in 1990, the Irish free-kick specialist – who helped his country to the 1994 World Cup last 16 – lifted 12 major trophies with United, starring in their 1988/99 treble triumph.

26. Gary Neville

Long before he started making alarming noises in the commentary box, Gary Neville was one of the top right-backs around, scooping up trophy after trophy during a 19-year career with Manchester United.

A 1998/99 treble winner with his one and only club – who he captained for five years – the no-nonsense customer earned 85 caps for England, featuring at five major tournaments.

25. Jordi Alba

A European champion for club and country, Jordi Alba has to go down as one of Spain and Barcelona’s greatest ever defenders.

Diminutive in stature at five-foot-seven, the attack-geared left-back – who was also deployed as an out-and-out winger at times – joined Barca from Valencia in 2012 and won the treble three years later.

24. Gianluca Zambrotta

If you play Football Manager, chances are you know what a mezzala is – but have you ever seen one in the real world? Well, Gianluca Zambrotta was one when he wasn’t being one of the best right-backs of his generation (which was most of the time) – such was his outstanding versatility.

A 2006 world champion with Itay – for whom he won 100 caps – Zambrotta won Serie A titles at both Juventus and AC Milan.

23. Giacinto Facchetti

Crucial to the success of Heleno Herrera’s legendary ‘Grande Inter’ team of the 60s, Giacinto Facchetti was one of the first to perfect the role of the attacking full-back.

A world-class presence on the left of defence for Inter and Italy – with both of whom he was crowned a European champion – the one-club man placed second in the voting for the 1965 Ballon d’Or.

22. Josimar

Included in FIFA’s 1986 World Cup All-Star Team, Brazilian right-back great Josimar only won 16 caps for his country – but he really made them count, establishing himself among the finest full-backs on the planet during the 80s.

Incredibly, Josimar was an unknown quantity heading into that World Cup and only made his international debut at the tournament.

21. Lucy Bronze

Arguably England’s greatest female player of all time, Lucy Bronze has enjoyed a glittering career at club and international level.

Born in Northumberland, the imperious right-back has won the Women’s Champions League with Lyon and Barcelona – and, most notably of all, the 2022 Women’s Euros with the Lionesses.

20. Manfred Kaltz

What’s your favourite German word? Ours is Bananenflanken – the affectionate name given to the curving crosses of Euro 1980-winning right-back Manfred Kaltz.

Capped 69 times by West Germany, Kaltz spent almost his entire career with Hamburg, where his honours included three Bundesliga titles and the 1982/83 European Cup.

19. Kelley O'Hara

Regarded as one of the finest defenders in the history of the women’s game, Kelley O’Hara was a mainstay of the United States side which dominated the 10s, winning 2012 Olympic gold then back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

An attack-minded right-back, O’Hara scooped the 2009 Herman Trophy – the annual award given to the top college soccer players in the US.

18. Mauro Tassotti

An absolute legend at AC Milan, Mauro Tassotti lined up in some of the greatest defences the game has ever seen, under the great Arrigo Sacchi then Fabio Capello.

Predominantly a right-back, Tassotti starred as Milan won successive European Cups in 1989 and 1990 – then added another, by which time the competition had become the Champions League, in 1994.

17. Javier Zanetti

This is a list of the greatest full-backs of all time, but Javier Zanetti was so much more than ‘just’ a full-back: from right-back to right wing-back to winger to defensive midfielder, the Inter Milan and Argentina icon was a utility man of the highest calibre.

Signed in 1995, Zanetti spent the remaining 19 years of his career with Inter, where he did the treble under Jose Mourinho in 2009/10.

16. Patrice Evra

Arguably the best left-back in the world during his prime, Patrice Evra enjoyed great success with Manchester United – where he won five Premier League titles and the Champions League – and Juventus.

An 81-cap French international, the extremely energetic Evra began is his career as a winger and was even adaptable enough to be deployed at centre-back on occasion.

15. Wim Surrbier

Lining up at right-back as the Netherlands established themselves as one of world’s football’s major forces during the 70s, Wim Suurbier was a key figure in the ‘Total Football’ movement.

A two-time World Cup runner-up, he spent the first 13 years of his career with Ajax, starring as the Amsterdam giants won the European Cup three times on the spin from 1971 to 1973.

14. Hans-Peter Briegel

A teenage athletics prodigy, Hans-Peter Briegel could have been a long jumper or a triple jumper; instead, he opted for footballer – left-back, to be precise – and he didn’t do too badly.

Also adept at centre-half or in a defensive midfield capacity, the 1985 German Footballer of the Year won the 1980 European Championship with West Germany and the 1984/85 Scudetto with Hellas Verona.

13. Giuseppe Bergomi

Even as a youngster, Giuseppe Bergomi sported such an impressive moustache that he acquired the nickname ‘Lo Zio’ (‘The Uncle’) – and his footballing ability was almost as notable as his enviable facial hair…

A right-back by trade, Bergomi – who spent his whole 20-year career with Inter Milan – the robust Italian, a 1982 World Cup winner, was a no-nonsense defender adept across the back line.

12. Andreas Brehme

Andreas Brehme scored the best part of 100 goals over the course of his career – but yes, he was a full-back for the most part.

Whether whipping in crosses from the left or delivering pinpoint set-pieces, Brehme – who won Bundesliga and Serie A titles – is right up there with the greatest German players of all time.

11. Paul Breitner

Scorer of West Germany’s equaliser from the penalty spot in their 1974 World Cup final victory over the Netherlands, Paul Breitner was included in Pele’s FIFA 100 list.

A domestic champion with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – and a European champion with the former – in 1982, the left-back sensationally joined an elite group of players to have scored in multiple World Cup finals.

10. Lilian Thuram

Speedy, studious and simply sublime, Lilian Thuram enjoyed a long and trophy-laden career for club and country, establishing himself among the best defenders on the planet.

Equally adept at right-back – where he lined up throughout France’s triumphant 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 campaigns – or centre-back, Thuram racked up 142 caps, and won two Serie A titles with Juventus.

9. Djalma Santos

Not many players are able to boast 400-plus appearances for multiple clubs – but enduring Brazilian great Djalma Santos managed exactly that, doing so for Sao Paulo outfits Portuguesa and Palmeiras.

Right-back in the Brazil team which won consecutive World Cups in 1958 and 1962, Santos represented his country 98 times and achieved the rare feat of making three World Cup teams of the tournament.

8. Ruud Krol

Arguably the Netherlands’ greatest defender of all time, Ruud Krol earned 83 caps for the Orange between 1969 and 1983.

Suitably versatile for a mainstay of the Dutch’s legendary ‘Total Football’ era, Krol was an integral member of the great Ajax side which won three European Cups on the bounce between 1971 and 1973.

7. Ashley Cole

England’s best full-back of all time, Ashley Cole is also one of his country’s most-capped players, wearing Three Lions on his chest an impressive 107 times.

Already a two-time Premier League champion with Arsenal, Cole ruffled a few feathers when he left the Gunners for Chelsea in 2006 – not that he’d have given two hoots: he went on to win another title and the Champions League, among numerous other honours.

6. Cafu

Defending is serious business, but steadfast Brazilian legend Cafu always seemed to play with a smile on his face (mind you, winning the World Cup twice probably had something to do with that).

An extraordinarily energetic presence bombing up and down the right flank, Cafu won the Scudetto with Roma and AC Milan – and the Champions League with the latter.

5. Philipp Lahm

Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning skipper and one of the nation’s very best players of all time, it didn’t matter where you put Philipp Lahm: at right-back or left-back, he was going to be nothing short of elite.

That applied whether he was pulling on the white of his country or the red of Bayern Munich – who he helped to the treble under Pep Guardiola in 2012/13.

4. Dani Alves

Still playing for Brazil at the ripe old age of 39 – in the World Cup, no less – the inimitable Dani Alves endured in a position that’s become so physically demanding, its exponents tend to peak in their mid-20s.

A league title winner in Spain, Italy and France, Alves was simply immense at right-back in perhaps the greatest club side there’s ever been: Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

3. Carlos Alberto

It remains one of the best goals of all time, and it was fitting that Carlos Alberto finished it off: Brazil’s exquisite team move in the 1970 World Cup final, where the incomparably brilliant right-back captained his country to victory over Italy.

Inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the USA’s National Soccer Hall of Fame, O Capitao was an absolute superstar.

2. Roberto Carlos

Brazilian full-backs have a bit of a thing for scoring screamers – but none have ever done it with as much panache as Roberto Carlos. Tournoi de France 1997 – need we say more?

Well, we don’t need to, but we will: Tenerife vs Real Madrid, 1998 – ‘the impossible goal’.

What we’re saying is… Roberto will be remembered as far more than just any old left-back.

1. Paolo Maldini

Did you know that Paolo Maldini means full-back in Italian? Of course you didn’t, because we just completely made that up – but it might as well; Il Capitano is the undisputed GOAT in this position.

The ultimate one-club man, Maldini racked up 902 appearances for AC Milan over the course of a career which lasted a quarter-of-a-century, picking up just the five Champions League winner’s medals along the way.