20 Best Left-Backs in Premier League History

Full-backs in today’s game have to be as good offensively as they are defensively, with modern-day managers wanting to see them high up the pitch in the final third.

However, it wasn’t always like that, and we have seen some brilliant no-nonsense left-backs since 1992. But who is the best left-back in Premier League history?

Ranking factors

• Appearances
• Longevity
• Titles
• Goals
• Clean sheets
• What others have said about them

20 best left-backs in Premier League history: in pictures

20

Aleksandar Kolarov

Man City

Serbian left-back Aleksandar Kolarov spent seven years at Man City and won two Premier League titles titles, proving to be worth the £16m transfer fee.

A powerful full-back who looked more like a centre-back than a left-back, Kolarov could also get forward and would also be on free-kick duty, scoring a goal in all seven of his top flight seasons at the Etihad.

19

Phil Neville

Man Utd, Everton

A proper Premier League ‘Barclaysman’, Phil Neville could play as a right-back, holding midfielder or left-back, and was an extremely reliable performer for both Man Utd and Everton.

After winning six titles at Old Trafford, Neville moved to Goodison Park with the Toffees and continued to be a solid option at full-back, captaining Everton as he reached more than 500 Premier League appearances.

18

Mikael Silvestre

Man Utd, Arsenal

With Man Utd having plenty of world-class options to choose from at centre-back, Mikael Silvestre would be used as a left-back on a regular basis by Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999-2008.

The Frenchman was able to play there due to his pace and would win four Premier League titles at Old Trafford, with Ferguson calling Silvestre “a great servant and a wonderful professional”.

17

Gabriel Heinze

Man Utd

Another Man Utd left-back, Gabriel Heinze’s time at Old Trafford was short but sweet and would eventually leave after a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Signed from PSG and sold to Real Madrid highlights just how good Heinze was, and he was named the Red Devils’ Player of the Year in his first season, winning the title in his last campaign with United.

16

Wayne Bridge

Southampton, Chelsea, Fulham, Man City, West Ham, Sunderland

Wayne Bridge played for multiple Premier League clubs between 1998-2012, and the Englishman would have won more caps for England if it wasn’t for somebody else on this list.

He liked to get forward and cross at every opportunity, while also being solid defensively, which resulted in Chelsea spending £7m on his services in 2003, with Bridge winning one title at Stamford Bridge.

15

Danny Rose

Tottenham, Sunderland, Newcastle, Watford

Arguably Danny Rose’s career highlight came on his Tottenham debut against rivals Arsenal, where he announced himself in north London with a brilliant long-range goal.

Rose would go on to have a successful career in the Premier League, with Thomas Tuchel even admitting previously it took him three days to work out how to stop the left-back and his attacking threat ahead of a Champions League clash with Spurs.

14

Marcos Alonso

Bolton, Sunderland, Chelsea

Marcos Alonso made a name for himself as a left-back who could score from distance at Chelsea following spells with Bolton and Sunderland, winning the Premier League and Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard’s tally of 26 goals and 17 assists in just 179 appearances in defence shows how good he was in the final third, and he was called a “spectacular signing” for Barcelona when leaving the Blues.

13

Luke Shaw

Southampton, Man Utd

After bursting onto the scene as a teenager at Southampton, Man Utd paid a then-world-record £30m fee for a teenager to sign Luke Shaw.

Since then, Shaw has been named in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions and voted Man Utd’s Players’ Player of the Year twice. Called “the best left-back in the world” by former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag, Shaw has also had his critics but there has been more positives than negatives in his Premier League career.

12

Gael Clichy

Arsenal, Man City

Part of Arsenal’s Invincibles side in 2003/04, Gael Clichy would also win two more titles with Man City and would make himself known as a brilliant attacking left-back in north London and Manchester.

The Frenchman was also solid defensively and had a great passing vision that was hailed by Arsene Wenger, who labelled Clichy as “awesome”.

11

David Unsworth

Everton, West Ham, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Wigan

David Unsworth, a left-back who could also play as a central defender when needed, is the highest-scoring full-back in Premier League, becoming somewhat of a penalty king in the top flight.

Best known for his time at Everton, Unsworth, in his prime, was extremely pacey and powerful on the left-hand side, acquiring the nickname of “Rhino” during his time at Goodison Park.