Fifteen years ago, nobody would have cared if you started talking about the finest right backs in the world. The now-famous remarks of English commentator Jamie Carragher still hold true: “If you’re a fullback, you’re either a failed winger or a failed centre-back. Everyone knows that nobody aspires to be another Gary Neville when they grow up.
Although the Samba combination of Cafu and Dani Alves popularized the right-back position for many generations, Carragher’s views resonated true in the 2000s and early 2010s, when fullbacks adopted a more resilient and hard-working style. However, although players like Ashley Cole, Gary Neville, and Lee Dixon provided a dramatic contrast to the breathtaking brilliance of the aforementioned Brazilian combination, players like Cafu and Alves altered the ideal notion of the right fullback.
The concepts of Cafu and Alves about the duties of a right fullback are only just now becoming widespread. In the year 2022, fullbacks may be found in a wide variety of styles and configurations, and they are generally regarded as a lot of fun, an aggressive position, and a trendy one. It is hardly an exaggeration to call what has happened a revolution.
Finding the best 5 right-backs in the world was a challenge since football has never before been gifted with such a variety of exceptional players in that position. But without further ado, let’s dig in and examine the top right-backs from across the world.
Since it’s tough to put all of these guys in any type of order, I’ve just picked the ones I think have the greatest impact, consistency, and overall quality.
5- Kyle Walker
No one could have foreseen the incredible career trajectory that Kyle Walker would have as a football player. While he blossomed into one of the world’s best fullbacks while playing for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino was responsible for teaching him the fundamentals of the game at Tottenham. As unpolished as an England international could be, he was before Poch came. By the time Walker was at his peak, he was worth £50 million.
Walker, the older statesman of his defence at age 32, has converted his rapid recovery speed into the role of an old-school fullback, more interested in pocketing wingers than in running touchline sprints. We expected him to have lost some ground by now, but Walker is maturing well, much like Dani Alves.
