Wingers have often been some of the most exciting players to play the beautiful games.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both featured on the wing but don’t make the top five in these rankings.
Ronaldinho and Gareth Bale also feature having won the Champions League.
Wingers are some of the most exciting footballers in the world. Capable of either cutting in or staying wide and whipping balls in, they have the ability to single-handedly change the course of matches with a flick of a switch. Their elegance, sophistication and sheer talent make them adored around the world.
Some of the greatest players of all time plied their trade on the wing in their career, winning some of the hardest competitions around the globe by taking matches by the scruff of their neck. From the World Cup to the Premier League, they never went quiet for long.
Due to this, GIVEMESPORT has decided to rank the 15 greatest wingers of all time. Stretching from the 1930s to the modern day, football has been blessed with athletes who never gave up. With a plethora of left-footed players switching it up, their unpredictability made even the best defenders of all time fear for their lives.
Ranking Factors
Longevity – General time spent at the top of their game, but also how long they played as a winger in their career (hence why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature lower).
Statistics – Whether they continually scored goals and picked up assists.
Spell as a winger – Although main career successes are taken into consideration, the best wingers played out wide for their whole career.
From Eden Hazard to Cristiano Ronaldo, here are the 10 best Premier League wingers of all time (ranked).
15
Eden Hazard
Clubs: Lille, Chelsea, Real Madrid
Eden Hazard with the Premier League trophy
At his peak, Eden Hazard was not only the most exciting player in the Premier League, but one of the few comparable with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar at a certain moment in time – John Terry even claimed as much in 2015. Sadly, for the Belgian, longevity prevents him from ranking any higher on this list.
As a youngster, he was incredible, dragging Lille to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in 2010/11 before later sealing a move to Chelsea. In England, he’d win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and two Europa League titles, cementing his status as an all-time great. However, fitness issues prevented him from showing his best in Spain following a big-money move to Real Madrid, and he retired in 2022 when he was still just 31 years of age.
Eden Hazard’s Career Stats
Matches
749
Goals
200
Individual Honours
Ligue 1 Player of the Year (2010/21, 2011/22), PFA Young Player of the Year (2013/14), Premier League Player of the Season: 2014/15), Belgium Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019)
14
Arjen Robben
Clubs: Groningen, PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben running
Like Hazard, Arjen Robben was another brilliant winger who player for both Chelsea and Real Madrid, but it’s safe to say the best years of his career were spent at Bayern Munich. The Dutchman won a whopping eight Bundesliga titles in Germany and also scored the winning goal in the 2013 Champions League final.
The old cliche about Robben was that defenders always knew he was going to cut in on his left foot, but were completely powerless to stop him from doing just that, as he found the back of the net over and over again with the same perfectly executed bit of skill. Injury problems hampered his career at times, and he may well have ranked even higher on this list were they not such a regular concern.
Arjen Robben’s Career Stats
Matches
710
Goals
246
Individual Honours
Dutch Football of the Year: (2002/03), Footballer of the Year in Germany (2010), FIFA FIFPro World XI (2014)
13
Paco Gento
Clubs: Racing Santander, Real Madrid
Having played in the 1950s through to the 1970s, Paco Gento might not be a familiar name to younger fans but those who follow Real Madrid will hold the winger in the highest esteem. The Spaniard, who represented his nation on 43 occasions, had a legendary career for Los Blancos, winning a stunning 12 league titles, and six European Cups.
In total, he featured in eight European Cups finals, which is a record, and lost only two of them. Iconic teammate Alfredo Di Stefano summed up his qualities best, once saying: “he is quick and hits the ball like a cannon. That can’t be learned, it’s innate. We can teach him the rest.” Indredibly, he had to say this to convince Madrid not to sell Gento after the winger failed to score in his debut season. They certainly turned out to be words of wisdom, as he scored a total of 182 goals by the end of his career.
Paco Gento’s Career Stats
Matches
654
Goals
187
Individual Honours
World Soccer World XI (1960, 1961, 1962)
12
Luis Figo
Clubs: Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan
Luis Figo will forever be remembered for the infamous pig’s head incident, when Barcelona fans made clear their anger after his controversial move to rivals Real Madrid. That said, only the very best of players are good enough to play for club’s of that stature, and the iconic winger absolutely belongs in that bracket.
Winner of the 2000 Ballon d’Or, Figo won two La Liga titles with each of the two Spanish giants, while also winning a Champions League with Madrid and four Serie A titles with Inter Milan. A sharp type of winger, the Portuguese moved elegantly up and down the flank, creating at will throughout his entire career.
Luis Figo’s Career Stats
Matches
796
Goals
155
Individual Honours
Ballon d’Or (2000), FIFA World Player of the Year (2001), Portuguese Footballer of the Year (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
11
Jairzinho
Clubs: Botafogo, Marseille, Kaizer Chiefs, Cruzeiro, Portuguesa (VEN), Noroeste, Fast Clube, Jorge Wilstermann, 9 de Octubre
Brazil’s team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup is widely considered to be one of the greatest football sides of all time. That Jairzinho was a star player and their top scorer, tells you all you need to know about his quality. Nicknamed ‘the hurricane’, the winger had everything you need to make a difference on the flanks, with his impressive blend of speed, close control, and physical strength often making him too hot to handle.
Stanley Matthews won the first-ever Ballon d’Or in 1956, beating Alfredo Di Stéfano and Raymond Kopa to the award. In doing so, he became one of the few players to win the award whilst playing for an English side, and that immediately saw him recognised as one of the best wingers ever.
For Stoke and Blackpool, Matthews was in a league of his own, as he was blessed with speed, skill and excellent crossing ability. If a defender gave him an inch, he would take a mile, effortlessly breaking into the final third before setting up his team-mates.
From Lionel Messi to Ronaldinho, there have been some incredible dribblers over the years.
9 Ryan Giggs
Clubs: Manchester United
One of the finest wingers in Premier League history, Ryan Giggs’ tenure at Manchester United was marked by a series of Premier League titles and success on the European stage. The Welshman’s ability to turn up on the biggest of occasions – not least in that dazzling run and goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup all those years ago – meant Sir Alex Ferguson could rely on him to pop up with a piece of magic very often.
His success on the international stage perhaps left a bit to be desired, but Giggs was unfortunate in that none of his teammates ever really came close to matching his quality on the ball to power Wales to a European Championships or World Cup. Nevertheless, Giggs remains one of the best wingers in football history.
Ryan Giggs’ Career Stats
Matches
963
Goals
168
Assists
266
Individual Honours
PFA Young Player of the Year (1992, 1993), PFA Players’ Player of the Year (2009)
8 Gareth Bale
Clubs: Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid, LAFC
Once a fast and energetic left-back, no one truly thought Gareth Bale would ever turn into one of the greatest Premier League players of all time, but he did exactly that. At Tottenham Hotspur, his dangerous left foot on the right flank caused countless problems for defenders, as despite it being quite predictable he would fire it into the far top corner, they never knew how to stop it. After moving to Real Madrid in 2013 for a world-record fee, the Welshman continued to shine, including scoring one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time in the 2018 final against Liverpool. Legendary.
Gareth Bale’s Career Stats
Matches
554
Goals
185
Assists
132
Individual Honours
Premier League Footballer of the Year (2013), Welsh Footballer of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Tottenham Hotspur’s former Director of Football Administration has revealed details about the move…
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
Clubs: Sporting Lisbon, Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Portugal
You might be wondering why Cristiano Ronaldo is so far down this list. He’s the best Portuguese player of all time and most argue one of the greatest ever, yet he only places seventh on this ranking. Ronaldo, for all his talent, had a shortened career as a winger.
In the early years of his career, he excelled in that role at Manchester United, but he eventually became a wide forward and a number nine at Real Madrid and beyond. There’s no doubt he was still world-class as a winger, using his skill, pace and trickery to glide past defenders like they were not there. It even led to him winning the Ballon d’Or in 2008.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Career Stats
Matches
1054
Goals
794
Assists
243
Individual Honours
Ballon d’Or (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
6 Lionel Messi
Clubs: Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami
Lionel Messi
In a similar story to Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, despite being the greatest Argentine footballer of all time, only ranks sixth on this list. There have been several different versions of the attacker over the years. There’s no doubt he was phenomenal as a winger in his early career, but his best seasons came as a false nine, playmaker and forward.
As mentioned, Messi broke onto the scene as a right winger full of energy and elegance. He helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League in the position, taking the match by the scruff of its neck and gaining control. World-class in every sense.
Kylian Mbappe is lighting up the 2026 World Cup as he looks to fire France to their second success in world football’s biggest competition since 2018.
The Real Madrid forward is firmly in the Golden Boot race against the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior, having found the net four times in the group stages. Mbappe was crucial to his nation lifting the trophy in 2018, bursting onto the scene as a teenager.
He then had an incredible tournament four years later in Qatar. Despite his side having to settle for second place, the 27-year-old fired in a hat-trick in the final, something only Sir Geoff Hurst has previously managed.
Kylian Mbappe Wearing Different Shirt to France Teammates
Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
That treble in the final against Argentina helped Mbappe to the Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup. The versatile forward netted eight times in total, and was undeserving of being on the losing side.
He tends to step up on the big stage when his country needs him. Some eagle-eyed fans may have spotted a difference in the shirt Mbappe is wearing this summer compared to the rest of Didier Deschamps’ men.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are all expected to finish among the top goalscorers in this summer’s tournament.
The reason for that is his Golden Boot victory in 2022. Any active player who has won the individual award at the World Cup is allowed to wear a special patch on the sleeve of their shirt.
England’s Harry Kane and Colombia’s James Rodriguez are the only other players at the tournament this summer allowed to wear the patch, after winning the 2018 and 2014 Golden Boots, respectively.
The award has never been won back-to-back in the competition’s history. But with France being among the strong favourites and expected to go far, there’s every chance their talisman can scoop the honour once again. After all, he’s only four goals away from being the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.
Mbappe: Lionel Messi Still the Best
Reuters/Maria Lysaker
While Mbappe is hunting his old Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi down in the current Golden Boot race and the all-time scoring charts, he still concedes he has a lot to do to overtake the Argentine.
It was no surprise to Les Bleus’ number nine that Messi has continued to deliver on the big stage. He said (per ESPN): “I already knew Messi was going to keep scoring goals. He always does. He’s ahead of me and I’m behind him. I’ll keep scoring to help my national team go as far as possible.”
Following the greatest footballer of all time smashed a hat-trick against Algeria, Mbappe declared him still the best in the world. He claimed:
“It’s clear that Messi is the best in the world, and so is Cristiano [Ronaldo]. For 16 years, he [Messi] has shown his extraordinary talent. I’m just trying to do what I know how to do: show my talent on the biggest stage possible and help my national team.”
Newcastle United have lined up a deal to sign a midfielder this summer, as the Magpies face the possibility of losing some key players in the coming weeks.
A deal for the former seems the most likely, meaning Newcastle are on the market for replacements, and one target is now seemingly in the club’s sights.
Newcastle Add Felix Nmecha To Shortlist
According to a report from journalist Craig Hope, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha is on Newcastle’s shortlist as a transfer target for this summer.
The Magpies are described as “long-term admirers” of the 25-year-old, who has impressed in the Bundesliga as well as in the World Cup with Germany in recent weeks.
Nmecha has a release clause in his deal worth £73.5 million, though that doesn’t come into effect until next summer. That said, the report claims that there is hope a move can be negotiated for lower than that price.
There is likely to be some competition for Nmecha’s signature, as Manchester United have been linked with a transfer, along with fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool.
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can get an agreement with both Dortmund and the Germany international over a potential transfer in the coming weeks as a result.
Newcastle are facing a tough summer transfer window, with Anthony Gordon’s exit set to be just the first of a few key moves away from the club.
Given the struggles in the Premier League last season, the Magpies will be keen to not be in a weaker position next campaign when it comes to the options available.
However, it may be the sales that help ensure that is the case. Selling some important players in favour of huge transfer fees could allow it to be reinvested in a way that will add a better balance of quality across the whole squad.
Newcastle United are in the market for a striker, as one star looks set to leave the club this summer.
That, in theory, should allow the team to become stronger. But that will only happen if the right transfer replacements are found for the right price.
That was the theory in practice last summer, with Alexander Isak’s sale generating a club-record fee, but resulting in the wrong options being signed to take his place.
Newcastle cannot allow a repeat of that, especially in the midfield engine room, which has been among the key areas of strength under Howe.
Yan Diomande’s early coach Faissal Chehade explains why Liverpool could be the perfect fit, and why his ceiling may be Ballon d’Or level.
Chehade, who worked with Diomande at Leganés, reveals on Market Madness what stood out from the very beginning: the confidence, the one-v-one ability, the training-ground moments that made coaches take notice, and the mentality behind his rise from rejection across Europe to becoming one of the most talked-about young players in world football.
He also breaks down why Leipzig was the right step, why Liverpool could give Diomande the platform to become “the main man,” and why he believes the winger has the potential to reach the very top of the game.
Chapters:
0:09 — Yan Diomande’s First Coach Reveals the Talent
2:07 — The Training Goal That Made Everyone Stop
3:36 — Why Yan Diomande Was Rejected Across Europe
4:21 — Why Leipzig Was the Perfect Move for Diomande
4:55 — Why Liverpool Could Be Yan Diomande’s Perfect Fit
8:02 — Yan Diomande’s Ballon d’Or Ceiling Explained
