The 25 best left backs in world football - ranked

The full back revolution hasn't merely been restricted to the right side of the pitch. Although, that is where many of the tagged revolutionaries strut their stuff.

Being deployed at left back was once an insult; it's where you'd likely see the worst player on the team attempt to impress if you strolled down to your local playing fields on a Sunday morning. It was a position nobody wanted to play.

However, the rapid evolution of the sport in the 21st century has morphed the left back position into a desirable one. It's an incredibly demanding function with modern-day tactical obsessives trying their utmost to complicate the role as much as they can. Thanks, Pep.

But their work has brought about a new breed of left back and we're now blessed with a myriad of stars in that position.

Ranking the top 25 left backs in the world is no easy task, but here's our attempt at doing exactly that as part of our 2023 Welcome to World Class series.

Nuno Tavares' long term future at Arsenal is a bit uncertain given he was allowed to leave for Marseille on loan with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney ahead in the pecking order.

He showed a remarkable eye for goal over in Ligue 1 but where he'll be playing at the start of the 2023/24 season remains to be seen.

Once Crystal Palace graduate Tyrick Mitchell took his chance at Selhurst Park, he never looked back.

Mitchell capitalised on Patrick van Aanholt's departure and made the left back spot his own under Roy Hodgson. He has also attracted recognition on the international stage, playing twice for England.

Signed by Napoli in 2022, Mathias Olivera contributed to the team's first Serie A title in over three decades last campaign.

He'll continue to be a solid option for the team during the