The right back position may be one of the most overlooked in world football, but just ask clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and, most recently, Napoli what having an elite right-sided defender can do for a team.
An elite right back can rule an entire flank with composed defending, quality passing in the build-up, supportive runs for the attackers, and game-changing assists via their crossing.
So in honor of the right back and many of the unsung heroes who ply their trade at this position, let’s take a closer look at the best players in the world who man the right side of the formation.
10. Malo Gusto
Malo Gusto joins Christopher Nkunku as another top young talent headed to Chelsea this summer. The 20-year-old will not be the starter in every match, as the Blues already have one of the world’s elite right backs in Reece James.
But since James has missed time over the past couple of seasons with injury, Gusto is a welcome addition who will get significant time.
Although Lyon struggled last season and missed out on European football again, Gusto was solid on both ends of the pitch. He has massive potential and should develop into a world-class player in his own right.
9. Kieran Trippier
Newcastle qualified for the Champions League in the 2022/23 season, with Kieran Trippier playing a vital role in that effort as the team’s primary creator.
Trippier was arguably the best player in Europe’s top five leagues at creating chances from set pieces, which came as no surprise to anyone familiar with English football.
Still going strong at the age of 32, Trippier benefited from an unbalanced formation with center back Dan Burn starting on the left side of the back four.
Trippier had a license to create wide, making good on that with seven assists and nearly three key passes per game for the Magpies.
8. Jeremie Frimpong
Although Jeremie Frimpong plays so aggressively in the attack that he becomes more of a right-sided midfielder or even winger than a true right back, he is still technically a right back and can fulfill that position in the modern game where attacking is at such a premium.
Any team that dominates possession and can afford to gamble on such an attacking fullback would do well to try and sign Frimpong by Bayer Leverkusen.
A standout in the 2021/22 season and before that for Celtic, Frimpong became one of the most coveted fullbacks on the transfer market by getting some mainstream attention after Xabi Alonso’s appointment as Leverkusen manager.
The right-sided combination of Frimpong and Moussa Diaby is one of the best fullback/winger pairings in world football.
Frimpong had a jaw-dropping eight goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga last season, as he was one of the most decisive players in the league at any position.
The 22-year-old Dutch international is as talented as any player on the ball when progressing play, ruling the flank with his ability to eat up space on the counter and charge past defenders at will.
7. Vanderson
Ligue 1 has become a hotbed of fullback talent, and Vanderson is a young star who deserves so much more praise than he gets.
The Monaco man has been one of the league’s best fullbacks in each of the past two seasons, and the 22-year-old is the superior defender to Malo Gusto despite not quite having the same attacking upside.
Vanderson averaged well over four combined tackles and interceptions for Monaco last season while still contributing to five total goals.
The Brazilian right back is pretty darn close to the “world-class” label, even if it still feels like the majority of fans around European football are sleeping on his quality.
6. João Cancelo
João Cancelo heads back to Manchester City after a mixed bag of a loan spell with Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese international did play well and had some very bright moments on the attacking end to help Bayern win the Bundesliga over Dortmund, but the same concerns about his attacking contributions prevented him from truly making a mark in the XI every week. He needed to blow Bayern away in order to earn a permanent transfer, and he didn’t quite do that.
Since he doesn’t seem to fit what Pep Guardiola wants defensively these days, Cancelo’s days in Manchester are numbered. But concerns about his defending are overblown and should mean little in comparison to his incredible qualities on the ball.
There isn’t a better fullback in the world at passing within a possession structure, and his crossing is neck-and-neck with Trent Alexander-Arnold as the most pinpoint in football.
Cancelo, after all, once averaged 1.6 key passes per game and 1.7 dribbles completed per match in a Premier League season for Manchester City.
His ability to play as an inverted left back or aggressive attacking right back should help an elite team that, as with Frimpong, would be willing to gamble on going all-out for the attack.
5. Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold has become an even more polarizing player in European football than João Cancelo, and there are even some fans who will argue that Alexander-Arnold isn’t even a good right back.
That is wholly unfair and categorically untrue. TAA is a world-class player in either a midfield role or at right back, provided he has adequate defensive cover and the right midfield structure to allow his attacking skills to truly flourish.
Yes, Alexander-Arnold has his weaknesses in defense, but nobody should forget that he was more than good enough to be one of the key players for Liverpool in their recent Champions League and Premier League triumphs.
The technical quality that he has and the passes that he can pick out are simply uncanny for a fullback.
In three different Premier League seasons, TAA has reached 12 assists, which is historically great. And it is easy to forget that the highly accomplished English right back is still only 24 years old.
4. Achraf Hakimi
PSG may have barely secured Ligue 1 over Lens in the end and were a complete disappointment in the Champions League for yet another year running, but they had a few bright spots in their first team despite defensive and midfield concerns.
One of those bright spots was tireless Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi, whose technical quality in the attack jumped off the page.
An elite progressor of the ball down the right flank, Hakimi was always in and around the box for PSG, providing overlapping runs and low crosses that won PSG games.
Hakimi rarely had a bad night, finishing the 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign with eight goal contributions. He also averaged 1.9 tackles and 1.2 key passes per game.
Over the past five years, Hakimi has been one of the most impressive fullbacks in European football for Dortmund, Inter Milan, and PSG.
A reunion with Real Madrid would honestly make the most sense for the 24-year-old, as Dani Carvajal is declining and the PSG project appears to be moving in a different direction without Lionel Messi and potentially both Neymar and Kylian Mbappé in 2023/24.
3. Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker could be exactly the right back Bayern Munich need to solve a position that has honestly been a problem spot since Joshua Kimmich made the necessary transition from right back to center midfield.
Noussair Mazraoui is a great attacking option but struggles a bit defensively. Benjamin Pavard is strong defensively but cannot offer sufficient progression at the position. And João Cancelo was not the right fit at the right price.
There is no doubting Walker’s pedigree and accomplishments over the past decade in the Premier League. He is honestly one of the best players to play the position in the history of this prestigious league, proving his worth time and time again on the biggest stages. Who can forget his recent lockdown performance of the world’s most dangerous winger, VinÃcius Júnior?
2. Reece James
Yet the absolute best Premier League right back in 2023, when fully fit, is Reece James. The Chelsea star has blossomed into an all-around titan of the game, providing world-class defending, unstoppable progression of the ball, and even strong skills in the attacking third to contribute directly to goals.
A complete right back and an athletic marvel, James has become the definition of class and professionalism as one of the young leaders in this Chelsea side.
Whenever he is out, his absence is missed. James, who is still only 23 years old, had 5 goals and 9 assists with 1.8 key passes per game and 1.4 dribbles completed per game in 2021/22 while playing solid defense.
That 2021/22 campaign from James put him on the map as one of the world’s absolute best right backs. A fully fit 2023/24 could be all that he needs to become No. 1 – and do so with some margin to spare.
1. Giovanni Di Lorenzo
But at this very moment, it is Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo who must receive the honor of the best right back in the world. The veteran wide man did it all for the Partenopei, playing a crucial role in Napoli finally reclaiming the Scudetto.
Though most mainstream fans are fixated on the superstar forwards, Napoli fans have given just as much credit to the brilliance of their perenially-underrated right back.
It is time Di Lorenzo gets his due. His technique is remarkable, as he can create chances from nothing with a mere flick or a touch of genius in the form of a difficult pass that few others would dare to attempt.
Because Napoli do not get the same airplay, the average football fan has not even seen these moments of magic, nor the countless defensive interventions that quite literally saved goals for Napoli.
Di Lorenzo contributed to seven goals and averaged 1.3 key passes per game last season despite primarily being a defensive option at right back, as left back Mário Rui was the one aggressively overlapping (or underlapping) to support Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Rarely making a mistake with his passing or getting caught out in defense, Di Lorenzo is a model of consistency and set the standard at the right back position throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
