Ranking the top 10 right backs in the world
There aren’t many tougher positions to play in football at the moment than full back. Players are expected to play a role in attacking areas, and get back and do the job defensively.
In the defensive third, they have the problem of having wingers who are faster, and more skilful. Probably the hardest aspect for defenders is dealing with attackers who are more willing to go down to try and win a free kick and have become much smarter in fooling referees.
As for going forward, full backs have a greater role to play now, with the classic winger very rare nowadays. Now we have wide players who like to come inside and influence play, leaving full backs with acres of room to bomb forward and have an impact in the attacking third.
This has led to full backs almost becoming attacking players, and in many cases, full backs being better going forward than they are going the other way. Therefore, many of the players on this list are on it for their attacking merits, rather than their defensive ones.
With that in mind, here are the top ten right backs in world football right now.
#10 Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)
It was a bit of a surprise when Pereira left Porto to join Leicester City this summer. He had an excellent season in Portugal, as Porto ended a five-year wait for a title, and he could easily have moved to a club who had established themselves in the Champions League. In fact, it was Leicester, who pulled off somewhat a coup in signing a Pereira, very early on in the transfer window.
He is one of those players who does a lot of good work going forward and is capable of an excellent delivery from wide areas. He has great pace, and that gives him an advantage when going forward, and when doing his job defensively. He has made an excellent start to his career at the King Power Stadium and is proving a real upgrade on Danny Simpson. At £22 million, he looks like a real bargain for Leicester.