20 Best Wingers in World Football [Ranked]

Nowadays, footballers come in all shapes and sizes; though, it’s such variation that makes the beautiful game so engrossing. Back in the day, the plan was simple: find the skillful winger with a long pass, watch them bamboozle a defender and then whip it into the box for the focal point to nod it home.

There are now wingers who consider themselves goalscorers, pressers, inside forwards and much more. From your silky Brazilians to your undeviating Englishmen, there are a host of skill-sets that are lighting up the Premier League and European football at the current moment.

And that got us thinking: who are the best wingers in world football right now? By no means an easy task with the traditional 4-4-2 formation seldom in play and the emergence of sub-categorised wide men, below is a list of the 20 best wingers in world football, ranked in order and based on the following factors.

Goals - how many times has a player found the back of the net in the last 12 months.

Assists - how many goals has a player created in the last 12 months.

Success - Has the player guided them to trophies and the latter stages of knockout football, both domestically and continentally.

Notable moments - Has the player had a standout moment which caught the eyes of fans.

Importance to their respective team - how reliant a team is on the individual for success.

A quick caveat: to be included, each player’s main position must be listed as either ‘Right Winger’ or ‘Left Winger’ on Transfermarkt. As such, the exclusion of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe is by virtue of him being classed as a ‘Centre-Forward’. Cole Palmer and Phil Foden also used to be wingers, but are now viewed as an 'Attacking Midfielder'.

Tracking the leading contenders to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in 2026.

After a stellar campaign in 2022/23, Rafael Leao emerged as a truly world-class talent for AC Milan. His numbers have been a little hit and miss in the seasons since, but there can be no doubting he's a wonderful player on his day. That's why he will be closely monitored this summer after announcing his desire to leave the San Siro behind after another frustrating campaign.

From Rafael Leao to Declan Rice, here are the greatest players born in 1999.

His blistering pace down the left flank causes all sorts of problems for opposition defenders, and he had previously contributed significantly to the Rossoneri's sudden change of fortune over the last few years. At 27 years old, the Portugal international is just entering his prime and that should be a scary notion for just about everyone he could face at his new club next term.

Leandro Trossard was previously at the tail-end of this list, but Lookman has been knocking on the door for a while. A move to Atletico Madrid in February has dragged him away from possibly stagnating at Atalanta, and he's reaping the rewards alright.

From bouncing around Premier League loans to becoming a star in Serie A, Lookman scored the winner in the Champions League against Barcelona to send Atleti to the semi-finals and doesn't look out of place among the best players in the world. We already know his European prowess after a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final.

So many top attacking talents have crumbled under the pressure of playing for Manchester United in recent years but Bryan Mbeumo has taken to Old Trafford like a duck to water. The Cameroonian arrived from Brentford last summer and the Red Devils were willing to wait over a month to finally seal a £70 million deal.

Mbeumo has picked up where he left off in London, delivering incredible performances that suggest he has what it takes to succeed at the Theatre of Dreams. He bagged 10 in his debut season and that includes vital strikes against Liverpool and Tottenham, while he is expected to only improve in Michael Carrick's first full season next time around.

Anthony Gordon joined Newcastle in January 2023 from then-cash-strapped Everton as an exciting youngster, and his game has come on leaps and bounds since his high-profile switch, which has led him to another in the form of Barcelona this summer.

Popping up with eight goal contributions in the league alone last term, the England international helped fire the Magpies back into the Champions League and to Carabao Cup success a season prior, too. Performance levels dropped in 2025/26 domestically, but with 10 goals in just 12 Champions League matches, it was only a matter of time before clubs above Newcastle in the pyramid came knocking on Gordon again, with Barcelona making the surprise acquisition.

Kenan Yildiz is one of the less-familiar names on this list, but that won't be the case for much longer. The young Turkish winger broke out a couple of seasons ago, bagging 12 goals and nine assists for Juventus, and he doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon.

Indeed, with 12 goals and 10 assists in 2025/26, the 20-year-old is wasting no time as he asserts himself as one of the most exciting attacking prospects on the planet. The world appears to be at the feet of this former Bayern Munich prospect, and it will be exciting to see how his career progresses.

Signed from Spanish side CD Leganes in the summer of 2025, Yan Diomande has quickly gone about becoming one of the Bundesliga's brightest prospects. Still only 19-years-old, the left-winger has offered dynamism on the flank for RB Leipzig, scoring 13 goals and registering nine assists in the German top flight so far.

He's now part of a transfer tug-of-war between PSG and Liverpool, and whoever manages to sign him will no doubt have a future world-class superstar on their hands as he's been causing defenders all sorts of issues at the 2026 World Cup so far for Ivory Coast.

The Real Madrid star is often pushed to the side thanks to the ever-growing brilliance of his partner in crime, Vinicius Jr, but it would be remiss to breeze past Rodrygo without waxing poetically. Albeit the introverted half of the duo, his turn of pace and magic at his feet make him a solid option for this list, with him also considered one of the best South Americans currently plying their trade in Europe.

There are some incredible dribblers in football right now.