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Best left backs of all time
The 25 greatest left backs in football history, ranked by a composite of career goals, assists and appearances.
| # | Player | Position | Citizenship | Status | Career goals | Assists | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roberto Carlos | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil Spain | Retired | 100 | 146 | 773 |
| 2 | Daniel Brückner | Defender - Left-Back | Germany Algeria | Niendorfer TSV | 89 | 73 | 589 |
| 3 | Jan Kalabiska | Defender - Left-Back | Czech Republic | FC Zlin | 100 | 51 | 541 |
| 4 | Jordi Alba | Defender - Left-Back | Spain | Inter Miami CF | 48 | 131 | 693 |
| 5 | Caner Erkin | Defender - Left-Back | Türkiye | Sakaryaspor | 45 | 129 | 618 |
| 6 | Reinaldo | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil | Mirassol Futebol Clube (SP) | 68 | 78 | 676 |
| 7 | Marcelo | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil Spain | Retired | 52 | 108 | 663 |
| 8 | Alejandro Grimaldo | Defender - Left-Back | Spain | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 52 | 112 | 498 |
| 9 | Giovanni van Bronckhorst | Defender - Left-Back | Netherlands | Retired | 73 | 67 | 598 |
| 10 | Simon Handle | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | FC Viktoria Köln | 86 | 43 | 483 |
| 11 | Stephen McLaughlin | Defender - Left-Back | Ireland | Mansfield Town | 67 | 75 | 546 |
| 12 | Alexandru Chipciu | Defender - Left-Back | Romania | FC Universitatea Cluj | 65 | 77 | 531 |
| 13 | Grigoris Georgatos | Defender - Left-Back | Greece | Retired | 68 | 63 | 460 |
| 14 | Stuart Pearce | Defender - Left-Back | England | Retired | 86 | 18 | 660 |
| 15 | Marcel Gaus | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | Retired | 73 | 48 | 459 |
| 16 | Petr Mares | Defender - Left-Back | Czech Republic | FC RFS | 60 | 73 | 434 |
| 17 | Raphaël Guerreiro | Defender - Left-Back | Portugal France | Bayern Munich | 63 | 65 | 500 |
| 18 | Levan Kobiashvili | Defender - Left-Back | Georgia | Retired | 66 | 56 | 566 |
| 19 | Ehsan Hajsafi | Defender - Left-Back | Iran | Sepahan FC | 63 | 59 | 603 |
| 20 | DaMarcus Beasley | Defender - Left-Back | United States | Retired | 61 | 64 | 509 |
| 21 | Nuno Santos | Defender - Left-Back | Portugal | Sporting CP | 58 | 73 | 362 |
| 22 | Ezgjan Alioski | Defender - Left-Back | North Macedonia Switzerland | FC Lugano | 63 | 58 | 471 |
| 23 | Joe Jacobson | Defender - Left-Back | Wales | Retired | 55 | 67 | 657 |
| 24 | Carlos Morales | Defender - Left-Back | Mexico | Retired | 70 | 34 | 688 |
| 25 | Fábio Santos | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil Portugal | Retired | 66 | 38 | 825 |
| 26 | Michael Tarnat | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | Retired | 51 | 73 | 618 |
| 27 | Philipp Max | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | Panathinaikos FC | 47 | 80 | 482 |
| 28 | Joachim Soltvedt | Defender - Left-Back | Norway | SK Brann | 55 | 67 | 308 |
| 29 | Aleksandar Kolarov | Defender - Left-Back | Serbia | Retired | 52 | 67 | 508 |
| 30 | John Arne Riise | Defender - Left-Back | Norway | Retired | 55 | 55 | 713 |
| 31 | Jesús Gallardo | Defender - Left-Back | Mexico | Deportivo Toluca | 62 | 46 | 453 |
| 32 | Wederson | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil Türkiye | Retired | 51 | 68 | 444 |
| 33 | Alex Telles | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil Italy | Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas | 39 | 89 | 529 |
| 34 | Christian Fuchs | Defender - Left-Back | Austria | Retired | 40 | 83 | 598 |
| 35 | Hendrick Zuck | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | 1.FC Kaiserslautern II | 51 | 65 | 422 |
| 36 | Robin Gosens | Defender - Left-Back | Germany Netherlands | ACF Fiorentina | 58 | 48 | 454 |
| 37 | Dmitriy Kombarov | Defender - Left-Back | Russia | Retired | 46 | 70 | 525 |
| 38 | Alexander Nollenberger | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | 1.FC Magdeburg | 62 | 44 | 245 |
| 39 | Defender - Left-Back | England | Ashton United | 57 | 48 | 445 | |
| 40 | Andreas Ulmer | Defender - Left-Back | Austria | Retired | 27 | 101 | 709 |
| 41 | Defender - Left-Back | England | Retired | 47 | 63 | 460 | |
| 42 | Gilberto | Defender - Left-Back | Brazil | Retired | 61 | 35 | 449 |
| 43 | David Raum | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | RB Leipzig | 41 | 77 | 345 |
| 44 | Lukas Scepanik | Defender - Left-Back | Germany | Alemannia Aachen | 46 | 66 | 383 |
| 45 | Thomas Salamon | Defender - Left-Back | Austria | Young Violets Austria Wien | 50 | 55 | 464 |
| 46 | Leighton Baines | Defender - Left-Back | England | Retired | 43 | 66 | 581 |
| 47 | Marcos Acuña | Defender - Left-Back | Argentina | CA River Plate | 40 | 72 | 552 |
| 48 | Domenico Criscito | Defender - Left-Back | Italy | Retired | 54 | 42 | 551 |
| 49 | Martin Mikovic | Defender - Left-Back | Slovakia | Spartak Trnava | 49 | 54 | 451 |
| 50 | Derry Murkin | Defender - Left-Back | England Netherlands | FC Utrecht | 56 | 44 | 282 |
How the ranking works
We rank each player by a composite score: career_goals × 4 + career_assists × 2 + career_matches × 0.05. This rewards finishers, creative players and longevity in equal measure — without depending on subjective awards or trophies. The list filters by position keyword so wingers, full-backs and centre-backs each get their own ranking.
Roberto Carlos
Daniel Brückner
Jan Kalabiska
Jordi Alba
Caner Erkin
Reinaldo
Marcelo
Alejandro Grimaldo
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Simon Handle
Stephen McLaughlin
Alexandru Chipciu
Grigoris Georgatos
Stuart Pearce
Marcel Gaus
Petr Mares
Raphaël Guerreiro
Levan Kobiashvili
Ehsan Hajsafi
DaMarcus Beasley
Nuno Santos
Ezgjan Alioski
Joe Jacobson
Carlos Morales
Fábio Santos
Michael Tarnat
Philipp Max
Joachim Soltvedt
Aleksandar Kolarov
John Arne Riise
Jesús Gallardo
Wederson
Alex Telles
Christian Fuchs
Hendrick Zuck
Robin Gosens
Dmitriy Kombarov
Alexander Nollenberger
Andreas Ulmer
Gilberto
David Raum
Lukas Scepanik
Thomas Salamon
Leighton Baines
Marcos Acuña
Domenico Criscito
Martin Mikovic
Derry Murkin