9 Greatest Liverpool Wingers in History (Ranked)

Some of the finest players to don the iconic red Liverpool shirt have been wingers, giving the famous Anfield crowd plenty to cheer about. There have been many wide men that have been involved in the club’s most iconic moments, from the miracle in Istanbul to Jurgen Klopp’s unprecedented quadruple chasers.

From Egyptian dazzlers to some of England’s best, this article has taken a deep dive into the history of Liverpool’s best wingers in the Premier League era and some of them will go down as Liverpool’s best ever, with many of them tasting glory on Merseyside and helping to cement the Reds’ position as one of world football’s giants.

Ranking factors

• Goal contributions
• Trophies won
• Transfer fee
• Individual honours

9 Maxi Rodriguez

Time at Liverpool: 2010-2012

While Maxi Rodriguez won’t be in the queue for the Liverpool hall of fame, he makes our list as he helped keep the Reds afloat in one of the toughest periods of the club’s recent history. Rodriguez, who has an interesting signing story, lying to manager Rafael Benitez that he could speak English when he could not, was part of the Spaniard’s side in his last few months at Liverpool, but he became a key part of the squad under Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish.

The Argentinian scored 10 goals in his first Premier League season in 2010/11, while Liverpool were struggling under the stewardship of Hodgson who was sacked in January 2011. However, Dalglish managed to salvage the season with a sixth placed finish and the left-winger scored seven goals in the space of three late-season games to get the Reds there, which included hat-tricks against Birmingham and Fulham. He also played a key part in the 2012 Carling Cup success, scoring two goals in four appearances, but he fell out of favour by the time of the final and Rodriguez left in the following summer, joining Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina.

8 Cody Gakpo

Time at Liverpool: 2023-present

The first of the current crop of Liverpool wingers to make the list, Cody Gakpo has drifted in and out of the Liverpool starting XI since joining in January 2023. The Dutchman has been challenging for the spot on the left wing with Luis Diaz, more on him later, and has made a decent start to his Reds career.

Joining under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp, one of Gakpo’s finest moments in a Liverpool shirt came just weeks after arriving on Merseyside. Gakpo scored two goals in the iconic 7-0 drubbing of rivals Man United and for that itself he will have earned himself a spot in Reds folklore. In his second season at Liverpool, Gakpo won the Carabao Cup in what was Klopp’s final season. The Dutch winger had a big impact in that cup run, finding the back of the net four times.

7 Raheem Sterling

Time at Liverpool: 2010-2015

Raheem Sterling will still be seen as a Judas-esque character on Merseyside after his controversial move to rivals Man City, but the England international’s contributions on Merseyside almost ended years of Premier League hurt. Forming a fantastic partnership with Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge in the 2013/14 season, Sterling burst onto the scene and almost helped Liverpool to a first Premier League title under Brendan Rodgers but it wasn’t to be despite his tally of nine goals and five assists, with Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea costing his boyhood club the title.

Sterling joined from QPR as a youngster and was handed his Liverpool debut by Dalglish in March 2012. It was under Rodgers that Sterling broke into the first team and the winger scored 23 goals and provided 18 assists in 129 appearances for the Reds prior to his Man City move in summer 2015.

6 Harry Kewell

Time at Liverpool: 2003-2008

Harry Kewell will traditionally be associated with the white and gold of Leeds United, but he had a successful stint on Merseyside. The numbers aren’t brilliant for Kewell but injury problems hampered his time on Merseyside, with 16 goals and 17 assists in 139 appearances. However, he had success with the Reds on the trophy front, making 10 appearances in the victorious 2004/05 Champions League campaign, but injury curtailed his involvement in the famous Istanbul final.

He was also part of the squad that won the 2006 FA Cup, making appearances in all six FA Cup games. However, Kewell then fell out of favour in the 2006/07 season after he missed most of the season with a groin injury, which resulted in him losing his spot in the side to Craig Bellamy and as a result he only made two league appearances. The Aussie then left for Galatasaray when his contract expired in 2008.

5 Luis Diaz

Time at Liverpool: 2022-present

Luis Diaz is in red hot form at the moment for Liverpool, which has seen the Colombian climb up our list and nab a place in the top five. Diaz has slotted into Slot’s system well and has made the left wing spot his own, restricting Gakpo to just one league start this season.

Diaz joined Liverpool from Porto in January 2022 and has made his mark at the club, winning four trophies since joining the Reds, which has included two Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.

His tally of 29 goals and 14 assists in 107 appearances makes for nearly one goal contribution every other game, which is an excellent return for the Colombia captain. He currently has five goals and one assist from nine appearances this season and is on track to have his best season in a red shirt.

4 Steve McManaman

Time at Liverpool: 1990-1999

Perhaps more known to this generation of football fan as being the summariser on TNT Sports, Steve McManaman once called the right and left flanks at Anfield his home. The boyhood Liverpool supporter was an adaptable player, putting in a great shift on either flank, and had a great deal of success in a Liverpool shirt, scoring 66 times and providing 86 assists in 364 appearances.

While it wasn’t a trophy laden era when McManaman played for Liverpool, he still got his hands on two pieces of silverware, the 1992 FA Cup and the 1995 League Cup. In both cup runs, the winger played a significant role with six goal contributions in both competitions, including a brace in the 1995 League Cup final against Bolton Wanderers. The local lad then went on to play for Real Madrid, signing for Los Blancos in 1999, winning two Champions League trophies.

3 John Barnes

Time at Liverpool: 1987-1997

John Barnes may have earned himself a place in English football folklore with his rap in New Order’s World in Motion, but he is very much a Liverpool icon. His record was second to none and is just one of 18 players to have scored 100 times for the Reds, with Barnes scoring 108 times and providing 98 assists in 406 appearances.

The former England international spent 10 years on Merseyside from 1987 to 1997, winning the First Division (what the Premier League was called pre-1992) twice, in 1988 and 1990, which was the last time Liverpool won a league title until 2020. He also won three Community Shields, two FA Cups and one League Cup in a trophy-laden stint at Anfield. His most successful season was the title winning season in 1990, when he scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists under the guidance of Dalglish.

2 Sadio Mane

Time at Liverpool: 2016-2022

You’d struggle to believe that the signing of Sadio Mane in 2016 initially raised eyebrows among Liverpool fans, but he will go down as one of the best left wingers to don a Liverpool shirts. Arriving from Southampton for a fee in the region of €41 million, Mane played a pivotal part in Klopp’s Liverpool side.

Winning six trophies during his time at Anfield, Mane scored 120 goals for Liverpool. He won the Champions League in 2019 and also was one of three players to share the Premier League golden boot in that same season. He helped end 30 years of Merseyside pain in Liverpool’s romp to the 2019/20 Premier League title, while he also very nearly helped the club claim the unprecedented quadruple in 2021/22. Mane also did something many strikers would dream of, getting into double figures in six consecutive Premier League seasons.

1 Mohamed Salah

Time at Liverpool: 2017-present

There could only ever be one player at number one in this list and that man is Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has been a great servant for the club and is now in his eighth season roaming down the right flank at Anfield. He was brought to the club in 2017 for a fee in the region of €42 million and any fears about his Chelsea woes from the Liverpool faithful were extinguished immediately in the 2017/18 season.

Salah scored 44 goals in his first season across all competitions, won the PFA Player of the Year Award and broke the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, which remained until Erling Haaland broke that record in 2022/23, and the Egyptian won the prize on two other occasions. He has also helped the club win eight trophies, including a Premier League title and a Champions League cementing his place as the best winger in the club’s history.

Stats correct as of October 14, 2024, provided by This Is Anfield and Transfermarkt