The 10 Best Premier League Right Backs of All Time

No longer can right backs and left backs stand twiddling their thumbs on the halfway line, frantically retreating as soon as their side cede possession. Instead, they must be marauders and pass masters, chipping in with goals and assists alongside their stringent defensive duties.

Evidence of these modern fullbacks is rife in the Premier League as England opens its doors to continental philosophies. Still, there remains something to be said for the old-school fullback.

Hard as nails and the least athletic player on the pitch, wrestling with wingers and immediately shifting the ball to a creative teammate. The discussion of the best ever is truly subjective, but this is who Sports Illustrated determines to be the best right backs of the Premier League era.

How We Ranked the Premier League's Greatest Right Backs Peak & Longevity -A player's highest level, how long they maintained it, and their consistency across their Premier League career. Technical quality, tactical intelligence, defensive impact, leadership and influence all played a significant role in our rankings.

Legacy -Trophies, individual honors, iconic moments and the lasting impact each player had on both their club and the Premier League as a whole. Steve Finnan Steve Finnan./ANP Seamus Coleman, Stephen Carr and Gary Kelly were three exceptional Irish right backs, but Steve Finnan, who spent his heyday with Liverpool in the mid-2000s, may just have been the best, and most underrated, of the lot.

A reliable provider for both Gérard Houllier and Rafael Benítez, Finnan boasted a right boot that could find any striker's head inside the penalty area-most easily Peter Crouch's. He had tremendous stamina, often making lung-bursting runs up and down the right flank, and most importantly he knew how to defend-a trait that not all modern day fullbacks have mastered.

Bacary Sagna Bacary Sagna was brilliant for Arsenal. Much like his international compatriot, teammate and fellow fullback Gaël Clichy, Bacary Sagna divided his days in the Premier League between Arsenal and Manchester City, moving from the former to the latter in 2014.

However, it was with the Gunners that Sagna impressed most, offering some exquisite displays on the right-hand side of Arsène Wenger's defence. The 65-cap France international turned out in the Premier League 267 times and deserved to call time on his career in England with more than just an FA Cup and League Cup in his trophy cabinet.

Lauren Lauren helped Arsenal go unbeaten in 2003-04./Richard Sellers Lauren was part of an Arsenal side that reached new heights in the early 2000s, claiming a first-team spot under Wenger after a shaky debut season at Highbury. The Cameroonian's ascent was crucial in the Gunners claiming two Premier League titles, including during the Invincibles season of 2003-04.