Trent, Cancelo, James, Hakimi: 45 best full backs in world football ranked

Who are the best full backs in world football right now?

It’s a tough question to answer because never before has the game demanded so much from players in the role.

A decade ago, nobody really minded if a right or left back could guarantee you a wicked delivery and a hatful of assists each season.

Yet nowadays, we judge the performance of these players that are still technically classed as defenders based upon their attacking exploits, too.

Players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joao Cancelo and Andy Robertson have been pioneers in the Premier League for the modern-day full back.

But who’s the best in the world right now?

We’ve ranked 45 of the best full backs from ‘great asset’ to ‘best in the world’ and you can view our findings below.

Luke Shaw, Raphael Guerreiro, Renan Lodi, Alex Sandro, Aaron Creswell, Benjamin Pavard, Marcos Alonso, Denzel Dumfries, Kostas Tsimikas, Matty Cash, Lucas Digne, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jesus Navas, Ricardo Rodriguez, Ben Davies, Nelson Semedo, Filipe Luis, Marcelo, Alex Telles, Sergio Reguilon, Danilo, Alessandro Florenzi

A mixture of different types of players make up the ‘great asset’ category from legends that are slowly on their way out to solid Premier League stars.

Marcelo, Navas, Sandro and Luis all fall into the former having enjoyed exceptional careers. None more so than Marcelo, who has lifted an incredible five Champions League titles.

Cash and Digne represent two useful tools Steven Gerrard has at his disposal. The pair have proven very effective going forward for Aston Villa and are classed as fan favourites in the west midlands.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans will say much of the same when it comes to Creswell, who could make this section just for his free kick taking