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The debate over who is the best right-back in world football is hardly much of a debate at all, but the fight for the other places is extremely tight.

Europe’s top clubs are loaded with high-quality options, with leading names from Arsenal, Barcelona, Tottenham, Chelsea and Real Madrid all in the mix. Some stand out for what they offer in attack, others for their defensive strength, while the very best are capable of delivering both.

Here is our ranking of the 10 finest right-backs in world football at this moment.

We are buying into the Kayode hype nice and early.

The Italy youth international is already a familiar name in transfer rumours, but another year of progress at Brentford could be exactly what he needs before what feels like an eventual move to a Champions League club.

Kayode’s Rory Delap-style long throws are an entertaining extra, but they should not distract from the fact that he already looks like one of the brightest young right-backs anywhere in Europe.

You may spot that Trent Alexander-Arnold is missing from this list. Not so long ago, that would have seemed impossible, when Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot had systems that brought out his creative strengths while covering for his defensive weaknesses.

But remove him from that environment and what do you get? A thoroughly underwhelming first season at Real Madrid. Completely left out of England’s World Cup squad. Passed over in favour of relatively ordinary players such as Trevoh Chalobah and Jarrell Quansah. It has been a dramatic drop for someone who once made no secret of his ambition to win the Ballon d’Or.

Alexander-Arnold certainly has the ability to force his way back into the conversation among the world’s elite, but it is difficult to picture him naturally fitting into Jose Mourinho’s plans. So we have instead included the player Los Blancos have just brought in as Dani Carvajal’s immediate heir. Painful.

Denzel Dumfries is simply a far more dependable defender. At times, it really is as straightforward as that.

Before this, Julian Ryerson had never produced more than three assists in a single league season, but in the second half of last term he suddenly became one of Europe’s most productive full-backs.

The Norway international finished the 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign with a remarkable 15 assists, including four in a single match against Mainz.

At the time, it felt like he might just be enjoying a hot streak. Perhaps there will be some regression next season, but after he carried that form into the World Cup as well, we are leaning towards the idea that this may simply be a late developer reaching his full level at the age of 28. Stranger things have happened in football.

There is definitely a hint of Reece James mark II about Tino Livramento.

Like James, he is another exceptional Chelsea academy product with all the tools required to reach the highest level, although his development has also been disrupted by injuries.

Just as with Lewis Hall on the opposite side, it is no shock that Livramento continues to be linked with big six clubs. Newcastle must hold on to him — and keep him fit — if they want to build anything meaningful in the period after Eddie Howe.

He looks a very safe pick to become England’s first-choice right-back at the next Euros and World Cup.

Three La Liga titles. A long-established place in the France side. Yet another World Cup campaign that went deep into the knockout rounds. On paper, Jules Kounde’s credentials are beyond dispute.

But if you actually watch him, rather than just glance at the summary of his career, the impression is a little different. Over the past couple of years, Kounde has not looked quite as convincing as he did at his very best.

He remains a very strong right-back, but there are still too many lapses in concentration and scruffy moments. Barcelona’s high defensive line offers little margin for error, but even so, more is expected from a player with his quality.

Daniel Munoz may be too old to become Crystal Palace’s next £70million departure, but that should not lead anyone to underestimate just how good he is as a Premier League right-back.

Throughout last season, he was one of Palace’s steadiest and most reliable performers week after week. He then took that level to the World Cup, proving he could deliver on the biggest stage and emerging as one of Colombia’s standout players.

It is hard not to think about how different his career might have been if he had broken through a few years sooner and not spent so much of his twenties away from the spotlight. Based on recent form, he could easily have spent his peak years at one of Europe’s true giants.

Putting Pedro Porro as high as fourth on this list would have sounded ridiculous only a few months ago.

After all, he was a prominent figure in a Tottenham side that finished 17th in back-to-back Premier League seasons, while posting a dreadful defensive record in both campaigns.

But that is exactly the risk of judging an individual purely through the lens of a team’s wider struggles. Put him into a properly functioning system — namely Luis de la Fuente’s Spain — and Porro’s class becomes obvious straight away.

At the World Cup, he looked every bit the complete right-back: tactically aware, solid in defence and a regular danger going forward.

There is a case to be made that Reece James is almost too versatile for his own benefit.

The Chelsea skipper is capable of shining in midfield as well, but that only highlights what a special footballer he is. Even so, right-back remains his strongest role, and very few players can equal his complete skill set there.

What has stopped James from ranking even higher is his fitness record. He played more minutes last season, but still spent a significant period out, including a large chunk of the World Cup.

When you add Chelsea’s tactical uncertainty and chaotic squad planning into the equation, it becomes easy to overlook just how outstanding he is. If staying fit were not such a concern, and if he were operating in a genuinely settled side, he would be pushing for a place in the top two.

Jurrien Timber’s modest numbers for goals and assists are the reason he is nowhere near the top spot in this ranking. He is never going to be discussed in the same category as Dani Alves or Cafu.

But in an era where truly elite attack-first right-backs are in short supply, Timber’s defensive brilliance is enough to secure second place.

Quite possibly the best one-v-one defender in world football, he played a huge role in Arsenal’s Premier League title win and came within a penalty shootout of lifting the Champions League.

“ACHRAF HAKIMI. BEST RB IN THE WORLD. GOOD NIGHT GUYS. 👋🏽” Kylian Mbappe posted during the 2022 AFCON.

Nothing has changed.

We have produced an entire series of these rankings — strikers, wingers and centre-backs among them. In no other position was the No.1 pick anywhere near this obvious.

Achraf Hakimi is comfortably clear of everyone else. He is a back-to-back Champions League winner and a central figure in Morocco’s rise into a genuine power in international football.