The 5 Greatest Left-Backs of All-Time
Who Are the Greatest Left-Backs in the History of Football?
The full-back position has become increasingly important in modern football.
Legendary English Left-back Ashley Cole
It is no longer just a defensive position, with players staying in their own half and covering for their teammates.
Modern-day full-backs must contribute just as much, if not more, to a team’s attack as they do in defence.
There are some incredible left-backs in the game today, including Andrew Robertson, Alphonso Davies, Theo Hernandez and Joao Cancelo.
Those modern greats followed a wave of left-backs who set the standard for the position.
High-quality left-backs are scarce in the world of football. They have to defend, attack and do everything a right-back does- all with their left foot.
The following players are the 5 greatest left-backs in football of all-time.
5. Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes may be an unknown name to many modern-day football fans, yet the former Liverpool player is considered one of the greatest to ever wear the famous red kit.
Hughes doesn’t receive a lot of attention when talking about the greatest ever left-backs in football.
Fans often look at players from South America or the European continent. However, Hughes was at the top of the game from the late 1960s through to the 1970s.
Liverpool manager Bill Shankly signed Hughes for £65,000 from Blackpool in 1967.
Throughout his Liverpool career, Hughes made 665 appearances, scoring 49 times.
The left-back's incredible number of appearances for Liverpool came during a time when far less club football was played.
The left-back was part of Liverpool’s great teams of the 1970s, far more so than the likes of Kevin Keegan, Graeme Souness or Kenny Dalglish.
While these players may have received the headlines, Hughes was the backbone of the team. During his time at Liverpool, Hughes had a record of 353W-179D-133L while in the side.
He won four English First Division titles, two European Cups and two UEFA Cups.
Hughes was named the FWA Football of the Year in 1977. The left-back also picked up 62 caps for England.
4. Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner has the distinct honour of scoring in more than one FIFA World Cup tournament, which puts him in rarified air.
The German left-back was ahead of his time, playing for the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Eintracht Braunschweig from 1970 to 1983.
The German’s career was rather short compared to other players on this list. Breitner’s career ended in 1982-83 after a collision with Hamburg’s Wolfgang Rolff forced him to retire due to injury.
Breitner’s 13-year career was packed with incredible moments.
He scored 103 goals, showing he was much more than just a defensive full-back.
As a member of Bayern Munich, Breitner won five Bundesliga trophies, two DFB Pokals and a UEFA European Cup in nine seasons across two spells at the club.
Real Madrid signed Breitner in 1974. He played three seasons in the Spanish capital, winning two league titles and a Copa del Rey trophy.
Breitner also excelled at the international level, as he helped Germany win the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup.
3. Ashley Cole
Some modern-day football fans may remember Ashley Cole due to a 2014 team photo of the AS Roma squad that went viral showing the left-back standing awkwardly on the fringes of the picture.
Football fans quickly cropped Cole out of the photo and began making memes with “lurking” Ashley Cole.
However, before he was “lurking”, Ashley Cole was one of the finest left-backs in world football.
Cole was a product of the Arsenal Football Academy and he made his first-team debut at the age of 18.
He spent seven years in north London, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
In 2006, Cole moved across London to Stamford Bridge, and some fans will argue that this is when the left-back's career really took off.
Cole won just one Premier League title but helped Chelsea win four FA Cups, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Cole was the prototype for English full-backs during the 2000s.
He was quick, tactically sound and he could carry the ball into attack areas before making the correct passing decision.
Although his career ended on a downward slide with spells at Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County, Cole remains one of the greatest left-backs to play the game.
2. Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini retired in 2009 after an illustrious career with AC Milan.
Maldini was a one-club man, compiling 901 appearances for the Rossoneri in all competitions while scoring 33 goals and assisting 44.
He wasn’t a bombarding left-back tasked with pushing back the opposing team’s winger. He was tactically astute with a defence-first mindset.
Maldini was strong in the tackle, but you rarely saw him go to the ground to win the ball. His placement and decision-making won him the ball, not rash tackles.
Left-back wasn’t Maldini’s only position, as he could play centre-back as well. His final season at the San Siro saw him make all 32 appearances in the heart of the defence, rather than at left-back.
He was a part of the great Milan sides of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Maldini won seven Serie A titles, with the first one coming in 1987-88.
Maldini - Many peoples choice as the best left back, but pipped at the post in our list
In addition to seven league titles, Maldini won five European Cups/Champions League trophies.
While club football brought silverware success, Maldini never won a World Cup with the Azzurri.
He received a runners-up medal in 1994, as Italy were beaten on penalties by Brazil in the United States.
1. Roberto Carlos
A lot of football fans would name Paolo Maldini as the greatest left-back to ever lace up a pair of boots. Yet, Maldini could play other positions across the backline.
Indeed, he also spent a lot of time playing as a centre-back. According to Transfermarkt, Maldini played 377 times as a centre-back, while playing left-back 481 times.
Despite this, Brazilian Roberto Carlos was a left-back through and through.
Yes, he did appear in midfield positions sporadically, but left-back was Carlos’s home.
He played 583 matches in the defensive position, according to Transfermarkt.
The majority of Carlos’s career was spent with Real Madrid. He joined Los Blancos in 1996 from Inter Milan for €6m after just one season with the Italians.
Carlos would go on to make 527 appearances for Madrid, scoring 70 goals and assisting 102.
Carlos won a treasure trove of trophies, including four La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League trophies, one UEFA Super Cup and two Intercontinental trophies.
Those were just the cups he won as a member of Real Madrid. There were more trophies at his other stops before and after Madrid.
Carlos also won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil.
What made Carlos an exceptional left-back was his pace. He could speed up and down the left flank with ease and never get tired.
The great left-backs of modern football can thank Roberto Carlos for setting the standard for the position.
Carlos and Maldini are neck and neck in the race for the best left-back of all time. The thing that sets them apart is the influence the Brazilian has had on modern players in the position.
Who is the greatest left-back of all time? Tell us your picks in the comments 👇
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