The modern full-back has been transformed beyond recognition, but the Premier League has still produced right backs who defined both eras: the uncompromising defender and the progressive creator. Judging the best of the competition\u2019s history is always subjective, yet the balance of peak level, longevity, ability and legacy offers a clear framework for comparison.<\/p>\n
Among Irish right backs, Steve Finnan stands out as perhaps the most underrated. At Liverpool in the mid-2000s, he became a dependable figure for G\u00e9rard Houllier and Rafael Ben\u00edtez, combining accurate delivery with relentless running and the defensive discipline that remains central to the position.<\/p>\n
Bacary Sagna also earned a place among the elite through consistency and quality. He impressed most with Arsenal before later moving to Manchester City in 2014, ending his Premier League career with 267 appearances and an FA Cup and League Cup to his name. His performances on the right side of Ars\u00e8ne Wenger\u2019s defence were often understated but highly effective.<\/p>\n
Lauren helped Arsenal reach a new level in the early 2000s. After a difficult first season at Highbury, he established himself as a first-team regular under Wenger and played a part in two Premier League title wins, including the Invincibles campaign of 2003\u201304.<\/p>\n
Branislav Ivanovic brought a rare blend of aerial threat and defensive power to Chelsea. The Serbia international scored 22 Premier League goals, often arriving at the far post with decisive timing, while also proving strong, quick and versatile enough to play at right back or centre back.<\/p>\n
C\u00e9sar Azpilicueta embodied commitment and reliability for Chelsea. Over 349 Premier League appearances, he scored 10 goals and provided 36 assists, while also lifting the Premier League title twice and serving as club skipper for many years.<\/p>\n
Pablo Zabaleta\u2019s nine years at Manchester City were built on steady excellence, grit and work rate. He was central to the club\u2019s rise and scored in the famous 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers that preceded Sergio Ag\u00fcero\u2019s stoppage-time title-winning goal.<\/p>\n
Lee Dixon represented consistency at Arsenal over 14 years, remaining a dependable part of a formidable defence that included Steve Bould, Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn. He won the Premier League twice after also collecting two First Division titles.<\/p>\n
Trent Alexander-Arnold changed expectations at Liverpool. His passing range and attacking influence redefined what a right back could offer, and his return of assists remains unmatched by any other full-back in Premier League history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A clear look at the Premier League right backs who shaped the role through defense,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[1162,59],"class_list":["post-21048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epl","tag-analytics","tag-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}