Best La Liga right-backs of 2021

The Spanish top-flight might have taken a huge hit in recent seasons after so many world-class players departed from top clubs in the league. From Neymar to Sergio Ramos, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, the Spanish league has had to deal with unbelievable departures so far, but it has managed to keep its intensity thanks to other players stepping up to carry the weight that comes with global expectations of the league’s followers.

The 2020-21 season saw some incredible talents in all areas of the pitch, especially in the right-hand side, where teams such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia got to enjoy their best players grace the pitch.

We have got both up and coming and already settled-in stars amongst the

best La Liga right-backs of 2021

and surely you too must bet eager to find out more about these footballers and the season that they have had since the second half of the last campaign. So read on as we provide all the details you might need to know about the greatest La Liga right-backs of 2021.

Best La Liga right-backs in 2021

From the likes of Kieran Trippier and Hector Bellerin, who have arrived in the Spanish top-flight from the Premier League in recent seasons, to the likes of Daniel Carvajal and Sime Vrsaljko, who have been dominating the Primera Division for years, there are some phenomenal talents on the list of top La Liga right-backs of 2021. Here is everything you need to know about these incredible footballers and their overall stats in the year 2021.

Daniel Wass

Daniel Wass has been a standout player for

ever since joining the La Liga side in the 2018-19 season. The incredibly versatile right-back is able to play in a multitude of positions and the only position he is yet to play in is as a goalkeeper. Wass has been Valencia’s main right-back since his first weeks in the Spanish top-flight. He managed to make more than 35 appearances for The Bats last season and even racked up 4 goals and an assist in the process. As one of the

best La Liga right-backs of 2021

the Denmark international started his career in his home country by rising up the ranks at Brondby IF and joining the club’s senior side in 2008.

Having spent a loan spell at Fredrikstad in 2009, Wass returned to his home club and spent two years in Denmark before joining

on a free transfer deal in 2011. He then went on to spend another year of his career out on loan before moving to Celta Vigo for €3 million in 2015. Wass managed to prove his worth in the three years that he spent with the Spanish side as he attracted quite a lot of attention towards his performance, which in the end convinced Valencia to pay €8 million for his services in 2018.

Aside from his outstanding performance in the 2020-21 season, Daniel Wass has managed to be an integral part of his club in the 2021-22 season and has already made more than 15 appearances for The Bats in the domestic league. The Danish footballer is without a doubt one of the greatest La Liga right-backs of 2021 and may even have the right to be amongst the best midfielders as well, thanks to his immense versatility, which has allowed him to be deployed in the middle of the park more often than on the right.

Mario Gaspar

Mario Gaspar may have had fewer chances to once again prove himself to his club and his supporters this season, but the 31-year-old right-back was truly exceptional in the 2020-21 campaign, during which he made a total of 24 appearances in the league and managed to provide 3 assists in the process. But simply racking up appearances and in-game minutes is certainly not enough to put a player on the list of

best La Liga right-backs in 2021

.

That is why Gaspar, as the main captain of

, has been delivering phenomenal performances year-in year-out to earn his place amongst both the best La Liga right-backs of 2021 and the best right-backs in the Spanish top-flight history. Gaspar is an icon of a player when it comes to representing a one-club-man. The Spaniard gained prominence as a young and talented full-back growing up at the Villarreal youth academy.

He finally managed to earn a spot in the senior squad way back in 2011 and has since been a vital part of his club’s plans. Coming back to the current events relating the Spain international, Gaspar might have to put more effort into his game as a couple of new additions to Villarreal’s squad has created a bit of a problem for the aging full-back.

With Serge Aurier and and Ruben Pena joining Unai Emery’s team over the summer, we will have to wait and see if one of the 2021 best La Liga right-backs can retain his place on the starting-XI for the rest of the season or not.

Kieran Trippier

From being a vital part of

’s plans all through the mid-2010s to becoming one of the

best La Liga right-backs of 2021

, Kieran Trippier has had quite a journey so far. Even though he did not get to win a major trophy in the Premier League, the Englishman more than made up for it by winning the league title with

by beating the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona to the trophy. Trippier has been one of the main players in the starting-XI throughout the years and has managed to further solidify Diego Simeone’s defence on the right flanks.

The 31-year-old has managed to make more than 80 appearances for the Rojiblancos and has even managed to rack up 11 assists in the process. The England international actually used to play for Manchester City’s reserves side way back in the late 2000s. He spent a season on loan at Burnley before joining the English club in 2012. It took Trippier three seasons to finally convince Tottenham to pay about €5 million to acquire his services in 2015, after which he immediately became an essential part of the club’s plans as he took charge of the right flank in defense.

The Englishman was only one game short of making his 115th appearance for Tottenham when Atletico Madrid came knocking on the Premier League side’s door with a bag full of money. Diego Simeone’s side paid a whopping €22 million to sign Trippier in the summer of 2019 and quickly made him a star player in their squad.

His incredible form in the 2020-21 season and in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign has certainly earned the former Tottenham man a place on the list of 2021 best La Liga right-backs. We will have to wait and see how the remaining weeks in the year 2021 go for the Englishman as he has recently shown signs of struggle in finding his regular place in the starting-XI.

Sergino Dest

have a true gem in their hands and they might still not know about it. Ronald Koeman surely did not know how to use his talented players and we will have to observe how Xavi makes use of his limited but incredibly exciting squad. Sergino Dest was somehow deployed on the frontlines during Koeman’s reign at Barcelona and he is yet to find his spot on Xavi’s starting-XI. But that does not mean that Sergino Dest is not one of the best La Liga right-backs of 2021.

The 21-year-old is without a doubt one of the most talented full-backs in the Spanish top-flight and certainly has a bright future ahead of himself if he manages to live up to the billing week-in week-out. Born in the Netherlands, the American footballer started his career in the

youth academy as he quickly rose up the ranks to join the Dutch club’s senior side in 2019. A total of 38 appearances, 6 assists and 2 goals was apparently more than enough to convince the Blaugrana to pay €21 million to Acquire Dest’s services in the October of 2020.

The youngster became a regular starter for Barcelona from his first weeks at Camp Nou as he went on to make a total of 41 appearances for the Catalan giants throughout the 2020-21 season. Sergino Dest earned his place on the list of

top La Liga right-backs of 2021

as he helped Barcelona win the Copa del Rey in his first season at the Spanish club.

There is no doubt that the United States international is a talented prospect playing in one of the best leagues in Europe, but the young right-back will have to continue performing at maximum level in order to earn Xavi’s trust and a place in his starting-XI.

Daniel Carvajal

Next on our list of

2021 best La Liga right-backs

is Daniel Carvajal, who has been one of the greatest full-backs in world football for several years now. It is safe to say that the Spaniard has been more of an integral player for Real Madrid in recent years than many of the club’s legends. The 29-year-old is a Real Madrid Castilla product originally, but has spent a single season abroad. He joined

from

’s youth academy for €5 million in 2012 and quickly returned to his home club a year later for €6.5 million.

Since then, Carvajal has been a vital part of his side and has helped Los Blancos conquer both Spain and the whole Europe with several major trophies. Even missing several months due to injury and fitness issues were not able to keep the Spain international from making it into the list of best La Liga right-backs of 2021.

Carvajal was not as incredible in the 2020-21 season as he is any other season. But he still managed to bounce back from several muscle injuries and fitness issues to once again retain his place on the starting lineup, forcing Lucas Vazquez to move further up the pitch.

Having made only 15 appearances for Los Blancos in the previous campaign, Carvajal has already managed to compensate for his lost chances by becoming his side’s main right-back once again. He has already made more than 10 appearances for Real Madrid despite still struggling to find his form due to calf problems and another muscle injury. There is no denying the fact that the Spaniard is one of the best La Liga right-backs of 2021 and we are eagerly waiting to see if he can win his third league title with Real Madrid in the current season or not.

Andoni Gorosabel

Few players can be as effective as Andoni Gorosabel, who has managed to help

become a title contender alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. While Barcelona are still struggling to find their form in the league, the likes of Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano are trying their best to keep their lead on the Blaugrana and even finish in a Champions League spot at the end of the season.

Gorosabel is one of the reasons why Los Txuri-Urdin are doing so well in the domestic league. The Spaniard rose to prominence quickly after joining his current club from their reserves side in 2017. He has since managed to become an integral part of his club and has more than doubled his market value in recent years. As one of the

greatest La Liga right-backs of 2021

, Gorosabel made a total of 40 appearances for Real Sociedad in the 2020-21 campaign and even managed to get himself 3 assists in the process.

His phenomenal form on the right-hand side of the pitch helped Sociedad to a Europa League spot finish as they ended the league sitting behind Sevilla in the fifth position with 62 points. The current season has also been incredible for the 25-year-old full-back as he has already made more than 15 appearances for his side.

Of course there is a rivalry between the defender and his counterpart Joseba Zaldua, who plays in the same position and challenges the young right-back every now and then. The two are currently helping Real Sociedad continue their great form that they have had so far.

Hugo Mallo

are quite lucky to have a loyal player such as Hugo Mallo defending their right flank. The Spaniard has more than earned his spot on the list of best La Liga right-backs of 2021 and has been a vital part of his home club for more than a decade. Mallo joined Celta Vigo’s senior squad as he rose up the ranks at the club’s youth team. He quickly turned into a key player for his side as he earned his place amongst the starting-XI.

It took the Marin-born full-back only two years to lead Vigo to a promotion to the Spanish top-flight as they rejoined the elites in La Liga in the 2012-13 season. Since then, Celta Vigo have been a regular part of the league and have usually acted as the bane of bigger clubs such as Barcelona, who have fallen victim to the Spanish club’s venomous counterattacks countless times over the years. Mallo is currently the main captain of his side and has managed to keep his incredible form throughout the recent seasons.

He managed to make a total of 32 appearances for Vigo in the 2020-21 season and even racked up 4 goals and 2 assists in the process. The 30-year-old right-back is both an adept defender and a great crosser of the ball as he joins the offense from time to time. As one of the best La Liga right-backs of 2021, Hugo Mallo has made more than 10 appearances for his side in the new campaign.

But he has also missed several games so far, which might be due to Eduardo Coudet’s rotation policy, which allows the Spanish right-back to rest from time to time, while allowing others to get the chance to prove themselves to the Argentine manager.

Lucas Vazquez

You will not find a player as loyal and as hard-working as Lucas Vazquez very often. Los Blancos are quite lucky to have the Spaniard in their squad and many of Madridistas might not appreciate the gem of a player that they have access to. Vazquez has always been there for Real Madrid whenever the need arises. He happily waits for his chances on the bench and makes good use of all the opportunities that he gets.

It does not matter where they deploy the Spain international since he can deliver wherever and whichever position he plays in. Vazquez, just like Dani Carvajal, is an original Real Madrid Castilla product and has been with the Madrid giants for years, except for the short stint that he spent with Espanyol in 2014. The 30-year-old might not be considered to be amongst the greatest right-backs in history, but Vazquez has always managed to deliver phenomenal performances and incredible assists whenever his club has demanded of him.

The three-time Champions League winner has been an integral part of Real Madrid for years now and even managed to fill Carvajal’s shoes as the club’s main right-back in the last campaign when his teammate was sidelined due to muscle injury. Despite having faced his own injury woes, Vazquez made a total of 34 appearances for Los Blancos and even managed to rack up 2 goals and 8 assists in the process.

He has already appeared in 15 games this season and has found the back of the net during his limited minutes with the main squad. The Spanish right-back will certainly be eyeing his third La Liga title this season as he pushes to further solidify his place on Carlo Ancelotti’s starting-XI.

Jesus Navas

While it might be normal for some of the world’s greatest forwards and strikers to push past the age of 35 by performing at peak level for several more years, defenders rarely get to perform at such a level past this threshold. That is why it is quite stunning to see how Jesus Navas has continued to wow everyone with his performance and stats in recent years. The Spaniard has aged like fine wine and has managed to even improve his game as Sevilla’s main right-back.

The La Liga side have signed a couple of other right-backs in recent seasons as well, but none have managed to replace Jesus Navas as the club’s main man. Having spent four years at Manchester City, the 2010 World Cup winner returned to Sevilla on a free transfer deal in 2017 as many thought he was finally joining his retirement home. But few could have guessed how vital Navas would turn out to be for Sevilla since joining the Spanish side four years ago. Aside from his outstanding performances in his first years at Sevilla, the 36-year-old right-back got to make a total of 43 appearances for his club in the 2020-21 season alone as he managed to rack up 6 assists in the process.

The Spaniard is the main captain of Julen Lopetegui’s squad and has more than proven his worth to the Rojiblancos in the new campaign. Navas has already made more than 15 appearances for Sevilla this season and is aiming to improve his stats in the coming months.

As one of the best La Liga right-backs of 2021, Navas has got himself quite a full trophy cabinet, which consists of a European Championship trophy, the Premier League title, two English League Cups, two Copas del Rey, two Supercopas de Espana, two UEFA Cups, the Europa League trophy, the UEFA Supercup and of course the 2010 World Cup.

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