Greatest Fullbacks of the 1990s

No.1 Paolo Maldini

What a defender. It's a measure of just how good he was that Maldini could appear in the list of the greatest ever full-backs and also the greatest ever central defenders.

No.2 Andreas Brehme

No.3 Cafu

No.4 Javier Zanetti

No.5 Roberto Carlos

No.6 Denis Irwin

No.7 Bixente Lizarazu

No.8 Lilian Thuram

Superbly consistent and athletic defender who was equally good as a right-back or as a centre-back, and who was undoubtedly one of the world's greatest defenders throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Thuram began his professional career with AS Monaco in 1991 before moving to Italy to play for Parma in 1996. He helped Parma win the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia in 1999 before moving to Juventus in 2001.

Thuram is also known for his successful international career with the French national team. He made his debut for France in 1994 and played in three World Cups and two European Championships. Thuram was a key player for France during their successful 1998 World Cup campaign, scoring two goals in the semi-finals against Croatia. He is considered one of the greatest defenders in French football history and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in both 1998 and 2006.

No.9 Gary Neville

No.10 Roland Nilsson

Another under-rated and often overlooked full-back, Roland Nilsson made a name for himself in the 1980s as part of that great IFK Göteborg team. He came to prominence in the top flight of the English game with that fine Sheffield Wednesday side of the early 1990s and was also a stalwart of the strong Swedish national team who finished third at the 1994 World Cup.