Ranking the 10 right-backs in world football right now: Hakimi, Timber, James… | OneFootball

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. Michael Kayode

We’re getting in early(-ish) on the Kayode stocks.

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.

9. Denzel Dumfries

You might notice the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold here. That was unthinkable not long ago, when Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot devised a system that maximised his playmaking strengths and masked his defensive liabilities.

Take him out of that set-up and what’s left? An eminently forgettable debut season at Real Madrid. Left completely out of England’s World Cup squad. Overlooked in favour of comparatively ordinary footballers like Trevoh Chalobah and Jarrell Quansah. Quite the fall from grace for a player who once abundantly made clear his ambitions of winning a Ballon d’Or.

Alexander-Arnold has the talent to re-establish his place among the world’s best, but we struggle to see him fitting naturally under Jose Mourinho. And so we’ve included the man Los Blancos have just signed to take his place as Dani Carvajal’s immediate successor. Ouch.

Dumfries is a much more reliable defender. Sometimes it’s that simple.

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.

It looked like a purple patch at the time. Maybe we’ll see a reversion to the mean next season, but after carrying his strong form into the World Cup, we’re inclined to believe this could be a late bloomer suddenly reaching his ceiling at 28. Stranger things have happened.

7. 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.

As with Hall on the other flank, it’s no surprise to see Livramento continually linked with big six clubs. Newcastle need to keep him – and keep him fit – if they’re to build anything at all successful in the post Eddie Howe era.

A safe bet to be England’s starting right-back at the next Euros and World Cup.

6. 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 very good 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.

5. Daniel Munoz

Munoz is too old to become Crystal Palace’s next £70million sale, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not one of the Premier League’s best right-backs.

Week after week last season, he was one of Palace’s most consistent performers. Then he went to the World Cup and showed he could do it on the biggest stage too, looking one of Colombia’s standout players.

We can’t help but wonder how different his career might have looked if he’d broken through a few years earlier and not spent most of his twenties in relative obscurity. On recent evidence, he could easily have spent his peak at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

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.

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.

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 within a penalty shootout of Champions League glory.

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.