We get the opportunity to watch the best players in the world perform week in week out, with almost all coming from Europe’s top five leagues. One of the positions in world football that has suddenly become cool again is right back.
As Jamie Carragher once said: “no one wants to be a Gary Neville”. Or do they? A right back’s contribution on the pitch has changed vastly, no longer just another defender, full backs on either side can contribute hugely to a team’s balance and performance.
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 and the best goalkeepers of all time.
10) Reece James, Chelsea/England
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| Reece James scored Chelsea’s equaliser. (Image Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 25 appearances
- 1 goal
- 2 assists
- 1.4 clearances per game
- 1.2 key passes per game
9) Kyle Walker, Man City/England
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| Image: PA |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 22 appearances
- 1 goal
- 1 assist
- 1.2 clearances per game
- 0.3 key passes per game
8) Sergino Dest, Barcelona/USA
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| Sergino Dest (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 23 appearances
- 2 goals
- 1 assist
- 0.6 clearances per game
- 0.8 clearances per game
7) Juan Cuadrado, Juventus/Colombia
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| Sergino Dest (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 26 appearances
- 2 goals
- 10 assists
- 0.5 clearances per game
- 2.4 key passes per game
6) Fabien Centonze, Metz/France
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| Fabien Centonze (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 36 appearances
- 1 goal
- 0 assists
- 3.1 clearances per game
- 0.6 key passes per game
5) Kieran Trippier, Atletico Madrid/England
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| Kieran Trippier (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 28 appearances
- 0 goals
- 6 assists
- 1.5 clearances per game
- 1.4 key passes per game
4) Léo Dubois, Olympique Lyonnais/France
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| Léo Dubois |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 35 appearances
- 2 goals
- 4 assists
- 1.3 clearances per game
- 1.7 key passes per game
3) Achraf Hakimi, Inter Milan/Morocco
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| Achraf Hakimi |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 29 appearances
- 7 goals
- 8 assists
- 0.4 clearances per game
- 1.0 key passes per game
2) Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool/England
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| Trent Alexander-Arnold (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 34 appearances
- 2 goals
- 7 assists
- 1.2 clearances per game
- 2.0 key passes per game
1) Joao Cancelo, Man City/Portugal
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| Joao Cancelo (Credit: PA) |
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 27 appearances
- 2 goals
- 3 assists
- 0.9 clearances per game
- 1.6 key passes per game
Arguably Pep Guardiola’s shrewdest move in the 2020/21 season was tweaking Cancelo’s role to allow him to push into centre midfield when City played out from the back, then beyond. The switch allowed Cancelo to morph into a creative force averaging 1.6 key passes per game, behind only Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez, and saw him named to the PFA Team of the Year.
Featured Image Credit: PA