9 Greatest Right-Backs in Liverpool History (Ranked)

Liverpool are the most successful club in English football, with the club winning 46 major trophies in their illustrious history, including six Champions League titles. Big-name players in almost every position are a huge contributing factor in achieving this title and, although attackers tend to receive all the credit, defenders – specifically right-backs – play just as important a role as anyone else on the pitch.

Helping solidify the defence, whilst also possessing a threat going forward to kick-start attacks, the right-back role has consistently evolved and requires a different skill set compared to those of yesteryear – although it is still one of the most demanding positions.

We have looked at the greatest right-backs in the Premier League right now, with a Liverpool player taking the top spot. Now it’s time to look at who is the best in the club’s history, with many players on this list winning almost everything available, and some even going down as club legends.

9 Steve Finnan

Starting with a player who was key for the Reds in the mid-2000s, Steve Finnan’s consistency and defensive solidity made him a key player under Rafael Benitez, with his most memorable outing coming in the 2005 Champions League Final against AC Milan. A model of stability, the Irishman played in 99 of the club’s 114 Premier League games between 2004 and 2007, with his manager saying that “he will always be a seven, eight, nine, or even ten out of ten each week.”

Finnan ended up with a total of 217 Liverpool appearances, scoring 20 times during that period, and left the Reds with a UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield to his name. Although a right-back that did not set the world alight, he makes it onto this list.

8 Rob Jones

Bursting onto the scene in the early 1990s, Jones was a player with extensive amounts of talent and serious potential. After a man-of-the-match performance on his memorable debut – one in which he marked Ryan Giggs out of the game during a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford – the Englishman’s career began to take off.

Blessed with speed and trickery, Jones used these traits to thwart attackers week in and week out and went on to play 243 times for the Reds, whilst also featuring eight times for his country. However, shin splints and persistent knee injuries meant he fell swiftly down the pecking order, and he was forced to retire aged just 27. Despite a sad end to his career, Jones proved during his time at Liverpool the quality he possessed, and he will go down as one of the best right-backs to have pulled on the shirt.

7 Tommy Lucas

Playing for the Reds for almost 15 years between the World Wars, Lucas’ perseverance and tenacity is the key reason he ended up making 366 appearances. After regularly finding himself in and out of the side due to the form of Donald Mackinlay and a man that features later on this list, Lucas turned his career around and etched his name into the Liverpool history books, with one journalist saying he is that he is “not a big fellow, but sturdily built, strong in tackling, and kicks with a fine discrimination.”

Although he had spells when he was out of the side, his individual league appearance record for the club can only be bettered by 35 men who have worn the famous red shirt over the years and simply because of his perseverance, he makes it onto the list of top right-backs to have played for Liverpool Football Club.

6 Ray Lambert

Lambert joined Liverpool as an amateur at just 13 years and 189 days old, making him the youngest player to join a league club at the time. It took the right-back 10 years to make his first team debut, but once he did, he became a consistent and reliable figure at the back in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Somewhat of a fan favourite, Lambert played in the first Liverpool team to win their first post-war championship and was part of the first-ever Reds side to play at Wembley, doing so in an FA Cup fixture in 1950. Considered one of the best in his position throughout Liverpool’s history, Lambert retired aged 34 with almost 350 appearances under his belt.

5 Ephraim Longworth

Names do not get much bigger than Longworth in the club’s history, with the right-back being the first Liverpool player to captain the England national team. In a Reds career that lasted 18 years, Longworth was a stalwart at the back and if it were not for the war, he would have much more than the 371 appearances he made.

He was a composed and assured defender who did not venture too far up the pitch – hence the reason he never scored a goal – but his defensive capabilities were second to none, making him one of the best to ever wear the shirt. After hanging up his boots, Longworth became part of the coaching staff at the club, further adding to his already heroic contribution.

4 Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool’s current right-back – and one of the best in world football – Alexander-Arnold has swiftly risen up this list since making his debut in 2018 and, if he stays at the club despite interest from Real Madrid, will likely only keep on going up. Bursting onto the scene as an academy product, the now-26-year-old is blessed with exceptional visionary passing, a wicked crossing ability, and is a set-piece specialist – traits that show how the right-back role has developed throughout time.

Alexander-Arnold has been vital in Liverpool’s recent success and has already won both the Premier League and Champions League, with the scouser currently the vice-captain at the club – a title that will only be upgraded in the future if he signs a new contract. Although this is uncertain, one thing that isn’t is that Alexander-Arnold is a generational talent and one of Liverpool’s best-ever right-backs.

3 Steve Nicol

Joining Liverpool as a 19-year-old who only played part-time football, the “out-of-work” building labourer never had to use his hands again since his move from Ayr United in 1981 and, instead, let his feet do all the work.

Nicol was an incredibly versatile player who was described by Kenny Daglish as not having a weakness, with his style of play very similar to the “modern-day” full-backs seen today. Similarly to Liverpool’s current left-back Andy Robertson, Nicol loved to bomb down the wing and attack, although his goalscoring record is much better than the 30-year-old’s, with Nicol netting 45 times in his career – making him the fifth-highest scoring defender in Liverpool history. Although his name may not spring to mind immediately as a club legend, his 458 appearances and 12 trophies mean that he is right up there with the very best, especially in terms of goalscoring.

2 Chris Lawler

Sticking with the theme of highest-scoring Liverpool defenders, with an impressive 61 goals, Lawler is Liverpool’s highest-scoring defender in history – a title made even more impressive by the fact that he was never the designated penalty taker or set-piece specialist.

Lawler was a marauding fullback playing in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, although his style fits the ‘modern day’ archetype to a tee. Although he made just under 550 appearances for the Reds and won nine major trophies, Lawler is an unspoken hero of the club and his nickname of ‘The Silent Knight’ is rather fitting – a name given to him after making 316 consecutive appearances without missing a single game. He is a Kop hero without a doubt.

1 Phil Neal

Phil Neal is one of the most decorated players in English football history and takes the top spot on this list, with the right-back winning eight First Division titles, four League Cups, four European Cups, five FA Charity Shields, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.

The epitome of dependability, ‘Mr Consistent’ was ever-present throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and racked up an impressive goal tally, with 40 of his 59 coming from the penalty spot – including one to seal the Reds’ first-ever European Cup against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1977. Club legends do not get much bigger than Neal, and he is considered the greatest right-back in Liverpool history.