World football has seen some exceptional left-backs over the years from Ashley Cole to Roberto Carlos, setting the standard high for new up-and-coming lefties to try their trade in the forgotten position.
Full-backs are no longer the forgotten men on the football pitch. Indeed, some of the players on this list are integral to the way their club and country set up. Not just defenders, but also invaluable attackers, creators, scorers, set-piece takers and jack of all trades.
We’ve used a number of stats from last season to quantify our rankings, as well as a player’s overall contribution to the game in recent times. So who makes it into our top 10?
All stats come from WhoScored.com and are correct as of the publish date. If you enjoy this, read our takes on the best strikers in the world right now, best goalkeepers of all time and best right backs of all time.
10 Lucas Digne, Everton/France
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| Lucas Digne created more chances than any Everton player last season (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 30 appearances
- 0 goals
- 7 assists
- 2.4 clearances per game
- 1.5 key passes per game
9 Raphael Guerreiro, Borussia Dortmund/Portugal
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| Real Madrid are said to be monitoring the progress of Raphael Guerreiro (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 25 appearances
- 5 goals
- 10 assists
- 0.9 clearances per game
- 2.0 key passes per game
8 Ben Chilwell, Chelsea/England
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| Ben Chilwell made an immediate impact after his move to Chelsea from Leicester City last summer (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 27 appearances
- 3 goals
- 5 assists
- 1.7 clearances per game
- 1.1 key passes per game
7 Jordi Alba, Barcelona/Spain
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| Jordi Alba reached the Euro 2020 semi-final with Spain this summer (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 34 appearances
- 3 goals
- 5 assists
- 0.9 clearances per game
- 1.5 key passes per game
6 Alex Sandro, Juventus/Brazil
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| Alex Sandro has been paramount to Juventus’ success in the Serie A (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 20 appearances
- 2 goals
- 1 assists
- 2 clearances per game
- 0.7 key passes per game
5 David Alaba, Bayern Munich/Austria
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| David Alaba captained Austria to their first Euros knockout stage in their history (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 30 appearances
- 2 goals
- 3 assists
- 1.8 clearances per game
- 0.9 key passes per game
4 Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich/Canada
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| Since joining Bayern Munich in January 2019, Alphonso Davies has established himself at left-back (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 22 appearances
- 1 goal
- 2 assists
- 1.2 clearances per game
- 0.9 key passes per game
3 Luke Shaw, Manchester United/England
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| Luke Shaw has been one of England’s standout players at this summer’s European Championships (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 30 appearances
- 1 goal
- 5 assists
- 1.2 clearances per game
- 2.3 key passes per game
2 Theo Hernandez, AC Milan/France
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| Theo Hernandez rapidly emerged as one of Europe’s best left-backs (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 33 appearances
- 7 goals
- 5 assists
- 1.5 clearances per game
- 1.3 key passes per game
1 Andy Robertson, Liverpool/Scotland
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| Andy Robertson has assisted a staggering 37 time in four seasons for Liverpool (Image: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 38 appearances
- 1 goal
- 7 assists
- 1.8 clearances per game
- 1.7 key passes per game
In October 2020, when the Liverpool defence was cratered by Virgil van Dijk’s injury at the hands/feet of Jordan Pickford, it meant other members of the unit needed to step up. Cue 27-year-old Andy Robertson growing into a leadership role for the Anfield outfit to go with his 37 assists in four seasons. His energy and work-rate saw him become the first Scottish captain to lead his side out at a major tournament in 23 years at Euro 2021. Robertson led the tournament in crosses attempted (32) and crosses completed (12) despite Scotland’s exit at the group stage of the competition.