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The Top 10 Most Expensive Left Backs Of All Time

20 Apr, 2025
The Top 10 Most Expensive Left Backs Of All Time

The role of the full back in soccer has changed dramatically. As little as 20 years ago, the vast majority of professional football players operating in the full-back positions (aka left back or right back) were primarily defensive-minded, and regularly getting forward to support their teammates in attack was not a major concern.

All that has changed though; today, left back and right back are arguably the two most demanding roles on the soccer field, with players in these positions tasked with performing a wide range of defensive duties while also constantly shifting up and down the flanks, combining with midfielders, overlapping into advanced spaces, whipping crosses into the box and creating chances.

One of the main impacts of this development is that right backs and left backs are commanding higher transfer fees than ever before. In this article, we're going to be focusing on the latter position and listing the top 10 most expensive left backs of all time.

Given how attention on this position has increased lately, you won't be surprised to know that most of these transfers were made relatively recently. However, not all of them have gone according to plan…

The Modern Left Back: Key Responsibilities

The modern left back needs to be capable of performing a wide range of tasks. First and foremost, their defensive responsibilities include tracking opposition wingers and wide forwards, communicating with other defenders and midfielders to ensure that opponents are marked closely, making tackles and interceptions in wide areas, and building possession from the back in order to beat the opposition press and keep hold of the ball. 

When the ball does transition into more attacking areas, modern left backs are typically expected to move up the pitch and provide support out wide, giving their teammates dangerous passing lanes and finding space in positions where they are less likely to be closely picked up by attackers.

Providing overlapping runs on the flank is a big part of the job, and this requires speed, awareness, and perfect timing. In addition, when left backs burst into space out wide they need to able to consistently deliver a good quality final product.

Whether that's a crisp pass in field, a pacey low ball zipped across the six-yard box or a looping aerial ball pinged over to the back post, it doesn't matter — all these types of delivery must be in a good left back's arsenal.

Stamina is also a crucial facet of the left back role; often these players will be some of the fittest on the pitch. But blind running won't do much good. Left backs also need to have plenty of positional awareness and tactical intelligence, both in a defensive and an offensive sense. Otherwise, opposition players will soon begin to exploit the spaces left open out wide.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Left Backs Of All Time

Players who are able to combine all those skills and attributes and polish them into a perfect all-round package are hard to come by. Those who can demonstrate all the main attributes of a world-class left back will inevitably command hefty transfer fees.

#10. Oleksandr Zinchenko - €35m

Ukraine captain Oleksandr Zinchenko is one of a handful of players who have revolutionised the left back position over the past few seasons by leading the evolution of the inverted full back role.

Commonly seen drifting into central midfield areas to help build possession and leaving pockets of space out wide, inverted full backs have increased fluidity and passing options for sides like Arsenal and Manchester City.

Zinchenko's role in this development persuaded Mikel Arteta to splash out €35m for him in the summer of 2022. Since then, he's played a key role in the Gunners' successive title challenges against City.

#9. Luke Shaw - €37.5m

There's an argument that if Luke Shaw had been available to Gareth Southgate throughout the whole of Euro 2024, England would have been able to play a far more expansive and attractive brand of football during the tournament.

That's ultimately speculative, but the Manchester United left-back's immense quality certainly isn't in doubt. His career has been impacted repeatedly by injury, but that hasn't stopped him solidifying himself as one of the Premier League's most esteemed left-backs, known for powerful surges forward, beautiful deliveries into the opposition box, and intelligent movement off the ball.

The fact that United were willing to part with £30m for Shaw in 2014, when he was just 19 years old (then a world record transfer fee for a teenager) is a testament to his ability.

#8. Nuno Mendes - €38.5m

In recent years, Portugal have been able to consistently churn out a sizeable crop of talented young players, in a range of different positions.

One of the most promising young Portuguese players to emerge in the last few years is Nuno Mendes, whose breakout season at Sporting Lisbon in 2020/21 convinced French giants PSG to acquire the youngster on loan for a season before shelling out a whopping €38.5m to bring him in permanently. Mendes is yet to kick on in Paris, but he's still only 22 and has a huge amount of potential.

#7. Ian Maatsen - €44.5m

Dutch international Ian Maatsen's recent transfer from Chelsea to ambitious fellow Premier League side Aston Villa catapulted the 22-year-old into the top seven of this list.

Having impressed on loan at Burnley under Vincent Kompany, Maatsen spent the latter half of the 2023/24 season out on loan in Germany with Borussia Dortmund. His impressive spells at both clubs persuaded Unai Emery's Villa to fork out a rumoured £37.5m (€44.5m) to bring him to the Midlands.

It's a real show of faith for a player who still has less than 30 top flight professional appearances to his name.

#6. Lucas Hernandez - €45m

Lucas Hernandez came in at Number six in our list of the most expensive centre backs in football history, and the versatile defender — who has regularly played at both left back and centre back — grabs the same position here.

Hernandez commanded a €45m fee when he moved from Bayern Munich to PSG in the summer of 2023, and his first season in France was a success, as the club once again won Ligue 1 (the sixth league title of Hernandez's career, following consistent domestic success in Germany and Spain).

#5. Ferland Mendy - €48m

Jude Bellingham may have stole all the headlines, but French left-back Ferland Mendy played a crucial role in Real Madrid's stunning 2023/24 season, in which they collected an impressive La Liga and Champions League double.

The 29-year-old has been at Madrid since 2019, when his Ligue 1 and European displays for Lyon persuaded the Spanish giants to splash out €48m and bring him to the Bernabeu. Since then, he's established a fine reputation for himself, particularly in a defensive capacity; while many of Europe's most glamorous full-backs trade on their offensive skills, Mendy is arguably most impressive when tackling, intercepting, or blocking opposition players.

#4. Ben Chilwell - €50.2m

In the last few seasons, Chelsea have repeatedly stunned football fans across the world with their willingness to spend huge amounts of cash on relatively unproven or inexperienced players. While Ben Chilwell — an impressive Premier League performer at Leicester City — certainly has enough ability to play for a top English side, injuries have hampered his time at Chelsea so far.

The Blues spent over €50m on the England international in 2020, and despite winning the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel, he's struggled to hold down a regular spot in the first team. With Chelsea reportedly open to a sale this summer, it's looking less and less likely that Chilwell will be able to justify that massive fee.

#3. Benjamin Mendy - €57.5m

When in 2017, Benjamin Mendy became the latest player to join the Premier League after starring at expert talent developers AS Monaco in Ligue 1, most fans and pundits predicted big things for the promising left back.

However, the €57.5m defender exited England last summer in complete and utter disgrace. When he eventually completed his free transfer to French second division side Lorient, Mendy had not played for the Premier League champions for almost two years, having been suspended during a high-profile court case in which the Frenchman was charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault.

Mendy was ultimately found not guilty, but the numerous serious accusations made against him continue to shape his image in the public eye, and Man City were forced to take a huge financial loss on the chin.

#2. Marc Cucurella - €73.5m

Amazingly, Ben Chilwell isn't the most expensive left back Chelsea have signed in recent years.

Spain's European Championship-winning full-back Marc Cucurella has that title, having signed for the west London side for an enormous €73.5m (according to reports) in 2022. The former Brighton & Hove Albion player has not been massively convincing so far; however, his stellar performances at Euro 2024 would have boosted the hopes of many Chelsea fans.

Clearly, the Spaniard has plenty of talent — there aren't many full-backs in the Premier League who can be as effective as him when it comes to making dangerous attacking, overlapping runs and delivering balls into the box. 2024/25 will be a big season for the Chelsea man.

#1. Lucas Hernandez - €80m

Lucas Hernandez has played for three of Europe's biggest clubs during his career, and in total €125m has been spent in order to acquire the French international's services.

On top of PSG's €45m deal for the dynamic full-back in 2023, there was also the huge €80m fee Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich shelled out on Hernandez back in 2019, which made him the most expensive left-back in the world (a title he holds to this day).

The France international's time at Bayern wasn't a huge success, hence his move back to his homeland last summer. However, the German club's show of faith put Hernandez's name in the football history books.

Check out our guide to the most expensive centre-backs ever for more information on soccer's most lucrative defensive deals.

 

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