The craziest thing about Maldini is that his career stretches across 3 decades, debuting as a Right Back, playing the majority of his career at CB and then parlaying it into playing Left Beck and being one of the best ever at all 3 positions. The most complete defender of all time.
@@Cyrus-rodn45 did you even watch Franz play? No, I've actually watched Maldini face, Maradona, Platini, Zidane, R9, Totti, CR7, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and beating them all. Franz sits behind Alessandro Nesta in my book, in Nesta, Baresi and Maldini you have the 3 greatest defenders of all time
Me as a Liverpool fan: "I wonder if Robertson will have a shout here" - Number 7 is literally Jordi Alba "Ah rip I guess we're settling for honourable mentions lmao"
@@keeganlubbe2470 I honestly didn't even see him getting a honerable mention when I seen Maldini getting 3rd till I remember he was my hero as I was a left back and got all the left back jokes then Maldini makes it cool!! Truth is I come from an island of the west coast of Scotland and my village (the biggest! LOL) only had a thousand people and I was the only Da Vinci in my team
You overlooked one Alfie: Maxwell. Standout player for all teams he played for. Won 2 league titles with Ajax, the 3 with Inter, 2 more with Barça then 4 with PSG. He's also the one player to play the most amount of games alongside Ibrahimovic, playing with him at 4 different clubs. Very reliable, great technique, great going forward and defending. Great positional sense as well.
Well there was a phase when he was playing at leftback - that was when he was establishing himself as a young player and would take on any role that he was assigned to. He became a Germany player as a leftback. Once he had made his name he gently insisted that he could play at his preferred rightback position.
Cristiano described Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he ever faced in an interview. As for Maldini, he could've topped all the 3 list(RB, CB, LB) had it not been for the numerous criterias. Maldini is one of those few players I wished I could've seen play.
I'm Brazilian and a Fluminense fan. And having Marcelo back at my club was something out off my dreams. Now, we are at the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores and I Hope que can win it for the first time. Marcelo's skill is completely apart from almost everyone else in the world and I guess he could've already transitioned to midfield kkkkkk Nevertheless, I just want to let europeans who might not get to see much southamerican football know that he's still quite amazing, only setback being he's more injury prone right know due to aging 😅
Ashley Cole was a seriously good footballer. Consistant, strong, good in attack and defence, came when full backs were beginning to play as wingers, and outplayed CR7 for many games when he was in the EPL.
@@BEASTXGAMING19 ruclips.net/user/shorts-i5y6ZtqJsg?si=g7zirP1x6D7k6qQQ okay. EDIT: I only stated what happened. Ashley Cole is one of the best defensive fullbacks who still provided in attack too to an extent. This is not a hate on the man. Even CR7 said his toughest opponent was Cole.
When this started i said Ashley Cole would be #1. And lo and behold. Not a fan of his off-field shanigans to put it mildly but he was a great footballer. I vividly recall an England v Portugal match where he never gave Ronaldo a kick he dominated him so well.
I used to say back in the day he was the only English player who'd consistently make it into a world's best eleven but everybody went on about Rooney or Gerrard instead. He was definitely underrated.
@@papalegba6796pretty sure it was that he was the only English player you could say was the best at their position. Couple of England players could have fit in the world eleven no doubt about that
the fact he can even say that maradona and ronaldo were his hardest match ups is absolutely insane, this man defended the best from the 80’s and the 00’s
Maldini is what happens when you grab Alaba and crank him up to an eleven, if Messi is considered as the greatest player in Football's history on the offensive side, then Maldini could be considered as the greatest player in Football's history on the defensive side.
Completely agree with your number 1 choice, Ashley Cole massively overlooked and underrated on these lists usually, but the most solid reliable consistent left back ever. Speed skill and brains, perfect full back. Ultimately defending was his priority.
not as underrated as Maxwell though. Guy won 11 league titles and 30+ trophies total. He was unlucky that his career overlapped with Roberto Carlos then Marcelo.
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 553) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.
Ashley Cole was completely outstanding and deserves more respect as a footballer. I never saw him have a bad game. The most complete modern full back I can remember, just ahead of Lahm imo. Consistently the England team's best player for around a decade. Never got the adulation the likes of Terry and Ferdinand got, but was more consistent and I'd argue almost always better than either in terms of performance. I'd only rate Maldini higher in terms of left backs I've seen in my lifetime, although it's hard to put anyone ahead of Roberto Carlos if you're purely talking about peak performance and skill. Cole was just such a complete player though, and absolutely did not lack skill or flair when he needed it. World class for most of his career, genuinely a rare thing to say about any player.
Okay, i know ashley cole is the most balance between attack and defense defender in this list but marcelo made it to the fifpro XI more than any left back should made him the number1 in this list
Good one. Can you make a video of players who became good after switching positions. For example like Joelington who moved from Striker to a midfielder 🙏🏾
Hi, Alfie. I hope you’re doing well. It’s always a good day when I see a new video posted. I have a video idea which I think could be interesting: which position on the pitch produces the best players-turned-managers? I’d presume that CM’s have the most success as managers, given that I feel like they are good at understanding both the defensive side and attacking side of the game. Keep up the good work as always, brother!
Will you be doing a best utility players, you know, maybe not the best in a specific position but contributed to the overall success of their club through versatility and flexibility? Mainly I think it's the only chance Milner has of appearing on one of these lists. I'd also dock Evra at least one place for eating a chicken weird.
Cole actually made his debut in the League Cup in November 1999, so technically his entire career doesn't fall within the timeframe criteria of this video... But close enough!
As much as I dislike his on field character and as indifferent as I am about Cole's off field issues, I'd personally put Marcelo ahead of Cole based on your criteria. Cole indeed had it all and was very consistent, but I never felt like he caused as much a headache to his opponents as Marcelo did on the pitch. Every time he received the ball during the 2010s, I felt like he was going to cause trouble to his opponents, more so than any other Left-Back I've watched who's played during my lifetime (I'm 27, just like you are). On the defensive side, while he was somewhat allergic to defending, he always seemed to possess that stereotypical Latin American style of defending where he was constantly flirting with playing dirty (and it often felt like he did), so he wasn't wholly ineffective until the 2020s. Other than that, the list makes sense based on the criteria you set, neither of my current favourites at left-back, Robertson and Théo Hernandez, would be able to feature indeed.
You literally proved his point. Performance wise cole was better. Mario Gomez has won the world cup but Ronaldo hasnt. Does that make Gomez better by your logic?
I find it a bit strange that Roberto Carlos is not that high on the list because he played the majority of his games in the 90s, yet Maldini is at 3 even though the same argument should count for him. I would also argue that someone who is Austrian and who is playing in Germany instead of for Real/Barca or in the Premier League gets a lot less recognition than they deserve - namely Alaba, of course. I don't think he is any worse than Marcelo and I also don't think that Marcelo was always the best LB within a 5-year span, he just gets all the recognition because he plays for Real. Speaking about Real, when Alaba joined he made everyone instantly forget that he replaced the probably best CB in this century with Sergio Ramos and they instantly won the CL with Alaba as the new #4. So I can see that because of his versatility and switching positions from LB to CB he cannot feature at the very top, but that doesn't make him any worse - on the contrary, actually. And yeah, you already analyzed it yourself, Cole is only in 1st spot because he is English or rather played in the Premier League :D. That being said, still hoping for that Austrian Wunderteam video 😇✌.
Amedeo Carboni deserves an honourable mention. Yes, he was 35 in 2000, but he played some of his best football for Valencia between 2000 and 2006. Yes, he was 41 when he retired.
First view. . .Andy Robertson better be here Godamnit!! My LFC bias aside, this is a great list. Marcelo should have been first in my list but ooh well. Cole was a better defender overall.
I think Baines has a shout for that number 7 spot. He was magnificent for some pretty average Everton sides. Legit one of the best fullbacks in England over an 18 year career. Not his fault Everton sucked relative to the teams players on this list played for. He had the most assists by a defender in the English top flight until Robertson broke that record.
i got bored the other day and decided to do a list similar to this where i did a top 10 for every position since 2000. my list for left back based on the same criteria as this was: 1. Cole 2. Marcelo 3. Carlos 4. Maldini 5. Alba 6. Robertson 7. Evra 8. Abidal 9. Alaba 10. Alex Sandro
agreed. At least in attack he is. Alfie also overlooked another great Brazilian who in general doesn't get enough credit: Maxwell. Standout player for all teams he played for. Won 2 league titles with Ajax, then 3 with Inter, 2 more with Barça then 4 with PSG. He's also the one player to play the most amount of games alongside Ibrahimovic, playing with him at 4 different clubs. Very reliable, great technique, great going forward and defending. Great positional sense as well.
I am catching up with this series, but here I would have to disagree the most so far. Marcelo wouldn’t get anywhere near the top 7 in my book. He was absolutely atrocious when it came to defending which is sort of the core competency for the LB position. The 7-1 defeat of Brazil in 2014 was mostly down to him. If I remember correctly, the first six goals all come through his side, because he was hanging around on the wrong side of the pitch, not tracking back and exposing his teammates. And that was his MO. Sure, his flashy runs looked impressive and that’s why he was elected in so many teams of the year. But at the end of the day, against quality opposition you need to be able to defend, which he wasn’t. Also, Cole in first spot is definitely a result of some bias I would say. He probably deserves a spot in the top 7, but number one seems excessive. Though I will admit that you make a good case, so unlike with Marcelo, I can accept the choice, even though I disagree with it. I might be biased just as well after all. Also, I kinda missed Phillip Lahm here. I guess you didn’t consider him to be a LB, given that he later on played as RB or even DM, but I think his best performances came as a LB. All in all a very versatile player with tremendous game intelligence.
If the list is about the greatest, you can't put Cole in top 1, probably not even in the top 5. All his achievements were on a league that was only 2nd or 3rd best in the world and he didnt achieve anything with his national team. When we talk about the greatest left backs post 2000 it's impossible to not have Roberto Carlos as the clear winner, with maldini and marcelo sharing the 2 spots behind. If we are talking about the best left backs though, than you can have whoever you want wherever you want, though I think even then it is really hard to justify cole over marcelo simply based on how much crazier Marcelo's offensive traits were than anyone else before or since
Ashley Cole was the best defensive LB of all time imo... wingers couldnt beat him, he shut down his flank. One of the best 1v1 defenders ever. On top of that he was incredibly skilled technically. So he also offered plenty in attack. I'm a chelsea fan but I don't think I'm too biased here. I watched countless games and he just didn't mess up defensively. It was so rare.
Love the list. Have maldini as the best defender ever but his versatility at the back to play multiple positions makes me hesitant to put him above cole!
Statistically, Leighton Baines is a better left back than Ashley Cole. Obviously Cole is very decorated, but as unpopular as this opinion will be, Baines was just as good as good as Cole. Even better in some statistical areas. We could argue, or you could look up the opta on the two players.
Hulk-like thighs... Were you talking about Bruce Banner, or Hulk the striker? :D Anyway Roberto Carlos is one of my favorite players of all time. Keep it up, great content, I can't stop binding
Great 7. Honestly wouldn’t change a thing in it. But mentioning Alex Sandro in honourable mentions instead of Maxwell, Felipe Luis, Clichy, Riise or even Shaw is a disgrace tbf
Ashley Cole My dad said in his early days could have played Left Wing. Sven Goran Erikson instead played him LB and Leighton Baines LW it should have been the other way round
Ashley Cole is just at 1 the to bait people into commenting. Everybody can have a bad day but when i remember Ashley Cole it's the 0:5 45min against Bayern in 2014.😅
I still think Ashley Cole sir is one of the best left backs in the world but not in the top spot as I thought Paolo Maldini sir could have got the spot though due to his longevity and dominance of the position mostly,despite scoring some good goals in his career,good friends!!!:-D
The craziest thing about Maldini is that his career stretches across 3 decades, debuting as a Right Back, playing the majority of his career at CB and then parlaying it into playing Left Beck and being one of the best ever at all 3 positions. The most complete defender of all time.
No he isn't, beckenbauer is the greatest defender ever
@@Cyrus-rodn45 both are greats of the game
@@Cyrus-rodn45 backenbeur overall was a better player as a pure defender he wasn't even better than rudiger or Boateng
@@Cyrus-rodn45 did you even watch Franz play? No, I've actually watched Maldini face, Maradona, Platini, Zidane, R9, Totti, CR7, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and beating them all. Franz sits behind Alessandro Nesta in my book, in Nesta, Baresi and Maldini you have the 3 greatest defenders of all time
he played the majority of his career at LB *
Me as a Liverpool fan: "I wonder if Robertson will have a shout here"
- Number 7 is literally Jordi Alba
"Ah rip I guess we're settling for honourable mentions lmao"
Just thought the same myself!! Still definitely be in a 2010's one maybe😅
@@unvarnisheddruglifes top 7 of the 2010s? I think undebatably Robbo is in there tbh
@@keeganlubbe2470 I honestly didn't even see him getting a honerable mention when I seen Maldini getting 3rd till I remember he was my hero as I was a left back and got all the left back jokes then Maldini makes it cool!! Truth is I come from an island of the west coast of Scotland and my village (the biggest! LOL) only had a thousand people and I was the only Da Vinci in my team
@@keeganlubbe2470 *indubitably
You overlooked one Alfie: Maxwell.
Standout player for all teams he played for. Won 2 league titles with Ajax, the 3 with Inter, 2 more with Barça then 4 with PSG. He's also the one player to play the most amount of games alongside Ibrahimovic, playing with him at 4 different clubs.
Very reliable, great technique, great going forward and defending. Great positional sense as well.
Good shout
Should've been in Iover Alba
no way@@collin8915
Good player not all time great
@@mike04574 nor is Evra (how he got so high in this list I don't know).
If ever I was going to get a nomination, this was it. Can't believe I didn't make the cut after all my efforts for the Launceston City seniors.
if you didnt have that knee injury, you would've been top of the list tbf. What couldve been if not for that damn knee injury
fng viewer spotted@@whythoughbeats6335
You played left back?😅
As a Madrid fan , it was a blessing to have Marcelo at LB. Him and Ronaldo made one of the best partnerships of all time. We miss you Marcelo 🥺🧡
As a man city fan i remember that partenership and wow what a partenership
@@alexandrudeak1235Thank you for naming the team you support, it was a crucial part to the information you provided..
Carlos over marcelo
I was waiting for Philip Lahm to be on the list only to realize at the end that he played as a RB.
Yeah . I also thought he would be on the list until I remembert
Well there was a phase when he was playing at leftback - that was when he was establishing himself as a young player and would take on any role that he was assigned to. He became a Germany player as a leftback. Once he had made his name he gently insisted that he could play at his preferred rightback position.
@@cafeplastique890 well this happened with Azpilicueta too. Left back at Bilbao and Marseille and then changed to RB and CB at Chelsea.
He's already on the RB list & he's #1
Cristiano described Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he ever faced in an interview. As for Maldini, he could've topped all the 3 list(RB, CB, LB) had it not been for the numerous criterias. Maldini is one of those few players I wished I could've seen play.
for me, Maldini still the best left-back I ever seen playing.
Alfie please make this into a series where you make a XI at the end, like you did with the all time XI a few years ago
Buddy what do you think he's doing
ralsei profile picture
@@pm-of9yl hello lightner
I'm Brazilian and a Fluminense fan. And having Marcelo back at my club was something out off my dreams. Now, we are at the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores and I Hope que can win it for the first time. Marcelo's skill is completely apart from almost everyone else in the world and I guess he could've already transitioned to midfield kkkkkk
Nevertheless, I just want to let europeans who might not get to see much southamerican football know that he's still quite amazing, only setback being he's more injury prone right know due to aging 😅
ngl man he was kinda trash with Olympiakos
Ashley Cole was a seriously good footballer. Consistant, strong, good in attack and defence, came when full backs were beginning to play as wingers, and outplayed CR7 for many games when he was in the EPL.
Cole was mostly a defensive fullback. He did handle cr7 but cr7 also destroyed him in multiple occasions in club and nt level.
Biggest cap I hear like Ronaldo never make that man do the banana splits😂
@@BEASTXGAMING19 ruclips.net/user/shorts-i5y6ZtqJsg?si=g7zirP1x6D7k6qQQ
okay.
EDIT: I only stated what happened. Ashley Cole is one of the best defensive fullbacks who still provided in attack too to an extent. This is not a hate on the man. Even CR7 said his toughest opponent was Cole.
@Aaddy7 claiming that cole was a defensive full back is just false, he was a brilliant defender but he was also very proficient going forward
@@KetwigKeith read properly
Jordi Alba seriously underrated
He won Spain a Euro and was legendary for Barca.
Exactly. My top 3:
1. Marcelo
2. Cole
3. Alba
@@ominoserzuschauer6286cole and alaba over Marcelo. Marcelo didn’t know if he wanted to be lm or lb lol
@@mike04574 Marcelo was better than cole tbf only Carlos is better than Marcelo as Maldini is a Cb in most of his career
To be included in this top seven, it appears the most critical criteria to be met, is to have been photographed with Thomas Muller
When this started i said Ashley Cole would be #1. And lo and behold. Not a fan of his off-field shanigans to put it mildly but he was a great footballer. I vividly recall an England v Portugal match where he never gave Ronaldo a kick he dominated him so well.
I used to say back in the day he was the only English player who'd consistently make it into a world's best eleven but everybody went on about Rooney or Gerrard instead. He was definitely underrated.
@@papalegba6796pretty sure it was that he was the only English player you could say was the best at their position. Couple of England players could have fit in the world eleven no doubt about that
He was brilliant, perhaps the best from 04-07 but Evra overtook him then Marcelo etc
Maldini also recognized Ronaldo and Maradona as the most difficult opponent he ever face
the fact he can even say that maradona and ronaldo were his hardest match ups is absolutely insane, this man defended the best from the 80’s and the 00’s
@@Virgil191 Well, Ronaldo was at his best in the 90's. He was still very good in the 00's but not quite the same after his injuries.
And he also said he was the luckiest ever not to have faced Messi.
Ashley Cole number 1 i definitely don't agree with that
Maldini is what happens when you grab Alaba and crank him up to an eleven, if Messi is considered as the greatest player in Football's history on the offensive side, then Maldini could be considered as the greatest player in Football's history on the defensive side.
Maldini could have played anywhere he even ventured up to the frontline on occasion classic old school Italian footballer
Roberto Carlos was one of the best ever to ever do it.
I personally think he should be way higher despite being towards the end of his career in the 2000’s
Me also.@@Timsmith13911
@@TheScholesEra The problem is this is taking the players career from 2000 only. Anyway I would still have RB in front of Evra and I am a United fan.
Ashley Cole when Maldini, Roberto Carlos and Lizarazu had most of their career before 2000:
Is the top position for me?
Completely agree with your number 1 choice, Ashley Cole massively overlooked and underrated on these lists usually, but the most solid reliable consistent left back ever. Speed skill and brains, perfect full back. Ultimately defending was his priority.
not as underrated as Maxwell though.
Guy won 11 league titles and 30+ trophies total. He was unlucky that his career overlapped with Roberto Carlos then Marcelo.
@@daarom3472maxwell was good and he’s underrated cuz he’s just good. Ashley cole is underrated for an all time great.
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 553)
I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored.
If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.
Ashley Cole was completely outstanding and deserves more respect as a footballer. I never saw him have a bad game. The most complete modern full back I can remember, just ahead of Lahm imo. Consistently the England team's best player for around a decade. Never got the adulation the likes of Terry and Ferdinand got, but was more consistent and I'd argue almost always better than either in terms of performance. I'd only rate Maldini higher in terms of left backs I've seen in my lifetime, although it's hard to put anyone ahead of Roberto Carlos if you're purely talking about peak performance and skill. Cole was just such a complete player though, and absolutely did not lack skill or flair when he needed it. World class for most of his career, genuinely a rare thing to say about any player.
I’ll always remember Marcelo . The ball stuck to his feet . His technique is incredible. I hope I see a player like him again
+ Who are the best 7 holding midfielders, 2000's on?
- Alfie: Sergio Busquets x4, his left leg, his right leg, his head
Patrice Evra 2 spots over Alba?! Bro WHAT?! 😂
So happy to see David alaba make this list. Bayern legend ❤️❤️
Okay, i know ashley cole is the most balance between attack and defense defender in this list but marcelo made it to the fifpro XI more than any left back should made him the number1 in this list
Cole before Marcelo and Maldini is absurd
About 8 years ago someone told me that Ashley Cole was the best left back of all time. I didn't believe it then and I don't now.
Good one. Can you make a video of players who became good after switching positions. For example like Joelington who moved from Striker to a midfielder 🙏🏾
Jordi Alba is clear of Ashley Cole in every stat you can think about
Apart from defensive stats of course
Nope.
Ashley Cole.... Seriously 😂
Maldini, Evra, Alaba, Ashley Cole, Roberto Carlos, Jordi Alba and Marcelo were the ones I had in mind before watching. Pretty spot on, this vid.
Hi, Alfie. I hope you’re doing well. It’s always a good day when I see a new video posted.
I have a video idea which I think could be interesting: which position on the pitch produces the best players-turned-managers?
I’d presume that CM’s have the most success as managers, given that I feel like they are good at understanding both the defensive side and attacking side of the game.
Keep up the good work as always, brother!
In my head cristiano ronaldo didn't become a left winger to score more goals, but just to avoid Ashley Cole
Very nice video again. Would also really like to see a 'What on earth is going on at Ajax' video if possible
Cole should never even be above Maldini
Alaba and Kroos were my role models as a kid.
David Alaba, what a player
The Aly Cissokho disrespect!
Feel the Flava 💀💀💀
i mean he failed his Milan medical because of his teeth
Cole over marcelo is INSANE
I think Davies deserved a mention either among the honorable mentions or at the beginning of the video
Will you be doing a best utility players, you know, maybe not the best in a specific position but contributed to the overall success of their club through versatility and flexibility? Mainly I think it's the only chance Milner has of appearing on one of these lists.
I'd also dock Evra at least one place for eating a chicken weird.
John O Shea has entered the chat
Your beef with further adue is always great for me 😂
Great stuff as usual. Best footy channel on YT.
Cole actually made his debut in the League Cup in November 1999, so technically his entire career doesn't fall within the timeframe criteria of this video... But close enough!
chop chop alfie its been 10 hours, bring out the dm version
for me its insane to put cole ahead of marcelo. i for real cant belive that you did that even with the english bias. thats actually crazy
As much as I dislike his on field character and as indifferent as I am about Cole's off field issues, I'd personally put Marcelo ahead of Cole based on your criteria. Cole indeed had it all and was very consistent, but I never felt like he caused as much a headache to his opponents as Marcelo did on the pitch. Every time he received the ball during the 2010s, I felt like he was going to cause trouble to his opponents, more so than any other Left-Back I've watched who's played during my lifetime (I'm 27, just like you are). On the defensive side, while he was somewhat allergic to defending, he always seemed to possess that stereotypical Latin American style of defending where he was constantly flirting with playing dirty (and it often felt like he did), so he wasn't wholly ineffective until the 2020s. Other than that, the list makes sense based on the criteria you set, neither of my current favourites at left-back, Robertson and Théo Hernandez, would be able to feature indeed.
I saw Ashley Cole play on the banks of the Deleware under the Commodore Barry Bridge.
Ain't noway cole over a world cup champion English bias 😂
You literally proved his point. Performance wise cole was better. Mario Gomez has won the world cup but Ronaldo hasnt. Does that make Gomez better by your logic?
I find it a bit strange that Roberto Carlos is not that high on the list because he played the majority of his games in the 90s, yet Maldini is at 3 even though the same argument should count for him.
I would also argue that someone who is Austrian and who is playing in Germany instead of for Real/Barca or in the Premier League gets a lot less recognition than they deserve - namely Alaba, of course. I don't think he is any worse than Marcelo and I also don't think that Marcelo was always the best LB within a 5-year span, he just gets all the recognition because he plays for Real.
Speaking about Real, when Alaba joined he made everyone instantly forget that he replaced the probably best CB in this century with Sergio Ramos and they instantly won the CL with Alaba as the new #4. So I can see that because of his versatility and switching positions from LB to CB he cannot feature at the very top, but that doesn't make him any worse - on the contrary, actually.
And yeah, you already analyzed it yourself, Cole is only in 1st spot because he is English or rather played in the Premier League :D.
That being said, still hoping for that Austrian Wunderteam video 😇✌.
Ashley Cole in front of Marcelo is the worst football opinion I've ever seen in my life.
Amedeo Carboni deserves an honourable mention. Yes, he was 35 in 2000, but he played some of his best football for Valencia between 2000 and 2006. Yes, he was 41 when he retired.
happy you mention him. crazy underrated player like so many from that valencia and deportivo la coruna teams in the 90s and early 2000s
Nah
Lahm would also deserve an honourable mention, as played the first half of his career as LB before becoming one of the best RB
1:59 7th: Jordi Alba
4:10 6th: Roberto Carlos
6:16 5th: Patrice Evra
8:12 4th: David Alaba
9:50 3rd: Paolo Maldini
11:49 2nd: Marcelo
13:26 Honorable Mentions
14:36 1st: Ashley Cole
First view. . .Andy Robertson better be here Godamnit!!
My LFC bias aside, this is a great list. Marcelo should have been first in my list but ooh well. Cole was a better defender overall.
I think Baines has a shout for that number 7 spot. He was magnificent for some pretty average Everton sides. Legit one of the best fullbacks in England over an 18 year career. Not his fault Everton sucked relative to the teams players on this list played for.
He had the most assists by a defender in the English top flight until Robertson broke that record.
He was a good left back. Nothing more.
I agree, AC was probably the only member of England's golden generation to consistently perform for England at that billing.
If that list is remade in a decade it will feature Fonzi Davies.
Video idea:
Alfie's 7 best association football games of all time.
Yes he’s there because he’s English. Marcelo should be number one
i got bored the other day and decided to do a list similar to this where i did a top 10 for every position since 2000. my list for left back based on the same criteria as this was:
1. Cole
2. Marcelo
3. Carlos
4. Maldini
5. Alba
6. Robertson
7. Evra
8. Abidal
9. Alaba
10. Alex Sandro
Carlos left foot could be a sledge hammer or a wand. That was spot on. Great list I don't disagree whatsoever, kidding of course.
So few world class forwards and defenders these days compared to the 2000s and early 2010s
Alfie I started watching football in 2002, mostly italian football. And I clearly remember Maldini playing mostly as a centre back, not left back.
Bro Marcelo is better than Ashley Cole. Trust me
agreed. At least in attack he is. Alfie also overlooked another great Brazilian who in general doesn't get enough credit: Maxwell.
Standout player for all teams he played for. Won 2 league titles with Ajax, then 3 with Inter, 2 more with Barça then 4 with PSG. He's also the one player to play the most amount of games alongside Ibrahimovic, playing with him at 4 different clubs.
Very reliable, great technique, great going forward and defending. Great positional sense as well.
nro literally copy + pasted his own comment nobody cares@@daarom3472
I am catching up with this series, but here I would have to disagree the most so far. Marcelo wouldn’t get anywhere near the top 7 in my book. He was absolutely atrocious when it came to defending which is sort of the core competency for the LB position. The 7-1 defeat of Brazil in 2014 was mostly down to him. If I remember correctly, the first six goals all come through his side, because he was hanging around on the wrong side of the pitch, not tracking back and exposing his teammates. And that was his MO. Sure, his flashy runs looked impressive and that’s why he was elected in so many teams of the year. But at the end of the day, against quality opposition you need to be able to defend, which he wasn’t.
Also, Cole in first spot is definitely a result of some bias I would say. He probably deserves a spot in the top 7, but number one seems excessive. Though I will admit that you make a good case, so unlike with Marcelo, I can accept the choice, even though I disagree with it. I might be biased just as well after all.
Also, I kinda missed Phillip Lahm here. I guess you didn’t consider him to be a LB, given that he later on played as RB or even DM, but I think his best performances came as a LB. All in all a very versatile player with tremendous game intelligence.
If the list is about the greatest, you can't put Cole in top 1, probably not even in the top 5. All his achievements were on a league that was only 2nd or 3rd best in the world and he didnt achieve anything with his national team. When we talk about the greatest left backs post 2000 it's impossible to not have Roberto Carlos as the clear winner, with maldini and marcelo sharing the 2 spots behind. If we are talking about the best left backs though, than you can have whoever you want wherever you want, though I think even then it is really hard to justify cole over marcelo simply based on how much crazier Marcelo's offensive traits were than anyone else before or since
Ashley Cole was the best defensive LB of all time imo... wingers couldnt beat him, he shut down his flank. One of the best 1v1 defenders ever. On top of that he was incredibly skilled technically. So he also offered plenty in attack. I'm a chelsea fan but I don't think I'm too biased here. I watched countless games and he just didn't mess up defensively. It was so rare.
Maldini also a LB
"I'm a chelsea fan but I don't think I'm too biased here", moments after saying something insanely biased 🤣🤣
@@aldobonaso3481nah, im a Leeds fab. Cole is the best Lb England has ever had
@@amituna7903 sorry, but that's not really saying much tbh
@@aldobonaso3481 it might be a little biased, but not “insanely biased”. Even Alfie agreed he was the best since 2000
Watched the whole video waiting for Cole’s name. Pleasantly surprised by the ranking!
I beg you guys. Let's keep watching, cos I use Alfie's rankings for arguments. Let's keep watching so he keeps making these videos.
Robben made Ashley Cole look like a school boy.
You've put Cole there because you don't want to get shot or have a cigarette put out in your eye.
Theo Hernandez is honestly the most over rated left back I’ve ever seen. Yet to see him have a good game, constantly on the floor too
Love the list. Have maldini as the best defender ever but his versatility at the back to play multiple positions makes me hesitant to put him above cole!
The video would have been better if the parameters were stricter. Only players who debuted for the first team in the year 2000 or later.
Statistically, Leighton Baines is a better left back than Ashley Cole. Obviously Cole is very decorated, but as unpopular as this opinion will be, Baines was just as good as good as Cole. Even better in some statistical areas. We could argue, or you could look up the opta on the two players.
Agree entirely with this list but one thing I will point out, the fifpro world 11 is an absolute joke.
Leighton Baines
Think we need a ‘What on earth is going on at Sheffield Wednesday’ video
Hulk-like thighs...
Were you talking about Bruce Banner, or Hulk the striker? :D
Anyway Roberto Carlos is one of my favorite players of all time. Keep it up, great content, I can't stop binding
4:34 Was Carlos hiding a beachball in his shorts?!
Alfie is my 🐐
dude you put roberto where? please
Great 7. Honestly wouldn’t change a thing in it. But mentioning Alex Sandro in honourable mentions instead of Maxwell, Felipe Luis, Clichy, Riise or even Shaw is a disgrace tbf
Clichy and shaw😂 you having a laugh?🤣🤣🤣
Where’s David Murphy?!?!
Yes lists are back
Jordi Alba should've been higher
Ashley Cole My dad said in his early days could have played Left Wing. Sven Goran Erikson instead played him LB and Leighton Baines LW it should have been the other way round
Which games did he do that? I don't remember
@@sukhdevr3489 I don't know I am 19 I don't think my Dad remembers but he remembers it happening
Crazy Marcelo only has 56 caps. You’d think he’d have Atleast 90-100
Hey hitc7 can you make a video about why morocco failed to host bidding process for the world cup over the last 35 years
Ashley Cole is just at 1 the to bait people into commenting.
Everybody can have a bad day but when i remember Ashley Cole it's the 0:5 45min against Bayern in 2014.😅
Naaah ashely cole come on man are you mad? Out of your mind??? Insanity, im actually offended
*awaits announcement of Paul Konchesky at number 1*
I still think Ashley Cole sir is one of the best left backs in the world but not in the top spot as I thought Paolo Maldini sir could have got the spot though due to his longevity and dominance of the position mostly,despite scoring some good goals in his career,good friends!!!:-D
Maldini competed against Maradona,R9, Messi and CR7😮
not against messi
B4 watching i did:
1. Cole
2. Marcelo
3. Maldini
4. Evra
5. Roberto Carlos
6. Alba
7. Alaba
I absolutely disagree with the inclussion or Evra