​You can view Ratings & Explanation for more information on how these lists are made.
​

1
2

3
​4
5
6
7
8

​9​
10
11
12
13​
14​
​
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

28
29
30
31​
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48​​
49
50

Djalma Santos
Carlos Alberto Torres

​​​Berti Vogts
​Cafu
Phillip Lahm
​​Javier Zanetti
Giuseppe Bergomi
​Dani Alves
​
​Paul Janes
Manfred Kaltz
Claudio Gentile
​Manuel Amoros
​Leandro Ferreira
​​Tarcisio Burgnich
​
Eric Gerets​
​​Jorginho
Wim Suurbier
​​​Maicon
​​Nelinho
​​Phil Neal
Jimmy Armfield
​​​​Eraldo Monzeglio
​​Alfredo Foni
​​Fahrudin Jusufi
Danny Mcgrain
Luis Eyzaguirre
​Bob Crompton

​​​​​​Dani Carvajal
​​Branko Stankovic
​​​Johnny Carey
​Trent Alexander-Arnold
​​​Achraf Hakimi
​Virginio Rosetta
​Klaus Urbanczyk
Horst-Dieter Hottges
​​Volodymyr Bezsonov
​​Kyle Walker
​​​Patrick Battiston
Josef Blum​​
​​​​Mauro Tassotti
​​Jocelyn Angloma
​​Schubert Gambetta
​​​​​​​Karol Dobias
​​​​​Carlos Sosa
​​Juan Evaristo
​Stefan Reuter
​​​​Orvar Bergmark
​​​​Horst Eckel
​​Neilly Gibson
​Joao Pinto
​

​BRA
​BRA

​GER
​​BRA
GER
​​ARG
ITA
BRA
​
​​GER
GER
ITA
​FRA
​​BRA
​ITA
​
BEL​
​​BRA
​NET
​​​BRA
​​BRA
ENG
​ENG
​​ITA
​​​ITA
​​KOS
​SCO
CHI
​ENG

​SPA
BOS
​​​IRE
​​ENG
​​​​MOR
​​ITA
​GER
GER
​UKR
​​​​ENG
​​​FRA
AUT
​​​ITA
FRA
​​URU
​​SVA
​​​​​​ARG
​​ARG
​GER
​​​​SWE
​​​​​​GER
​​SCO
​POR

1950's
​1970's

1970's
1990's
2010's
2000's
1980's
2010's

​1930's
1980's
1980's
​1980's
​1980's
1960's
​
1980's
1990's
​1970's
​​2000's
​1970's
1970's
1960's
​1930's
​​1930's
1960's
1970's
1960's
1900's

​​2020's
​​​1940's
​1940's
2020's
​​2020's
​1930's
1960's
1970's
1980's
2020's
​1980's
​1920's
​1980's
​1990's
​1940's
1970's
​​1940's
​1920's
1990's
​1950's​
​1950's
​1900's
​1980's

GOLD II
GOLD II

GOLD III
​GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
​
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV

GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
​
SILVER I​
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I
​SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Francisco Arce
Thomas Berthold
​George Cohen
Harry Denis
​​​Mirsad Fazlagic
​Sandy Jardine
Bill McCracken
​Gary Neville
​​​​​Christian Panucci
​Bernd Patzke
​Willy Sagnol
​Ze Maria
​

PAR
GER
ENG
NET​
​​BOS
​SCO
NIR
​ENG
​​​​​ITA
​GER
FRA
​BRA

1990's
1990's
1960's
1920's
​​1960's
​1970's
1900's
1990's
​1990's
1960's
2000's
​1970's

​SILVER II
​​​SILVER II
​SILVER II
SILVER II
​​SILVER II
SILVER I
SILVER II
​SILVER I
​​​SILVER I
​​SILVER II
​​SILVER II
​​SILVER II
World Class Full-Backs by Nation
14 - Italy
13 - Brazil
7 - Germany
5 - England
4 - Spain
3 - France
2 - Argentina, Austria, Netherlands
1 - Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Kosovo, Scotland, Ukraine

World Class Full-Backs by Decade
Cafu



Djalma Santos
Brasileirao *3
Paulistao *3
World Cup *2
​Highest SA POTY Rank: N/A
Carlos Alberto Torres
Carlos Alberto Torres
Paulistao *5
Cariocao *3
World Cup *1
Highest SA POTY Rnk: ---
Phillip Lahm
Berti Vogts
Bundesliga *5
​DFB Pokal *1
UEFA Cup *2
World Cup *1
Euros *1
​Highest Balon D'Or Rank: 4

1    Djalma Santos
2    Carlos Alberto T.

​​3    Berti Vogts
4    Cafu
5    Phillip Lahm
​6    Javier Zanetti
7    Giuseppe Bergomi
8    ​Dani Alves
​
9    Paul Janes
10   Manfred Kaltz
11   Claudio Gentile
​​12   Manuel Amoros
​​​13   Leandro Ferreira
​14   Tarcisio Burgnich
​
15   Eric Gerets
​16   Jorginho
17   Wim Suurbier
​18   Maicon
​​19   Nelinho
​​20   Phil Neal
21   Jimmy Armfield
​​​22   Eraldo Monzeglio
23   Alfredo Foni
​​24   Fahrudin Jusufi
​25   Danny Mcgrain
26   Luis Eyzaguirre
27   Bob Crompton

​​​​28   Dani Carvajal
​29   Branko Stankovic
​30   Johnny Carey
​31   Trent A.A.
​​​32   Achraf Hakimi
33   Virginio Rosetta
​34   Klaus Urbanczyk
35   H.D. Hottges
36   V. Bezsonov
​​​37   Kyle Walker
​38   Patrick Battiston
​​39   Josef Blum
​40   Mauro Tassotti
​​​41   Jocelyn Angloma
​​42   S. Gambetta
​​43   Karol Dobias
​​​44   Carlos Sosa
​​45   Juan Evaristo
​46   Stefan Reuter
​​​47   Orvar Bergmark
​​48   Horst Eckel
​49   Neilly Gibson
​​​50   Joao Pinto
​
HON. MENTIONS
Francisco Arce
Thomas Berthold
George Cohen
Harry Denis
Mirsad Fazlagic
Sandy Jardine
​Bill McCracken
Gary Neville
​Christian Panucci
​Bernd Patzke
Willy Sagnol
​Ze Maria
​

​BRA
​BRA

​GER​
​​BRA
GER
​​ARG
ITA
BRA
​
​GER
GER
​ITA
​​FRA
​​​BRA
​ITA
​
BEL
BRA
NET
BRA
BRA
ENG
ENG
ITA
​ITA
KOS
SCO
CHI
ENG

SPA
BOS
IRE
ENG
MOR
ITA
GER
GER
UKR
ENG
FRA
AUT
ITA
FRA
URU
SVA
ARG
ARG
GER
​SWE
GER
​SCO
POR


PAR
GER
ENG
NET
BOS
SCO
NIR
ENG
ITA
GER
FRA
​BRA

II
II

III​
III
III
III
III
III

IV
IV
IV
​IV
IV
IV

V
V
V
V
V
V
V
​V
V
V
V
V
​V
​
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
​​I
I
I
​I
​I
I
​I

​
​​II
​​II
​II
​II
II
​​I
II
​​I
​I
​II
​​II
​II
World Class Full-Backs by Nation
14 - Italy
13 - Brazil
7 - Germany
5 - England
4 - Spain
3 - France
2 - Argentina, Austria, Netherlands
1 - Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Kosovo, Scotland, Ukraine

World Class Full-Backs by Decade

​New List Entries since 2022:
  • 2025: Achraf Hakimi