Because left footers are more rare than right footers and because top fullbacks are hard to find in the modern game, left backs are among the most valuable players in world football and can often be a weak link for the top teams in European football.
As 2026 trudges onward, let’s take a look at the best young left backs in world football today, ranking the current crop of young talent under the age of 24 from 10th to 1st.
10. Daniel Svensson, Borussia Dortmund
If this list were solely about the players’ performances in the 2025/26 season, Daniel Svensson would probably rank a couple of slots higher, because he has overperformed this season as a workhorse player on the left flank in that wing back role on a Dortmund team that is otherwise pretty atrocious out wide.
While projecting his long term value, there is not much to love about Svensson as an athlete or a technician, he is decent in both regards, defends well, and works extremely hard for the team.
Svensson looks like a sure bet to go to a lower table Premier League side and have a somewhat successful career there. He has been a nice role player for Dortmund this season, and, at 23, is the baseline for the best young left backs in the world today.
9. Wesley, Roma
Newly signed from the Brazilian top flight, Wesley has been as good as advertised for Roma and perhaps even better. Though he is more of a wing back than a true fullback and can play on either side of the formation, Wesley has settled in really well in the Italian capital on that left flank.
He has been one of the best progressors out wide in Serie A, scoring three goals and adding plenty of chance creation while also averaging two tackles per game. Active, athletic, and technical, Wesley can be a foundational player for Roma for years to come – assuming he is not coaxed by another club before then.
8. Alex Valle, Como
Como have a hoard of underrated talents within their ranks, and while Nico Paz is soaking up all the praise as a Ballon d’Or sleeper, another young Spanish international in Cesc Fabregas’s lineup deserves serious potential.
The 21-year-old Alex Valle has been fantastic on that left flank for Como this season, averaging a robust 3.2 combined tackles and interceptions per game while notching three assists on the ball.
7. Nathaniel Brown, Eintracht Frankfurt
There are a lot of big clubs around European football monitoring the young stars at Eintracht Frankfurt closely this season, and while the Eagles have been a disappointment in the Bundesliga table this season, that won’t stop the big boys in Europe from poaching their best players.
A highly versatile and athletic talent, Nathaniel Brown has the potential to be a special defensive left back with his closing speed, and he is also quite good on the ball as a passer and progressor.
Even though it has not necessarily been a banner year for him or Frankfurt, Brown has still played pretty well with 6 goal contributions and 3.3 combined tackles and interceptions per game as one of the better all-around fullbacks in European football in 2025/26.
6. Alejandro Balde, Barcelona
Alejandro Balde was in the argument for the best left back in world football when he broke out as an elite prospect in the 2022/23 season for Barcelona, but a combination of injuries and stagnating play from him, especially on the ball, has cost him his ranking.
The Spanish international is still young, though, at 22 years of age, and he has shown signs of recovery this season with solid progressive numbers on the ball and shutdown one on one numbers defensively. With more end product and defensive activity, he should be back in the discussion for No. 1.
5. Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City
Nico O’Reilly is off to a fantastic start in his first season as a starter at Manchester City, taking up the wide open spot at the left back position at the Etihad, leaving new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri no space to reestablish himself as a key Premier League starter.
The 20-year-old is grabbing assists and playing some of the most active defensive football at the left back position in the Premier League, winning a whopping 2.4 tackles per game for Pep Guardiola’s cause.
4. Lewis Hall, Newcastle
Newcastle United star Lewis Hall just edges O’Reilly out in the top five of the list, because he has been doing it for a little bit longer. Magpies supporters were smitten with Hall to begin with, and he has only been proving them right in an even better 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
Hall is averaging more than three combined tackles and interceptions per game with more than three combined fouls drawn and dribbles completed per match, providing elite ball winning and ball progressing to be one of the key workhorses of this Newcastle side.
The 2025/26 season has not gone as planned for Newcastle, but Hall’s quality, work rate, and young leadership have provided the club with one of their brightest storylines.
3. Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal
Docked a little bit since he is more of a center back than a left back, Riccardo Calafiori is legitimately a top player at both positions and, when healthy, has been having a fabulous 2025/26 Premier League season for title favorites Arsenal.
After an adjustment period, Calafiori is showing the Gunners faithful the same quality that made him a sensation in Serie A for fairytale side Bologna, as well as a saving grace for the Italian national team at their disastrous 2024 European Championship campaign.
2. Milos Kerkez, Liverpool
It took Milos Kerkez some time to settle in, but the Liverpool “fans” who were slagging off the Bournemouth star in his new environment to start the 2025/26 season have been quickly quieted by the Hungarian international.
Obviously a much better player in 2026 than the finished Andrew Robertson, Kerkez has steadied himself to provide legitimately excellent defensive performances and plenty of ball progression and chance creation for the Reds now.
He was one of the best left backs – not just “young” – in the 2024/25 season for the Cherries, and in the second half of the Premier League season, Kerkez is showing exactly why Liverpool signed him to replace a legend at left back.
1. Alvaro Carreras, Real Madrid
But the best young left back in 2026 is clear, and the answer is none other than new Real Madrid signing Alvaro Carreras. The former academy standout, Manchester United prospect, and Benfica star has been worth every penny for the Merengues this season as a massive upgrade on the washed up Ferland Mendy and the abysmal Fran Garcia.
Carreras can take over games with his athleticism, technical quality, passing ability, work rate, and defensive quality. He is a great one on one defender, one of the best ball progressors in La Liga, and capable of real moments of magic on the ball as a passer and even shooter.
A massive upgrade for Real Madrid, Carreras only really needs to strengthen his showings against the elite opponents like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Other than that, he is the perfect starter for what Real were looking for behind Vinicius Junior on that left flank.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.