The best left-backs of every era

Four eras, voted separately — a left-back is only ever compared with the left-backs of his own time.

1930s–60s

Giacinto Facchetti

#1 · 1044 Elo

1970s–80s

Ruud Krol

#1 · 1010 Elo

1990–2009

Roberto Carlos

#1 · 1295 Elo

2010–now

Marcelo

#1 · 1239 Elo

1930s–60s

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The best left-backs of the 1930s–60s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Giacinto FacchettiInter Milan	1044	15–17	32
2	Nilton SantosBotafogo	1012	11–16	27
3	Ray WilsonHuddersfield Town	978	5–4	9
4	Terry CooperLeeds United	955	9–14	23
5	Karl-Heinz SchnellingerAC Milan	932	11–19	30

Show all 8

The best left-backs of the 1930s–60s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Roger ByrneMan United	921	3–6	9
7	Eddie HapgoodArsenal	900	1–6	7
8	Silvio MarzoliniBoca Juniors	741	3–27	30

1970s–80s

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The best left-backs of the 1970s–80s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Ruud KrolAjax	1010	13–15	28
2	Rafael GordilloReal Madrid	989	2–2	4
3	Kenny SansomArsenal	949	2–4	6
4	Hans-Peter BriegelKaiserslautern	945	2–4	6
5	José Antonio CamachoReal Madrid	944	8–15	23

Show all 9

The best left-backs of the 1970s–80s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Marinho ChagasBotafogo	927	2–5	7
7	JúniorFlamengo	892	10–20	30
8	Antonio CabriniJuventus	888	8–20	28
9	Alan KennedyLiverpool	857	8–25	33

1990–2009

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The best left-backs of the 1990–2009, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Roberto CarlosReal Madrid	1295	31–3	34
2	Paolo MaldiniAC Milan	1243	20–2	22
3	Giovanni van BronckhorstBarcelona	1232	21–2	23
4	Ashley ColeChelsea	1195	22–4	26
5	Denis IrwinMan United	1178	25–7	32

Show all 13

The best left-backs of the 1990–2009, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Patrice EvraMan United	1138	21–6	27
7	Stuart PearceNottingham Forest	991	14–15	29
8	Eric AbidalBarcelona	989	6–6	12
9	Andreas BrehmeInter Milan	941	12–20	32
10	Bixente LizarazuBayern Munich	926	16–19	35
11	Juan Pablo SorínRiver Plate	909	3–8	11
12	Fabio GrossoPalermo	737	2–24	26
13	BrancoPorto	730	2–27	29

2010–now

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The best left-backs of the 2010–now, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	MarceloReal Madrid	1239	22–2	24
2	Jordi AlbaBarcelona	1232	24–3	27
3	Andrew RobertsonLiverpool	1127	17–5	22
4	Luke ShawMan United	1078	5–0	5
5	Nuno MendesPSG	1051	3–1	4

Show all 15

The best left-backs of the 2010–now, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Alex SandroJuventus	1023	4–2	6
7	MaxwellPSG	1004	15–12	27
8	Filipe LuísAtlético Madrid	993	4–5	9
9	Marc CucurellaChelsea	963	4–6	10
10	David AlabaBayern Munich	962	12–12	24
11	Alejandro GrimaldoBayer Leverkusen	922	3–8	11
12	Leighton BainesEverton	908	10–15	25
13	Federico DimarcoInter Milan	900	1–6	7
14	Alphonso DaviesBayern Munich	874	7–19	26
15	Theo HernándezAC Milan	770	6–26	32

How is this ranked?

Every duel shows two left-backs from the same era. Fans pick the greater one. The winner gains rating points and the loser drops them, more after an upset.

Who votes?

Anyone visiting Make Your GOAT. No account is needed, and each device is limited to 30 votes a minute.

Does it change?

Yes. The table moves with every vote. This page shows it as it stood at most an hour ago.