The best left-backs in the world hasn't always been a pool of elite talent.
In the olden days, you didn't even have to be left-footed: full-backs have long been mocked for being the worst players in any XI, yet that all changed with the likes of Roberto Carlos and Ashley Cole, ushering in an era of dynamic, exciting left-backs capable of offering creativity and stability.
How FourFourTwo's expert panel decided the best left-backs in the world
An esteemed expert panel was assembled for this task by FourFourTwo, with some of football's best journalists and analysts asked to be a part of this project.
We asked everyone to rate the best left-backs on Earth from 10th-best to first, assigning points to each accordingly, along with minimal points for statistical metrics such as crosses into the penalty area, progressive passing, tackles won and a percentage of dribblers tackled
Over 30 players were chosen, with the final 20 reflected in our final list: the best left-back in our list, incidentally, received 29 points more than the second-place, making this a unanimous decision from the panel and the stats.
This list is refreshed often 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
20. Antonee Robinson
Seriously, where's he been this season? Fulham man Antonee Robinson has equipped himself well since his move from Wigan back in 2020.
Linked with a move to Liverpool before they opted for Milos Kerkez, the USMNT international is committed as they come, and often a tricky customer to beat on his day. A strong reader of the game, Robinson has lightning quick pace that often makes it hard for wingers to beat him in individual duals. Come back soon, Antonee, we miss you.
19. Rayan Ait-Nouri
Despite having an injury-hit season so far, Manchester City man Rayan Ait-Nouri will want to make up for last time as we reach a busy festive period.
The former Wolves man showed how much of a threat he can be in the Old Gold’s rigid three-at-the-back system that allowed himself and Matheus Cunha so much joy before the pair went onto pastures new. At 24, he has plenty to prove, and trophies will be the next natural step in his career progression.
18. Sergio Gomez
Since leaving City, Sergio Gomez has gotten more minutes and become a much more rounded player.
He was seen as a more complete left-back who could compete for the spot in what became the Treble-winning season – but it wasn't to be. Now at Real Sociedad, he's one of the most solid defenders in La Liga.
17. David Raum
A Bundesliga speedster who perhaps deserves more credit is David Raum, having been an ever-present in RB Leipzig’s rise over the last few years.
His electric speed means he can open up defences with just one sprint and chalked up six assists last season, whilst also boasting impressive returns in the way of shot-creating actions. One for you statisticians to salivate over.
16. Diego Moreira
21-year-old Strasbourg left-back Diego Moreira has the potential to become one of the crown jewels of the BlueCo empire. The former Benfica youngster, who swapped Portugal for Belgium at under-21 level and has since featured for the senior side, signed for Chelsea in 2023 and was moved to Strasbourg via a loan at Lyon.
Moreira is raw but exciting, offering a creative outlet as well as defensive stability in wide areas.
15. Nico O'Reilly
Nico O’Reilly is slowly making a claim to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s plan, after superb development in the last 12 months.
Much like many of Pep’s projects, the defender is capable of playing in a whole host of roles – but despite the fact that he was never a full-back in City's academy, he's taken to the role like a duck to water.
Already tied down at the Etihad Stadium until 2030, we expect to be seeing plenty of him in the future.
14. Destiny Udogie
At 6ft 1in, Destiny Udogie often surprises most with his incredible sprint speed, and the Italy international epitomises every aspect of what it means to be a modern-day wing-back.
Impressing no end since his move from Udinese, Udogie is already a Europa League winner at Tottenham Hotspur and has kept some of the Premier League’s best at bay since his arrival back in 2022.
13. Myles Lewis-Skelly
The boy from Arsenal’s Hale End academy, who has already endeared himself to Gooners for his incredible breakout season last term.
Not even 20, Myles Lewis-Skelly has already opened his account at senior international level, and could yet play at World Cup 2026 – but is he even a full-back? With comparisons to Mousa Dembele, it feels like the sky is the limit for MLS, who has a mature head on his shoulders and a deceptively sharp pass between the lines.
12. Theo Hernandez
One of the quickest around, French stalwart Theo Hernandez is often hard to catch once he gets going, reminiscent somewhat of Gareth Bale’s left-back chronicles during his time at Spurs.
An all-rounder, the former Real Madrid man moved to Saudi Arabia at the age of 27 over the summer – so his days at the top level might be numbered. Still, three goals in eight in the Pro League prove that he's a level above: hopefully he's not done in Europe for good.
11. Nathaniel Brown
A name that not many will be familiar with just yet, Nathaniel Brown came through the academy ranks at Nurnberg before being snapped up by Eintracht Frankfurt.
Capable of playing at left-back, left wing-back and as a left winger, Brown has explosive pace that can often leave defenders in his wake. Having already chalked up four goal contributions this season, he is one to watch.
10. Adrien Truffert
Bournemouth’s recruitment has long been the envy of much of the Premier League and they unearthed another gem in the summer of 2025 when they singed Adrien Truffert from Rennes.
While not an unknown, having been capped by France once in 2022, the left-back had big boots to fill after Milos Kerkez’s departure for Liverpool. He has done so with ease, becoming an integral part of Andoni Iraola’s new-look backline: he's essentially a grown-up Kerkez, really.
Quick and strong, and capable of going both ways, Truffert is very much built for both the Cherries’ intense style of play and football in 2025 as a whole. It would not be a shock if he worked his way into Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad next summer.
9. Marc Cucurella
Cucurella has gone from zero to hero in the course of his three years at Chelsea.
The Spaniard started his career at Barcelona, greatly impressed at Brighton before becoming the latest player to make a high-profile switch from the Amex to Stamford Bridge – but it's taken a while for him to get up to speed.
Like the Blues as a whole, Cucurella hugely struggled in the 2022/23 season, with the expectation that he would quickly depart West London. However, he has proved all the doubters wrong since, becoming a key man for both club and country.
He can do it all: overlap, invert, play out from the first line of defence or receive in the second. He may just be Enzo Maresca's personal favourite player.
8. Alvaro Carreras
Alvaro Carreras is following the ‘Manchester United to Preston North End on loan, before ending up at Real Madrid’ pipeline. Granted, it's not a popular career path, but it worked for David Beckham.
A strong dribbler who has little problem moving up and down the pitch, he is the definition of a modern-day left-back, combining defensive solidity with attacking prowess.
Now, the Spaniard has quickly established himself on the flank of Madrid’s new look back four. He’s likely to stay there for years, and will soon add international caps: the decision for United to let him leave Old Trafford is all the more peculiar.
7. Milos Kerkez
Arguably the best left-back in the Premier League while at Bournemouth, Milos Kerkez has struggled at Liverpool this season (but then who hasn’t, eh?).
Having the Hungarian doing laps on the touchline is akin to having a Labrador in your team: you’re going to get boundless enthusiasm simply for doing the hard yards. But Kerkez is far more than just an engine, as he showed on the South Coast with his ability to drill crosses into the danger zone and get back to snuff out attacks in the opposite direction.
With Arne Slot’s side in delicate imbalance, Kerkez has clearly suffered – but with his best years ahead of him, there’s plenty of growing for the 22-year-old to do at a club where he can establish himself as one of the most complete players in his position in Europe.
6. Riccardo Calafiori
That Riccardo Calafiori has a career at all, after a horror injury endured as a teenager, is testament to a mentality that almost single-handedly convinced Mikel Arteta to shell out for the Italian before Real Madrid did.
That he’s become one of the most unique players in world football is something else. He’s a centre-back for Italy, and a free-roaming, box-crashing left-back for Arsenal, popping up in no.10 positions, overlapping his winger and still getting back to do his day job of locking up wingers.
We’ve arguably never seen a player like this in the Premier League: he’s like a super-charged Joao Cancelo, and a complete contradiction when you consider what Italian defenders are supposed to look like.
5. Alex Grimaldo
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 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 still there, plugging away. One of the greatest free transfers ever?
4. Federico Dimarco
A very public dropping of the ball in the Champions League final should not cloud the performer than Federico Dimarco has become over the last few years, with Italy producing a plethora of excellent left-footed defenders (and honestly, not enough quality elsewhere on the field).
Dimarco is a case of a very modern left-back: the ability of a winger when bombing down the flank with intensity in tracking attackers in reverse. He was one of the major success stories of the Simone Inzaghi era and has carved out a niche as one of Inter Milan’s key men.
At 28, he’s only just entering his prime years, too.
3. Alphonso Davies
Bayern Munich had a cheat code in 2020 when they won the Champions League: a player so quick it felt like they had 12 men on the pitch sometimes.
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 over time, he's developed a maturity to his game. It's so good to have him back, too, after so long out injured.
2. 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.
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.
1. Nuno Mendes
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 over the past couple of years, proving himself to be more than Achraf Hakimi’s equal at right-back.
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: over the past 12 months, the question hasn’t been ‘Who’s the best left-back in the world?’ – it’s been ‘How much better than everyone else is Mendes?’
The answer is… well, some distance: 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.
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