Football players today come in a wide range of sizes and forms, but it’s just this diversity that makes the beautiful game so captivating. The strategy used to be straightforward: locate the talented winger with a long pass, watch them deceive a defender, and then whip it into the box so the goalie could nod it in.
These days, several wingers identify as inside forwards, pressers, goal scorers, and many other roles. There are many different skill sets that are currently dazzling the Premier League and European football, from your smooth Brazilian to your unwavering Englishmen.
Which wingers are currently the best in the world of football? That made us wonder. The introduction of sub-categorised wide men and the rarity of the traditional 4-4-2 formation make this a difficult undertaking. Here is a ranking of the top 15 wingers in football worldwide. The following criteria have been used to rate them.
Factors that rank Goals: the number of times a player has scored in the previous 12 months.
Assists: the number of goals a player has scored in the previous 12 months.
Success: Has the player led them both domestically and continentally to titles and the final stages of knockout football?
Notable moments: Have there been any instances where the player stood out and attracted the attention of supporters?
significance to their team—the degree to which a team depends on each member for success.
A little disclaimer: each player’s primary position on Transfermarkt must be marked as “Right Winger” or “Left Winger” in order to be included. Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid is therefore excluded because he is categorised as a “Centre-Forward.”
1Mohamed Salah
Current club: Liverpool
Mohamed Salah, who consistently plays for some of Liverpool’s most prestigious teams, easily secures a podium position among the best wide players in the world. The free-scoring Egyptian’s £34.3 million price tag makes Jurgen Klopp’s acquisition of him one of the century’s greatest coups.
Salah is the most powerful “winger” in the truest sense of the word. The two-time Golden Boot winner is regarded as the best winger to have ever played in the Premier League because of his goals, which keep coming in at an incredible rate. In addition to winning every major trophy at the club level, Salah has also received his share of individual accolades and set a new Premier League scoring record for Liverpool. He also got off to a great start under Arne Slot, displaying his peak performance.
2Vinicius Jr
Current club: Real Madrid
When Real Madrid spent £38 million on a 16-year-old Vinicius Jr., many fans were sceptical. However, the stunning Brazilian has really reimbursed every penny, plus interest. The brilliant winger, who is undoubtedly Brazil’s crown jewel and one of Los Blancos’ most notable players, has lots of pace to burn and magic in his boots.
Even though Vinicius received a silver medal in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, his lightning-fast pace is terrifying, and when he is at his best, he is unstoppable. With a total of 17 goals and 12 assists across all competitions to begin the 2024–25 season, the former Flamengo player is a creative force to be reckoned with. This shows how influential he is both in front of goal and finding his teammates in front of it.
3Bukayo Saka
Current club: Arsenal
Under the direction of current Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s star child has only gotten better. Bukayo Saka frequently leaves defenders in his wake as he glides around the ground, but he also possesses a talismanic instinct in the box that allows him to score amazing goals from wide. He has contributed 13 assists so far in 2024–25, covering for Martin Odegaard when he was injured.
More impressively, Saka rarely lets his extremely high standards slip. He has practically become his team’s saviour as they attempt to win the Premier League for the first time since the 2003–04 season. The 23-year-old’s transformation from boy to man has been amazing, particularly for fans of Emirates Stadium, but he is well-positioned to develop even more in the years to come. He has been sidelined for a while due to an injury, and Arsenal has clearly lost a significant player.
4Cole Palmer
Current club: Chelsea
Although Cole Palmer was always regarded as a promising young player at Manchester City, it’s possible that the Englishman might not have been able to achieve his full potential if he hadn’t left the Etihad and transferred to Chelsea. In his first complete season as a Premier League player, the 22-year-old contributed an astonishing 33 goals.
Palmer’s brilliant vision, inventiveness, and goal-scoring ability were sufficient to have him included in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 preparations. The former Man City academy prospect had to make do with being Bukayo Saka’s backup for the tournament, but he nevertheless made a significant contribution to the Three Lions’ incredible march to the final, even scoring against Spain to momentarily tie the score. He has also begun the 2024–25 season in excellent form, contributing to 20 goals.
5Raphinha
Current club: Barcelona
At Copa America 2024, Raphinha struck a world-class free kick for Brazil, reminding many fans of the Barcelona wide player’s elegance. Raphinha demonstrated his exceptional skill and cool-headedness with the ball while he was at Leeds United, but the addition of firepower has elevated his career.
Things were more up and down for the Brazilian during his early Camp Nou tenure. He helped Barca win La Liga during his first season in Spain, but Real Madrid, its bitter rivals, won the title the following season. But he got off to a fantastic start this season, scoring a hat-trick against Bayern Munich, and he has already contributed 42 goals this season.
6Lamine Yamal
Current club: Barcelona
Over the past 18 months, Lamine Yamal has become a teenage sensation. As part of one of the most effective attacking units in the international championship, the Spaniard was a standout for La Roja at Euro 2024. He recorded the most assists (4) as Luis de la Fuente’s team won the trophy.
Comparable to some of the greatest players the game has seen in the last 20 years, the 17-year-old has already won La Liga and qualified for the Champions League. Because of his smooth dribbling skills and left foot wand, which resemble a younger version of the greatest player of all time, Yamal is currently considered the heir to Lionel Messi’s reign. He’s already earning accolades, and he has the potential to become one of Spain’s greatest players ever if he can do even a small portion of what the Argentine maestro has accomplished in his career.
7Ousmane Dembele
Current club: PSG
Ousmane Dembele has gained the most from Kylian Mbappe’s departure from PSG. He came to Ligue 1 last season after a number of difficult years at Barcelona, but he once more found it difficult to make a significant impact. However, Mbappe really took off after leaving for Real Madrid, and he has since emerged as one of the world’s top wingers.
Throughout the 2024–25 season, Dembele has been in incredible form for PSG, contributing an incredible 32 goals thus far as his team easily wins Ligue 1. PSG could have suffered greatly from losing a player like Mbappe, but they have recently looked great, and Dembele, who is currently playing the finest football of his career, is much to blame.
8Michael Olise
Current club: Bayern Munich
Following the Frenchman’s spectacular play towards the end of the 2023–24 season, it was anticipated that some of Europe’s top teams will engage in a bidding war for Michael Olise this summer. Olise’s smooth skills and poise on the ball attracted a lot of attention when he joined Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles player is doing well in Germany so far after Bayern Munich closed a deal for him, beating out teams like Chelsea and Manchester United. Due to Bayern’s explosive start, the Frenchman has already made 26 contributions to the team. The German media has already been raving about the child, so the relocation already appears to be a huge success.
9Rodrygo
Current club: Real Madrid
The ever-increasing skill of his partner in crime, Vinicius Jr., frequently pushes Real Madrid’s left-wing wonder to the side, but it would be a mistake to ignore Rodrygo. Despite being the more reserved of the two, he is a good choice for this list because of his quickness and dexterity, and he is regarded as one of the top South Americans playing right now.
Rodrygo is a nuisance for any full-back who dares to challenge him because of his low centre of gravity and ability to dance on both feet. The Brazilian, who is only 23 years old, has made more than 200 appearances for Los Blancos and won two La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies. However, the lethal winger is only getting started.
10Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Current club: PSG
Napoli did a fantastic job of keeping Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for as long as they did, but as the Georgian star caught the attention of Europe’s most elite clubs, it was only a matter of time until he found a new home, eventually joining PSG. After contributing 25 goals in 34 games and playing a major part in Napoli’s domestic victory in 2022–2023, his numbers somewhat declined in Italy, but he has jumped right in in France.
The deft wide player is excellent when he has the ball, and it’s amazing how he can weave in and out of incoming pressure like it comes naturally to him. He showed why Arne Slot was so intrigued in him earlier this season against Liverpool in the Champions League, and it was evident in full force.
11Phil Foden
Current club: Manchester City
Phil Foden and others like him are overlooked in a world where Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne frequently make headlines. However, his prior run of success with the aforementioned pair catapulted him into superstardom, and his two goals in the Manchester derby is the ideal example of his indisputable brilliance.
Foden is one of the best players on the half-turn and has grown increasingly dangerous in attacking situations, while not being a typical winger. Although he has started the 2024–25 season more slowly than he did last season, when he was at his best scoring goals and won the PFA Premier League Player of the Year award, he should quickly pick things up after he has recovered.
12Luis Diaz
Current club: Liverpool
Luis Diaz is the player who supporters believe has benefited the most from Jurgen Klopp’s departure and Arne Slot’s arrival at Anfield. The Colombian’s performance this season has been extraordinary at times, but that’s not to say he was awful under the German coach.
Diaz suffered a long-term injury in 2022–2023 that appeared to have hurt the lightning-fast man on the flank, but he is reportedly back to his best, causing chaos on the left wing and showing improvements in his potency in front of goal. Diaz is expected to be offered a new Anfield contract, according to reports, after rumours surfaced that Barcelona and PSG were his next calling point over the summer. This season, he has added 13 goals and four assists to his resume.
13Son Heung-min
Current club: Tottenham Hotspur
Although his most notable body of work comes from the left flank, Son Heung-min has frequently played centrally for Tottenham Hotspur since Harry Kane left. With 10 goals and 10 assists so far in the 2024–25 season, the seasoned South Korea international is a deadly finisher in his most basic form.
For almost five years, he has been playing at ungodly levels (except for 22/23) for the North Londoners. His endless list of goals makes him one of the most thrilling forwards to watch in world football, and according to statistics, he was among the top players in the English Premier League in 2023–2024.
14Rafael Leao
Current club: AC Milan
Following an incredible 2022–2023 season, Rafael Leao became a truly elite player for AC Milan. He finished the previous season with 13 goals and 13 assists, a slight decline from the previous year. With 18 goal contributions to date, he has gotten off to an impressive start this time around and has been excellent in Italy. He remains, without a doubt, one of the world’s greatest wingers.
Even though Milan hasn’t had a fantastic season, things would have been far worse without Leao. His lightning-fast pace down the left flank causes all kinds of problems for opposing defenders. The fact that the 25-year-old Portuguese player will only get better should be concerning to almost every other team in Serie A at the moment.
15Nico Williams
Current club: Athletic Club
The Athletic Club speed demon was one of Spain’s bright spots last summer, along with Lamine Yamal. With his outstanding 2023–24 season performances and his stunning exploits in Euro 2024, Nico Williams is a highly sought-after prospect in world football.
Although Yamal’s youthful accomplishments may have garnered more of the attention, Williams’ contributions to La Roja’s victory were equally noteworthy. The winger was selected UEFA’s Player of the Match since he opened the score against England in the final.
The 22-year-old appears to have secured that position for the ensuing ten years and could fit into any squad in the world of football, immediately boosting the front line’s dribbling prowess and vitality. Although he has had a sluggish start to the season, the number of organisations considering paying his absurdly high salaries is constantly increasing.
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