10 Greatest Left-Backs Of All Time
6) Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti represented Inter Milan for 18 long years and won a lot of trophies with the club. His impact on the club was monumental, so much that Inter Milan retired his number three shirt after his demise.
Facchetti won a lot of trophies with Inter, including four league titles, two European Cups, and an Italian Cup. With Italy, he won the European Championship in 1968 and reached the World Cup finals in 1970.
The legendary left-back made 94 appearances, a then-record, for Italy. His ability to strike the ball with either foot and the way he revolutionized the left-back position made him one of the greatest left-backs of all time.
5) Ruud Krol
Ajax legend, Ruud Krol, rightly earns a spot in the list of greatest left-backs of all time. He represented Ajax for 12 years where he won six leagues and three consecutive European Cups.
Ruud Krol was an integral part of the Ajax squad that dominated European football. He was a tough tackler and a great tactician. Taking the ball away from him was nothing more than a death wish. When you make the greatest Ajax squad of all time, you surely keep a place booked for him.
Not only was Ruud Krol successful at the club level, but also he made his name on the international stage. He failed to win the World Cup with the Netherlands, but he led them to the World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978.
4) Ashley Cole
There’s hardly any fullback who comes close to Ashley Cole in the Premier League era. Ashley Cole played seven years of his career as a Gunner where he won a couple of Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
Cole was also an integral part of “The Invincibles”. He made a controversial move to Chelsea in 2006, which, however, did not stop him from winning trophies.
With Chelsea, the Englishman enjoyed a lot of success as he won a Premier League, four FA Cups, a Community Shield, a League Cup, a Champions Trophy, and one Europa League as well. With England, however, he failed to win a trophy but retired as one of the only nine players to make over a hundred appearances for The Three Lions.