The title of world’s best right-back isn’t up for much debate, but the race for the remaining places is fiercely contested.
Europe’s elite are packed with top-class options, with stars from Arsenal, Barcelona, Tottenham, Chelsea and Real Madrid among the standouts. Some thrive as attacking outlets, others excel defensively, while the very best manage to do both.
Here’s our ranking of the 10 best right-backs in world football right now.
10. Tino Livramento
There’s something of a Reece James mk.II about Livramento.
Another outstanding Chelsea academy graduate blessed with everything he needs to reach the top, but one whose progress has unfortunately been stunted by injuries.
He’s barely featured this season, with the usual injury issues making it difficult to judge where he’s currently at. But with Newcastle struggling under Matthias Jaissle, the manager could desperately do with a player of Livramento’s quality fit and available.
A safe bet to be England’s starting right-back at the next Euros, provided he can stay on the pitch.
9. Michael Kayode
The Italy youth international is already a regular in the transfer gossip columns, but another season of development at Brentford should do him the world of good before the inevitable leap to a Champions League club.
Kayode’s Rory Delap-esque long throws are a fun bonus, but don’t let them overshadow how he already looks like one of the most promising young right-backs in Europe.
8. Julian Ryerson
Having never managed more than three assists in a league campaign before, Ryerson suddenly turned into one of Europe’s most productive full-backs in the latter half of last season.
The Norwegian ended the 2025-26 Bundesliga season with an outrageous tally of 15 assists, which included four in one game against Mainz.
We’ve seen a reversion to the mean this season, with zero assists to his name, but he’s been solid enough as Dortmund have started in fine fettle, going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich.
7. Jules Kounde
Three La Liga titles. A permanent fixture for France. Another World Cup run deep into the knockout stages. The CV is unquestionable.
But actually watch him play, rather than read his Wikipedia career summary, and you’ll come away with a different impression. Kounde hasn’t looked as assured over the past couple of years as he did at his peak.
He’s still a decent enough right-back, but there are too many switch-offs and untidy moments. Barcelona’s high line is unforgiving, but we still expect more from a player of his ability.
We’re not writing him off, but it’s been a long while since we’ve looked at Kounde and thought of him as one of the outstanding players in his position.
6. Xavi Espart
La Masia does it again. Espart has enjoyed an outstanding breakthrough campaign, establishing himself as Hansi Flick’s best right-back and putting Kounde’s place under genuine pressure.
He’s a wonderfully versatile teenager, capable of filling several roles and looking comfortable wherever he’s deployed. His future might ultimately lie further forward in midfield, but for now he’s making the right-back position his own.
5. Federico Valverde
Trent Alexander-Arnold is nowhere to be seen in our top 10 right-backs. Some drop-off for a player who boldly stated his ambitions of winning a Ballon d’Or.
We’ve also kicked Denzel Dumfries out of this list for Valverde, who would’ve featured pretty prominently in a midfielders ranking in his prime a couple of years back.
The Los Blancos captain might be playing there reluctantly, which caused a bit of a stir last season, but we find ourselves agreeing with Jose Mourinho.
“It hurts me. Our squad planning was to have two players in each position, and now I’m playing a third guy in their place (Valverde), and that really makes me sad,” the Real Madrid manager said recently.
“In this very specific situation, I think it’s better for the team to play Fede there. I consider Fede a more offensive RB than the other two right now.
“We explained this situation to Trent and Dumfries, and they both accepted it as they understood it’s what best for the team right now.”
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4. Pedro Porro
Having Porro as high as fourth in this list would’ve felt like a sick joke a few months back.
This is a fella who featured prominently for a Tottenham side that finished 17th in successive Premier League campaigns, with a disastrous defensive record in both.
But this is the danger of judging an individual in a collective context. Stick him in a functional set-up – i.e. Luis de la Fuente’s Spain – and Porro’s quality immediately becomes clear.
He looked every inch the complete right-back at the World Cup: positionally intelligent, defensively assured and a constant threat going forward.
Porro has spent most of this season sidelined, but he’s returning just as Roberto De Zerbi’s side are turning a corner. Watch this space.
3. Reece James
There’s an argument that James is too versatile for his own good.
The Chelsea captain can excel in midfield, but that only underlines what an exceptional footballer he is. His best position remains right-back, where few can match his blend of all-round qualities.
Fitness has prevented James from climbing higher. He managed more minutes last season but still missed a significant spell, including much of the World Cup.
Add in Chelsea’s tactical instability and scattergun squad building, and it’s easy to forget just how good he is. If availability wasn’t an issue, and he was playing in a proper team, he’d be challenging for the top two.
Perhaps we’ll see him at his very best under Xabi Alonso this season. But those injury setbacks remain a curse.
2. Jurrien Timber
Timber’s paltry return in terms of goals and assists is why he isn’t close to the top spot here. He’s never going to be spoken about in the same breath as a Dani Alves or a Cafu.
But with elite attack-minded right-backs in short supply, Timber’s defensive excellence is enough to earn him second place.
Arguably the best one-on-one defender in world football, he was instrumental in Arsenal’s Premier League triumph and coming within a penalty shootout of Champions League glory.
He remains just as solid this season.
1. Achraf Hakimi
“ACHRAF HAKIMI. BEST RB IN THE WORLD. GOOD NIGHT GUYS. 👋🏽” posted Kylian Mbappe during the 2022 AFCON.
Same as it ever was.
We’ve got a whole series of these rankings. Strikers. Wingers. Centre-backs. In no other position was the No.1 spot so cut and dried.
Hakimi is head and shoulders above the rest. A back-to-back Champions League winner and a key part of Morocco becoming a genuine force in international football.
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