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Some of the best right-backs in today’s game are arguably even better going forward than they are at the back.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi and Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold are viewed as the greatest right-backs currently, however, in generations gone by, we have seen some unbelievable full-backs on the right-hand side.

The Best 15 Right-Backs in World Football Ranked (2025)

Where does new Real Madrid star Alexander-Arnold rank?

1 ByCharlie Smith Oct 8, 2025

Here is a look at 20 of the greatest right-backs in footballing history, factoring in their longevity and consistency at the highest level, while also looking at their team and personal accolades.

20 Maicon

Starting off the countdown is Maicon, one of numerous Brazilian right-backs to be included. Best known for his time at Inter Milan, Maicon looked like a centre-back but had all the power, athleticism and final third product to make him a world-class full-back.

He won the Champions League at Inter Milan as well as lifting four Serie A titles and three Italian Cups, starring under Jose Mourinho.

19 Eric Gerets​

Eric Gerets​ actually began his amateur career as a striker before turning professional with Standard Liege and would end his playing days as one of the best right-backs, recognised by being nominated for the Ballon d’Or on numerous occasions.

Regarded as one of the greatest players in Belgian football history, Gerets ended his career as part of a dominant PSV side, winning six Eredivisie titles in seven years during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as lifting the European Cup.

18 Claudio Gentile

A key part of Italy’s 1982 winning World Cup team, Claudio Gentile’s style of play was no-nonsense, something which saw him have a brilliant 17-year career.

Gentile was anything but gentle in the tackle and has gone down as a Juventus legend, being inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2025.

He was included in the Team of the Tournament in the 1980 Euros and 1982 World Cup, highlighting the impact he made.

17 Kyle Walker

In his prime, there was no getting past Kyle Walker, who is arguably one of the quickest right-backs of all time.

As well as his blistering pace, Walker was solid defensively and got forward regularly, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League at Man City. A key part of Pep Guardiola’s dominant side, Walker also has just under 100 England caps.

16 ​​​​​Dani Carvajal

Real Madrid icon Dani Carvajal may not be the most eye-catching right-back in history, however, his longevity and consistency earn him a place in the top 20.

Lifting an incredible six Champions League titles at the Bernabeu and the Euros with Spain, the Madrid captain is one of the most successful right-backs in history and will rightly go down as a Los Blancos legend.

15 Manfred Kaltz

German right-back and Hamburger SV legend Manfred Kaltz spent over 18 years across the 1970s and 1980s, winning two Bundesliga crowns, two DFB-Pokal titles and the European Cup during his club career.

He lifted the Euros in 1980 with Germany and was known for making an impact in the final third, scoring more than 100 goals in his career.

14 Manuel Amoros

Manuel Amoros won multiple league titles with Monaco and Marseille during his club career, while on the international stage with France, lifted the Euros in 1984.

His career lasted 17 years and his performances rarely dipped, resulting in his winning 82 caps for his country and making 500 club appearances.

13 Wim Suurbier

Dutch star Wim Suurbier helped Ajax dominate European football under Rinus Michels and Stefan Kovacs under the club’s famous Total Football philosophy.

A key member of the side that won three successive European Cups in the 1970s, Suurbier also helped the Netherlands to two World Cup finals and was known for his explosive pace and technical ability.

12 Gary Neville

Although he won’t admit it, Gary Neville was a key part of Man Utd’s dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson and spent his entire career at Old Trafford.

An excellent crosser, Neville was brilliant defensively, winning eight Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups and three League Cups. He made a whopping 600 appearances for United and was capped 85 times by England.

11 Mauro Tassotti

AC Milan legend Mauro Tassotti spent 17 years at the San Siro, winning 19 honours and making just under 600 appearances for the Italian giants.

A member of one of the world’s greatest defences alongside Franco Baresi and Filippo Galli, Tassotti helped transform the right-back role in the 1980s and 1990s, with his attacking qualities being an inspiration for others.

The other members of the playing XII were each fined either INR 12 lakh or 50% of their respective match fees, whichever is lower

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-20251:15

Moody: Wouldn’t have thought Pant was in a form slump

Rishabh Pant, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain, has been fined for his team’s slow over-rate during Tuesday’s IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) held in Lucknow.As it was LSG third offence of the season – the first and second were on April 5 and April 26 respectively – under the IPL’s code of conduct relating to over-rate offences, Pant was fined INR 30 lakh. The other members of the playing XII were each fined either INR 12 lakh or 50% of their respective match fees, whichever is lower.Despite this being Pant’s third offence, he will not be suspended, as was the case till IPL 2024. The rule was amended ahead of IPL 2025, although Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya missed his team’s season opener because his suspension had carried forward from last season.On Tuesday, Pant’s unbeaten 118 off 61 balls had steered LSG to 227 for 3 after they were asked to bat, but RCB chased it down with eight balls and six wickets to spare, thanks to Virat Kohli’s 54 and Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 85.LSG finished the season with six wins and 12 points from 14 games and were seventh on the ten-team points table. RCB, meanwhile, have qualified for Qualifier 1 with 19 points from the league phase.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently handed 15-year-old Max Dowman his Premier League debut, with the schoolboy joining a contingent of rising stars at the Emirates.

The attacking midfielder dazzled in a 5-0 rout against Leeds and even won a penalty for star summer signing Viktor Gyokeres to fire home, right after he became the second-youngest Premier League debutant in history.

He’s also Arsenal’s second-youngest professional appearance-maker ever, behind Ethan Nwaneri, with Arteta rewarding Dowman by picking him in their final Champions League squad for the league phase.

The hype around Dowman is monumental right now, and club legend Paul Merson has already suggested he could be one of the best in the world.

Dowman and Nwaneri, if all goes to plan, could stock Arsenal’s attacking midfield options for the foreseeable future, with 18-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly also rising to prominence last season.

The left-back played his way into England’s squad with some excellent performances both domestically and in Europe, pushing established Premier League players like Oleksandr Zinchenko down the pecking order.

Lewis-Skelly comes as an excellent alternative to Riccardo Calafiori as well, who’s impressed this season but has also struggled with injuries since joining Arsenal from Bologna in the summer of 2024.

In any case, the future looks very bright indeed, with Arsenal’s reputation for producing stellar gems via their Hale End academy only reinforced.

Arsenal also brought in some promising talent from elsewhere, namely defender Cristhian Mosquera in a bargain deal from Valencia in the summer.

Arsenal think Cristhian Mosquera could be one of the best in the world

The Spain Under-21 international played right-back against Leeds and did a solid job replacing the injured William Saliba against Liverpool, with Arsenal believed to hold Mosquera in very high esteem behind-the-scenes.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, while new signing Piero Hincapie is threatened by the 21-year-old when it comes to game time, those within the club believe Mosquera could be one of the best in the world at Arsenal in a few years.

The ex-La Liga sensation has also earned serious praise from Arteta already, who called him an “exciting” talent with “huge” potential.

بدأ محلل الأداء الدنماركي نيكلاس أورباك كنودسن عمله رسميًا داخل الجهاز الفني للنادي الأهلي بقيادة مواطنه ييس توروب، في خطوة تأتي ضمن خطة القلعة الحمراء لتطوير أدوات التحليل والأداء الفني للفريق الأول خلال المرحلة المقبلة.

وانضم كنودسن إلى طاقم الأهلي في الساعات الماضية، حيث يُنتظر أن يلعب دورًا مهمًا في تطوير الجوانب التكتيكية والتحليلية، بما يواكب طموحات الإدارة والجماهير في المنافسة على جميع البطولات.

اقرأ أيضا.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري بعد هدف زيزو في مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد 

وفي أول تصريحاته الخاصة لـ بطولات، عبر كنودسن عن سعادته الكبيرة ببداية مشواره في الأهلي، مؤكدًا انبهاره بالأجواء داخل النادي وبحجم تاريخه ومكانته في كرة القدم الإفريقية والعربية.

وقال محلل الأداء الدنماركي: “يا له من نادٍ رائع، وأجواء مميزة، ومجموعة مذهلة من الأشخاص الرائعين سواء في الجهاز الفني أو اللاعبين”.

وأضاف كنودسن في حديثه: “أتطلع حقًا إلى هذا الفصل الجديد مع هذا النادي الكبير، سعيًا لتحقيق مجد جديد والوصول إلى إنجازات أعلى”.

 ويضم طاقم ييس توروب مع الأهلي كل من إيمره سابيتش، جوني مولبو، يواكيم فيلوم، كاي ستيفانسن وأخيرًا كنودسن بجانب عادل مصطفى.

Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, has rejected suggestions that his players did not take their preparation seriously on the tour of India, saying it was “factually incorrect” that the team had not done enough training during the T20I and ODI series, both of which ended in one-sided defeats.During a discussion on TV commentary for the third ODI between Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen, it was claimed that, with the exception of Joe Root, England had not netted during the ODI series. England had trained before the first ODI in Nagpur, but opted not to do so ahead of the second and third games in Cuttack and Ahmedabad.With the Champions Trophy looming, a 142-run defeat in the final game saw England go down 3-0 in the ODIs, having previously been beaten 4-1 during the T20I leg.The tourists have also had to deal with injuries, with Jacob Bethell ruled out by a hamstring strain and Jamie Smith nursing a sore calf – meaning that assistant coaches Marcus Trescothick and Paul Collingwood were named as substitute fielders in Cuttack.Related

• Ben Stokes declares he's ready for England return after hamstring surgery

• Ben Duckett passed fit for Champions Trophy after groin scan

• Jacob Bethell 'ruled out' of Champions Trophy, Tom Banton called to India as cover

• McCullum promises focus on entertainment as England white-ball era begins

• Missing in action: Players injured and unavailable for the Champions Trophy

“Firstly, it’s factually incorrect, the whole statement that we don’t train,” McCullum told talkSPORT after the third ODI. “We’ve trained plenty right throughout, guys have come from a lot of cricket as well. I think it’s an easy thing to have as a throwaway line that guys don’t train enough when the results aren’t right.”But we’ve got a style and a method that we believe in. We’ve got guys who are battling injuries and trying to make sure that we’ve got enough bodies out on the field, knowing that we’ve got a huge assignment coming up in a week or two. Ultimately it’s factually incorrect what’s been said and we’ll stay true to what we believe in.”Jos Buttler, England’s captain, also denied that the poor results in India had been down to “lack of effort” when speaking to reporters after the Ahmedabad game.”We’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days,” Buttler said. “There have been a couple of times we have not trained but we have done plenty of training throughout the tour. We try to create a really good environment but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or lack of effort. The guys are desperate to perform and do well and improve.”McCullum only took on the role of white-ball head coach in January, having previously had sole responsibility for the Test side, and said that the tour had provided valuable lessons ahead of the Champions Trophy, which gets underway in Pakistan next week.England will spend the next few days in the UAE before beginning their campaign against Australia in Lahore on February 22. They have confirmed Tom Banton in their 15-man Champions Trophy squad as a replacement for Bethell.”I’ve learned a lot,” McCullum said. “There’s guys in our team who are incredibly talented, if we can add a little bit of craft and give ourselves a bit of confidence within the dressing room, which is ultimately the task of us as coaches, then we’ll see some of that talent will flourish. It’s been a good tour, so much good will come from it, albeit the results are very disappointing. But that’s the nature sometimes when you come up against a very good side in their own conditions.”Ultimately you’re judged on results,” he added. “From our point of view, we’ve got to strip away the fear of failure that results can bring. Guys are fiercely determined and competitive… how do you allow an environment to provide the freedom and clarity of thought to go out there and allow your talent to come out?”That’s what we’re trying to do in the group we’re building and that’s what we’ll try and do over the next week as well, give the guys a freshen-up in Abu Dhabi, make sure all the bodies are fit and ready to go, we’ve got a full squad to pick from come that first game against Australia. We do that, hopefully we walk a little taller and play a little better and end up getting better results as well.”

Robert Lewandowski asked to leave Bayern Munich "every year" as he grew frustrated with the lack of Champions League success with the German club, according to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The former Bayern CEO reveals, Lewandowski's desire to win the European crown had him itching for a move away, before the club finally delivered on his objective.

Robert Lewandowski's a relentless champion

Lewandowski’s time at Munich was never short of goals. Despite becoming one of the club’s most reliable scorers, the Polish striker reportedly wanted to leave on multiple occasions, chasing the dream of Champions League glory elsewhere. During his Bayern spell, Lewandowski scored 238 Bundesliga goals in 253 appearances. He shattered Gerd Muller’s decades old single-season record with 41 goals in the 2020-21 Bundesliga, breaking the 40-goal benchmark first set in 1971-72.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFormer Bayern boss reveals Lewandowski's hidden desire

Former Bayern board member Rummenigge revealed the reality of Lewandowski’s repeated requests in an interview with Kicker. He said: "He came to me every year and said he had an offer from a top club. I said: 'That's great, and proof that we've signed the right player.' But he really wanted to win the Champions League. I told him: 'You can win that with Bayern Munich, too.'"

Despite dazzling numbers and consistent domestic dominance, six Bundesliga top scorer titles among them, the polish attacker was restless, pressing for moves elsewhere. The biggest goal he craved, the Champions League, only came in 2020 under Hansi Flick.

Rummenigge further added: "That was one of the best days I've ever experienced. We had an extraordinary year with Hansi Flick. That day, after the game, I said: 'You see, Robert, you can also win the Champions League with Bayern Munich.' He was incredibly happy."

Lewandowski still going strong for Barcelona

Since joining Barcelona in 2022, Lewandowski has kept up a remarkable scoring rate. With 71 goals and 17 assists in 107 La Liga appearances. In 2024-25, he notched 27 goals in 34 league games, his best La Liga season yet. He also became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues that season to reach 30 goals across all competitions, hitting that mark by February. Under Flick, he remains a central attacking figure, contributing not only with goals but with his hold-up play, movement, and leadership.

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Getty Images SportWhat lies ahead for Lewandowski

Lewandowski rejected the chance to move to Saudi Arabia despite multiple offers. The 36-year-old forward wanted to continue in La Liga and as the club build under Flick, he is crucial not just for his scoring, but for how he guides the attack, the younger players, and helps in tight matches. His contract situation, which  is expiring in 2026, looms large but club leadership has reason to consider renewal should this form continues.

Cummins says Australia hierarchy are “not beholden to stats” when it comes to appraising the lean run returns of Khawaja, McSweeney and Labuschagne

Alex Malcolm18-Dec-2024Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended the output of his top-three batters – particularly makeshift opener Nathan McSweeney – in difficult batting conditions, as Australia’s selectors mull their options for the final two Tests of the series.Australia’s selectors are due to meet on Thursday morning to select the sides for Melbourne and Sydney after a rain-affected draw in Brisbane left the Border-Gavaskar Trophy poised on a knife’s edge at 1-1.Top of the selectors’ agenda will be extra bowling cover for the injured Josh Hazlewood with Scott Boland the obvious man to come back into the XI. But it would be hard for them not to at least discuss the top three, and in particular their openers, after another difficult week in Brisbane.Related

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Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 on Wednesday, was undone by Jasprit Bumrah for the second time in the Test match and the fourth time in the series. His partner, McSweeney, escaped Bumrah’s clutches for the first time in the series but instead nicked a wide delivery from Akash Deep. Marnus Labuschagne nicked one of Bumrah’s most innocuous deliveries of the series for just 1 as Australia slumped to 16 for 3 on their way to a bizarre third innings of 89 for 7 declared as they tried fruitlessly to set up a result before rain ended the game.Labuschagne averages 16.40 across five innings in the series, with 64 of his 82 runs coming in one hit in Adelaide. McSweeney averages 14.40 with a highest score of 39. Khawaja is averaging just 12.60, having been arguably Australia’s most reliable batter in 2022 and 2023.It appears unlikely that any change will be made despite the lean returns.Calls from the public for 19-year-old phenom Sam Konstas are growing louder following his stunning 20-ball half-century on BBL debut for Sydney Thunder on Tuesday night. That followed his century against an India attack that featured all of the Test bowlers bar Bumrah.But Cummins defended the contributions of his top three in the context of Travis Head’s two magical centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, which according to the skipper were set up by the top three ensuring he didn’t walk out to face the new ball.”Everyone’s always hoping to score more runs,” Cummins said after rain ended the third Test. “I think the trend in world cricket pretty much all around the world is the top three is a really hard place to bat at the moment. Particularly here in Australia, the wickets are tough. I think there’s little snippets that have been important. Again, that first innings, Trav walks in 35 overs into the game, I think that makes a big difference, the same in Adelaide. Obviously they [the top three] would be hoping to score more runs, we’d like them to score more runs, but I think they have made some important contributions that others have benefited from.”Usman Khawaja has been cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah four times this series•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesBy that measure, Australia’s top three are doing their jobs given Head’s two centuries, plus Steven Smith’s century and Alex Carey’s 70 in Brisbane put Australia in commanding positions in both games. It is clear that Australia are content, given the quality of Bumrah and the difficulty of new-ball batting, to simply ask their top three to absorb pressure and buy Head time to come in and play the way he does.”The trend is, it seems like, five, six, seven is sometimes where a bulk of the runs are scored in Test cricket all around the world,” Cummins said. “I spoke ahead of this summer when there was all the talk about batting orders, we didn’t really want to move our five, six, seven – they’ve been so important to many of our wins over the last couple of years. We’re not beholden to stats, we know there are certain roles, there are easier times to bat, harder times to bat, just like bowlers, so you are always looking at the best seven batters who will function as a unit and place them as best you can.”McSweeney and Khawaja’s numbers look extremely lean compared to that of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are averaging 47 and 38.60 respectively in the same conditions against Australia’s attack. But Rahul’s 84 in Brisbane could have been 30 had Smith held a straightforward chance at slip on day four, while Jaiswal has made just 32 runs in five innings outside of his match-winning 161 in Perth.Cummins was particularly supportive of the job McSweeney has done in his first three Tests, having been asked to debut as an opener with no prior experience at Sheffield Shield level and just two brief innings in the role for Australia A.”It’s been really hard for the opening batters for both sides really,” Cummins said. “I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s gone about it. Even today, someone starting out his career still being selfless enough to go out there and try to play shots rather than try and preserve and get a score. Really impressed with him, again probably hasn’t scored the runs he would have liked, but he has played some important knocks that have set up a win in Adelaide and a really good result here.”

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has a key decision to make about the future of a big-name player this summer, with Premier League rivals now looking at tempting him with a move away.

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Berta’s key priority right now, according to Fabrizio Romano, is sealing some outgoings to balance the books – having already spent over £200 million on new additions this window.

Gyokeres is their latest official capture after he sealed a long-awaited £64 million move from Sporting CP last weekend, joining Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.

Eze would be a fine addition to this already-impressive crop of exceptional new talent, and Arsenal are believed to have already held initial talks with Crystal Palace. However, going by Romano’s update, exits will be necessary before they can formally bid.

Leandro Trossard faces a reported uncertain future at Arsenal given the Belgian has now entered the final 12 months of his contract. According to recent reports, Arsenal could sell Trossard this summer, rather than lose him for free in 2026.

The winger has offers to leave England with Borussia Dortmund keen (Florian Plettenberg), and Trossard isn’t the only forward who could quit before deadline day.

Reports earlier this month, specifically from talkSPORT, claimed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr hold a serious interest in Gabriel Martinelli and were considering a £73 million bid, which would double Arsenal’s club-record sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017.

£265,000-per-week striker Gabriel Jesus is another nominee for Berta’s chopping block, especially following Gyokeres’ arrival.

Arsenal poised to accept Gabriel Jesus offer as Premier League rivals line up

Jesus has attracted serious interest from Flamengo, according to recent reports from Brazil, with the 28-year-old also open to leaving the Emirates.

Right now, Jesus is in recovery from a crippling ACL rupture which ended his 2024/2025 season, and that potentially makes finding an outright buyer pretty difficult.

Nevertheless, according to well-connected former chief scout Mick Brown, who worked at Man United during their most successful period, top flight rivals are keen on signing Jesus from Arsenal.

“Arsenal are going to accept an offer for Jesus if their price is met.

“I think his best days are behind him, but he was still a reliable squad player at Arsenal until now. He hasn’t pulled up any trees, but he’s done alright. I think the thing for Arsenal has been that they need better than ‘alright’ and that’s why they’ve now gone out and spent all that money on Gyokeres.

“With him and Havertz there, it’s difficult to see where Jesus would fit in their plans.

“I hear there’s interest from a few teams in the Premier League, so that would be a good option. From his point of view, he’s going to want to go somewhere he can play at a high level but also play regular football, because he won’t get that at Arsenal.

“And from the club’s point of view, if they can make good money from him, they can spend it elsewhere. It’s the type of deal I think could work for all parties.”

The former Man City star signed for around £45 million on a long-term deal back in 2022, but has struggled to become that ’25 goal per season’ striker despite periods of excellent form.

Jesus enjoyed a real purple patch just last season, but that was immediately followed by his long-term injury in what was real bad luck for the ex-Palmeiras sensation. With just two years remaining on his deal, now could be the right time to sell Jesus if any suitor is prepared to take the plunge.

Tottenham Hotspur could hijack Nottingham Forest’s move for an “unbelievable” forward, amid the fall-out surrounding their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White, according to a report.

Forest considering legal action after Spurs approach Gibbs-White

Spurs’ pursuit of Gibbs-White has proven to be controversial, with Forest ceasing all communication after alleging that an illegal approach had been made for the midfielder, which means the deal has now stalled.

The Tricky Trees have reported Spurs to the Premier League, and it is currently unknown whether the transfer will be blocked entirely, although super agent Sky Andrew has suggested Daniel Levy may have to simply pay more to get a deal over the line.

Andrew said: “If it goes to arbitration, where it must go within the football rules and regulations, then Forest will have to prove that the club went directly to the player or to the agent. Most clubs know that it is very difficult to prove.

“So, this is a case now of how much will the buying club pay for the player. It won’t be £60 million, it will probably have to be more.”

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The Lilywhites will no doubt have been left frustrated by the deal stalling, but they could now have an opportunity to get one-up on Forest, with a report from The Standard revealing they are in the race to sign one of their Premier League rivals’ major targets.

Tottenham reportedly remain in the race for Brentford star Yoane Wissa, having submitted an enquiry earlier in the transfer window, at which point they were told that it would take an offer of £50m to tempt the Bees into a sale.

Forest have also set their sights on the forward, having recently had a £20m bid knocked back, indicating Spurs could hijack the deal if they are willing to put a higher offer on the table.

That said, Brentford have made it clear they are unwilling to sell both Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa in the same window unless they receive a huge bid, so it could be difficult to get a deal done.

"Unbelievable" Wissa emerged as Premier League star last season

The 28-year-old was one of the best-performing forwards in the Premier League in the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 19 goals, the sixth-highest tally in the top flight, while also providing five assists in 35 outings.

Courtesy of his performances last term, the DR Congo international was lauded for his “unbelievable” quality by former manager Thomas Frank, and it is an added bonus that the Spurs boss knows the forward very well.

As such, Wissa could be a solid signing for Tottenham this summer, with the France-born forward’s goal and assist tally suggesting he could justify a £50m price tag, although the fact his contract is set to expire next summer means a lower fee would perhaps be more fair.

English statistician developed the DL method with Tony Lewis and it was first used in international cricket in 1997

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2024

Frank Duckworth, one of the inventors of the Duckworth-Lewis (later Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method to determine results in rain-affected cricket matches, died on Friday, June 21 at the age of 84.The original method, devised by English statisticians Duckworth and Tony Lewis, was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was formally adopted by the ICC as the standard for setting revised targets in truncated games in 2001. In 2014, it was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis and the modifications made to the system by Australian statistician Steven Stern.Duckworth and Lewis were both awarded MBEs in June 2010.The DL method replaced the rain rule that was used previously to calculate targets in interrupted matches, most infamously during the 1992 ODI World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa in Sydney.Duckworth was a consultant statistician with the ICC until 2014.”Frank was a top statistician who was respected by peers as well as the wider cricket fraternity. The DLS method that he co-created has stood the test of time and we have continued to use it in international cricket more than two decades after its inception,” Wasim Khan, the ICC general manager – cricket operations, said in a press statement. “Frank’s contribution to the game has been immense and the world of cricket is poorer with his death. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”