Top 10 Champions League Full Backs

jonjoward1998
16 minutes ago
6 min read

I would normally do a European football related top 10 later in the week but with the Champions League back this week ahead of the knockout play offs, I've decided to switch them around and do a Champions League related top 10.

The Match of the Day Top 10 Podcast did a Champions League series towards the end of last season which included goal scorers, centre backs and midfielders.

I've decided to do the other positions they didn't do starting with full backs.

Many of the best full backs in Europe have lit up the Champions League over the years with the majority of them being lucky enough to win it.

The role of a full back has course changed over the years as it's gone from being defend first to being able to get forward and create alongside being able to move into midfield.

We arguably first saw the role change in the Champions League because a lot of teams were playing with their full backs providing the width for their team and especially the ones from Spain and Germany.

Pep Guardiola is the main architect behind the role changing and the impact he's had on our game has inspired other teams to play like his teams have done.

Now without further ordo, here is the list:

Philipp Lahm

Ashley Cole

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Marcelo

Dani Alves

Roberto Carlos

Andrew Robertson

Dani Carvajal

Gary Neville

Maicon

Maicon

Maicon was arguably the best right back in the world on his day and there was a time when he was with that time being 2010 when Inter Milan won the Champions League as part of the treble they won that season under Jose Mourinho.

He was an integral part of that side due to his ability to be effective at both sides of the game in making key interventions defensively and always offering a threat going forward.

Him being brilliant at both sides of the game was what made him one of the best full backs around.

I had to have him in tenth because he wasn't up there among the best full backs in Europe for very long as his career soon declined after Inter's treble winning season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold changed the role of a full back in England by being able to get forward and be creative which very few full backs were doing at the time.

He reached three finals with Liverpool winning just the once in 2019 where he played such an integral role by providing the reds' creativity from full back.

He provided one of the most iconic moments in Champions League history during that campaign in his quickly taken corner in the semi finals against Barcelona, which set up Divock Origi's late goal to send the reds into the final and complete one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.

There have been very few full backs like him in the game because of how creative a player he is and although he has had his flaws defensively, going forward he's been right up there among the best.

His attacking abilities have been sorely missed at Liverpool this season with Mohamed Salah in particular missing him as most of his goals were assisted by Alexander-Arnold.

Andrew Robertson

Robertson was also part of that Liverpool side that won the Champions League in 2019 and I've put him just ahead of Alexander-Arnold because he was better defensively.

He became one of the the best full backs in Europe during that campaign through his endless energy and ability to get forward and create chances, which is what made him an integral part of that side.

Both he and Alexander-Arnold provided Liverpool's creativity during their time together and especially during the season they won it which was the start of their strong partnership.

Ashley Cole

Cole is arguably the best full back England have ever produced because of his ability to be effective at both sides of the game in being strong defensively and a threat going forward.

He won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 on his third attempt to win the competition after being a runner up with Arsenal in 2006 and Chelsea in 2008.

Very few players could get past him in a one v one situation including some of the best players in the world because he was always well positioned.

Him being able to stand his ground against some of the best players in the game is one of the reasons why he was so highly rated.

Gary Neville

Neville won the Champions League twice with Man United in 1999 and 2008 respectively and was also a runner up in 2009.

He did miss almost the entire 2007-08 season due to injury, but he did feature once during the season with that sole appearance coming in the Champions League which enabled him to earn a winners medal.

He was definitely a more integral part of the 1999 winning side as he featured a lot more and put in a number of solid performances and he began to develop into one of the best full backs in Europe.

Philipp Lahm

Lahm played in three finals at Bayern Munich winning it just the once in 2013 as part of the treble Bayern won that season.

He captained Bayern to glory that year and his leadership and good all-round performances played an integral role in their success that season.

He was the player who changed the role of a full back by being able to move into midfield and he even played there on a number of occasions and excelled due to his ball playing abilities.

Roberto Carlos

Carlos won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002 respectively and was a major part of every single success.

He set up Zinedine Zidane's incredible volley in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen and he also set up the opening goal from that game for Raul.

He's one of the finest full backs to play the game because of how good he was going forward as he was a brilliant crosser of the ball and could also strike the ball from distance.

Dani Alves

Alves also won the Champions League three times in 2009, 2011 and 2015 from when he was at Barcelona.

I've put him just ahead of Carlos because for me he's the greatest full back to play the game because of his longevity and what he won as well as his abilities as a full back.

He was a key player in every winning side he was part of at Barca due to his ability to do both sides of the game in being solid defensively and always looking a threat going forward.

The first time he won the competition was the season where he first emerged as one of the best full backs in the world before going on to establish himself as the best the two times he won it.

Marcelo

Marcelo won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022 respectively.

He played a more integral role in the first four of his triumphs as he didn't featured massively during their 2022 triumph.

He was the best attacking full back in the world on his day as he loved to get forward and get crosses into the box as well as nick the odd goal.

He scored Real's third goal in the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid and set up Gareth Bale's incredible bicycle kick in the 2018 final against Liverpool.

Dani Carvajal

Carvajal has been somewhat underrated throughout his time with Real Madrid in that he hasn't always got the credit he's deserved despite being one of the top performing full backs in Europe for so many years.

But he still had to be my no.1 because he's won the Champions League six times which is more than any other player on this list.

He won the competition in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024 with Real and he played an integral role in every single one by putting in solid performances defensively and offering a threat going forward.

He also scored the opening goal in the 2024 final against Borussia Dortmund when he headed home Ton i Kroos' corner.

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