10 Best Left-Footed Footballers in the World Right Now [Ranked]

While the majority of the world is predominantly right-footed, there is a select group of people who favour their left foot. Better than that, there are some who are very, very talented with it too. Some of the best footballers on the planet are actually left-footed and the top 10 in the world right now have been ranked.

Across a variety of different positions, these 10 players are the very best in the sport today who are more comfortable using their left foot than their right. There are incredible goalscorers, dazzling wingers and even midfield linchpins included. Let’s take a look at the 10 best left-footed footballers in the world right now.

Honourable mentions

Fitting the very best left-footed footballers in the world into a top 10 ranking is difficult enough, so it’s worth taking note of those who narrowly missed out. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s recent dip in form sees him drop out, while his teammate Gabriel Magalhaes also misses out, despite being inarguably one of the best defenders in the Premier League right now.

Phil Foden is absent for similar reasons to Odegaard, having failed to maintain his Player of the Season form from last time out. Antoine Griezmann remains a household name, but there are, unfortunately, forwards producing more consistently at the moment. Meanwhile, Alessandro Bastoni was instrumental in Inter Milan’s run to a second Champions League final in three years, before running out of steam and finishing the season trophyless.

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10

Michael Olise

Bayern Munich

At Crystal Palace, Michael Olise always carried himself with a quiet confidence – measured, yet unmistakable. It was backed up by the swagger in his playing style, as if he always knew he was destined for great things. With an innate ability to both score and create, and a knack for using his unpredictable movement to devastating effect, he’s shifted into a higher gear since joining Bayern Munich.

Now a Bundesliga champion, the 23-year-old recorded 12 goals and 15 assists in the German top flight last season – and he’s only getting better. In world football right now, few, if any, manipulate the ball with the same precision and creativity as Olise, who is easily one of the most exciting footballers to watch these days.

9

Nuno Mendes

Paris Saint-Germain

In the 2024/25 campaign, Nuno Mendes cemented his status as one of the world’s elite left-backs, playing a pivotal role in PSG’s historic treble – Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Champions League – while also lifting the Nations League trophy with Portugal. His defensive intelligence blossomed, particularly evident in the Champions League Round of 16, where he shut out Mohamed Salah across both legs, tallying 13 tackles and winning 19 of 23 ground duels to render the Egyptian King a non-entity.

Indeed, Salah – who features higher up in this ranking – wasn’t the only winger left looking like a deer in the headlights. Bukayo Saka and Lamine Yamal also struggled to make an impact when facing Mendes, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg on the youngster’s growing list of high-profile victims as he elevates Luis Enrique’s side to stratospheric levels.

8

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

There’s no one quite like Erling Haaland in the beautiful game today. In fact, it’s fair to say that there’s never been anyone like him in the history of the sport. He’s scoring at an astonishing rate since his arrival in England back in 2022. He’s smashed multiple records at City, even if that trailblazing run has recently slowed down by his lofty standards.

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With a pretty impressive catalogue of goals throughout his career, Haaland has demonstrated his ability to score with pretty much any area of his body, but he certainly favours his left foot. Over half of his strikes have come with his left foot and considering how dominant he’s been for several years now, there’s no doubt he’s the best left-footed out-and-out stiker in world football right now.

7

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

While he’s still only 23 years old, Bukayo Saka has already cemented his place as one of Arsenal’s greatest ever academy graduates, and for good reason. The Englishman is electric on the flank for the Gunners and there isn’t a defender in the world capable of containing him when he’s at his best.

There are few players on the planet that are as comfortable carrying the ball up the pitch, and no one can glide past opposition defenders quite like Saka can. He didn’t score many to start the 2024/25 campaign, but he did an excellent job providing for his teammates. It’s scary to think about how much better he can still become after he managed 10 assists in just 25 league games in the last campaign.

6

Lionel Messi

Inter Miami

He might be closing in on the end of his career now, but Lionel Messi is still one of the most talented players in the world. Injury issues over the last few months have seen him spend a lot of time on the sidelines, but he quickly reminded the world why he’s regarded as the greatest player of all-time when he returned to action in the Club World Cup and inspred Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Porto.

There’s never been anyone who is capable of doing what the Argentine can do with the ball at his feet. He’s incredible with both feet, but it’s his left that is the stronger of the two. In 2023, he joined Inter Miami with the young MLS club rooted at the bottom of the table. Two years later, he’s already led them to their first ever piece of silverware and now fits into the list of the greatest MLS players of all time already. Just incredible.

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5

Raphinha

Barcelona

Formerly the poster boy of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, Raphinha has silenced the critics with a blend of firepower and flair, becoming far too much for defenders in Spain’s top flight – and on Europe’s biggest stage – as Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side tormented every backline they faced last season. Eyebrows were certainly raised when one of the world’s biggest clubs splashed out for the Brazilian.

But now, with a potential Ballon d’Or in his sights, it’s safe to say the Catalan giants are the only ones laughing. Putting his left wand to devastating use, Raphinha racked up 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 appearances during the 2024/25 campaign. It’s almost unbelievable that anyone managed more, but that’s just how stacked the world is with elite left-footed talent these days.

4

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

For years to come, Cole Palmer’s move from Manchester City to Chelsea will be remembered as the moment everything changed for the Englishman. He showed great promise at the Etihad Stadium, but no one could have predicted just how good he’d become once he moved to Stamford Bridge.

Palmer has been nothing short of electric for the Blues, and it’s hard to imagine where they’d be right now if they didn’t have him to rely on. He might not have featured heavily for England at Euro 2024, but there’s no doubt how important he is to Chelsea, as he played an instrumental role in the club’s triumphs in both the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup, with him scoring twice in the final of the latter.

Last season, he managed to produce a four-goal rout against Brighton & Hove Albion, and it was the second time he’s scored four times in a Premier League game since moving to London two years ago.

3

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

Mr consistency, Mohamed Salah has been one of the best players in the world for close to a decade now. Following his move to Liverpool in 2017, the Egyptian took the Premier League by storm, and he’s been key to all of the Reds’ success in the years since. He’s comfortable using both of his feet, but is definitely more prone to using his left and has scored 178 of his 322 goals with it throughout his career.

Despite Jurgen Klopp’s departure last year, and Arne Slot’s arrival, Salah hasn’t missed a beat, as he finished as the Premier League’s top goalscorer and top playmaker as the Reds claimed their second league title in five years with a 10-point gap between themselves and Arsenal. With Florian Wirtz joining him in the frontline next season, it’s scary to think that he could bang them in even more frequently in the 2025/26 campaign.

2

Ousmane Dembele

Paris Saint-Germain

It’s not unfair to say that it has been a whirlwind few years for Ousmane Dembele. Catching the eye of many while on the books at Borussia Dortmund, the Frenchman failed to pull up trees at Barcelona following a deal that made him one of the most expensive players in the sport’s history – but his switch from Spain to Paris Saint-Germain has paid dividends, with him now firmly in the lead for this year’s highly coveted Ballon d’Or prize.

In 53 outings in all competitions, the winger-turned-striker has notched 35 goals and a further 16 assists. They’ve been important goals, too – just reflect on him acting quickest to prod home against Liverpool or his fine strike against Arsenal on the way to Champions League glory.

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1

Lamine Yamal

Barcelona

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s had a better 24 months than Lamine Yamal. At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the Spaniard was just emerging into the Barcelona first-team and looked like someone who could maybe one day be considered a top talent in football. Fast-forward to today, and he’s already reached that level far quicker than anyone ever expected.

The forward has been sensational for both club and country. Having been pivotal in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, he’s carried that rich vein of form into the new season and has arguably been Barcelona’s best player as the Catalan giants won the domestic treble. Whether it’s pulling off simply ridiculous assists or terrorising defenders, he’s well on his way to becoming not just the best left-footed player in the world but maybe even the outright best, period.

All statistics courtesy of Football Whispers and Transfermarkt and accurate as of 19/07/2025.