10 Best Right Wingers in World Football Right Now [Ranked]

The role of a winger has developed significantly in recent years. Gone are the days of their sole responsibility being to beat their man and whip in a cross, with the modern demands on wide forwards making them some of the most accomplished and well-rounded footballers in the world.

Nowadays in modern football, wingers are tasked with conducting the press, tracking back and helping their full-back, playmaking with pinpoint crosses, cut-backs and through balls, as well as being a goal threat. Along with this, they’re often the player in a team that has to supply the star quality, the ‘x-factor’ in the final third, and be the match winner.

Thus, the best wingers are arguably the best players in the world, and the current crop of right-sided players in this position boasts an array of talented individuals. GIVEMESPORT have identified the ten best right-wingers in world football right now, based on a number of factors:

Ranking 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 has provided in the last 12 months?
• Success – Has the player guided them to trophies and the latter stages of knockout football, both domestically and in Europe?
• Notable moments – Has the player had a standout moment which caught the eyes of fans?
• Importance to their respective team – how reliant is the team on the individual for success?

To qualify for this list, a player must be listed as a right-winger on TransferMarkt.

10

Johan Bakayoko

Current club: PSV Eindhoven

Perhaps an outside inclusion on this list, Johan Bakyoko exploded onto the scene last season for PSV, scoring 12 goals and delivering nine assists in just 29 Eredivisie starts, proving to be the Eindhoven club’s talisman in their league triumph. The 21-year-old is being eyed by Liverpool as a potential long-term Mohamed Salah replacement, which is certainly a positive indictment of his star quality.

The Belgian’s exceptional productivity from last season has carried into this campaign, and he’s seemingly surpassed the level of the Dutch top flight, evidently ready for a step-up to a more competitive and intense division. He has all the attributes to make this leap, with his explosive pace, one-on-one dribbling ability and creativity in and around the box somewhat reminiscent of a slightly younger Salah, and he could develop his output to close to the Egyptian’s level with a little refinement.

9

Noni Madueke

Current club: Chelsea

After a frustrating start to life in West London, former PSV man Noni Madueke has enhanced the reputation of players transferring from the Dutch league to the Premier League in 2024. Offensive players making this jump have often struggled, but Madueke looks at home in the English top flight now, and has come on leaps and bounds since making the right-side of Chelsea’s attack his own.

The extent to which the 22-year-old has thrived in the last six months or so is reflected in the fact that he’s essentially ended Cole Palmer’s days as a wide man, pushing the playmaker inside, and forging a relationship with him on his outside. Breaking into the England team, Madueke has begun to start producing in regard to output, with his agility and technical quality a perfect fit for a free-flowing and expansive attacking Chelsea team.

8

Phil Foden

Current club: Manchester City

Earlier in the year, Phil Foden likely would’ve placed higher on this list, although a below-par Euros and an underwhelming start to the new season perhaps damages his case somewhat. However, what the Englishman provided last term cannot be overlooked, scoring a ridiculous 27 goals in all competitions for Manchester City, including a plethora of spectacular long-range efforts, that were essential in Pep Guardiola’s side’s title-winning campaign.

Not an archetypal winger, often actually deployed in central roles, Foden excels in finding space in the pockets, receiving the ball on the half turn and creatively combining in these areas. One of the most efficient and eye-catching finishers in the world, the way he can let rip from distance with staggering consistency is of huge value to City, and was likely the difference between the north-west team and Arsenal last season.

7

Leroy Sane

Current club: Bayern Munich

Despite probably being past his best, as he turns 29 in January, Leroy Sane remains one of the most frightening wingers in world football. Deployed on both flanks, the German was more frequently used on the right-hand side last season under Thomas Tuchel, and although his on the surface numbers didn’t look overly spectacular, his underlying metrics suggested he was playing at an outrageous level.

On the ball, there aren’t many in the world who can run with the sheer velocity that Sane does, while maintaining exceptional close control. This is reflected in his outstanding goal in the first-leg of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid back in April. A seismic strike of the highest quality on the biggest stage, it would be negligible to not include Sane on this list.

6

Ousmane Dembele

Current club: Paris Saint-Germain

With Kylian Mbappe departing in the summer, Ousmane Dembele has stepped up and become the talisman for a youthful Paris Saint-Germain side, leading the French giants to top Ligue 1 comfortably as it stands. While his ability to provide a goal threat could certainly improve, creatively, he remains in the elite bracket of wingers worldwide, providing 17 assists across all competitions since the start of last season.

His jinking runs on the right-flank and his symmetrical two-footedness gives him a level of unpredictability that most wide men would dream of, and allows him to beat his full-back on a consistent basis with ease. The quality of his end product when successfully taking on his man could get better, but his reliable dribbling ability is invaluable for pulling defences apart and breaking down low blocks, and probably makes him the best player in Ligue 1 right now.

5

Michael Olise

Current club: Bayern Munich

Since opting to join Bayern Munich this summer, Michael Olise has demonstrated his pristine technical quality to the entirety of Europe, garnering the recognition his exploits at Crystal Palace probably deserved. His silky left-foot acts as a playmaker, with the Frenchman’s trademark move to come inside and thread delightful balls in behind, or swing immaculate crosses to the back post.

With better players around him, his output is on course to significantly exceed what he managed last campaign at Selhurst Park, and his stock could rise to new highs if he makes a meaningful impact in the Champions League for Bayern. English football was well aware of Olise’s capabilities, and now he’s showcasing them to the continent.

4

Rodrygo

Current club: Real Madrid

Many thought the arrival of Mbappe at Real Madrid could spell the end for Rodrgyo as a mainstay in Carlo Ancelotti’s team. This certainly hasn’t been the case.

The Brazilian has very much remained in the frame, and is an integral figure in providing balance to Los Blancos’ front three. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both veer to the left, and this distraction often creates more space for Rodrgyo to exploit, which he does so with ruthless efficiency. Netting 17 goals in all competitions last season, he’ll hope to build on this impressive return this term, and theoretically, he should be more than capable of doing so with the Real Madrid team looking more star-studded than ever.

It’s not just Rodrygo’s goal-scoring prowess that makes him a lethal weapon, with his turn of pace and effortless close control making him a viable creator and technician in the build-up. Having scored in both Champions League Quarter-Final legs against Manchester City earlier this year, he’s also illustrated his capacity for producing huge moments.

3

Lamine Yamal

Current club: Barcelona

A year or so ago, Lamine Yamal was merely another La Masia academy product that was being slowly integrated into the Barcelona first team. Today, he’s one of the top five wingers in world football.

The 17-year-old’s remarkable meteoric rise has led him to win Euro 2024 within the first year of his playing career, whilst doing so as La Roja’s star man. Technically one of the most astute players on the planet at his tender age, Yamal’s wand of a left foot has already created nine goals in La Liga this season, with many of these assists produced via either his trademark outside-of-the-boot cross or his delicate and deadly in-swinger.

On his current path, you’d expect Yamal to quickly establish himself as one of the greatest, if not the greatest player in the world within the next few years.

2

Bukayo Saka

Current club: Arsenal

Absolutely indispensable to Arsenal, Bukayo Saka has become the fulcrum of the Gunners’ attack, with everything running through him. His ability to pin a defender, turn him and drive up field, along with his telepathic combinations with Martin Odegaard, single-handedly carry Mikel Arteta’s side’s offensive threat.

Most pertinently, Saka’s output has improved exponentially as he’s matured, and in the last 12 months it’s hit truly elite levels. 29 goals and 26 assists since the beginning of last season, this productivity in the final third is truly staggering when factoring in the extensive defensive work he also puts in for his team.

Along with all this, the Londoner has developed a capacity to produce magical moments in high leverage games, with his stunning opening goal against Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League Quarter-Final first leg and his equaliser for England in the Euros Quarter-Final against Switzerland springing to mind.

1

Mohamed Salah

Current club: Liverpool

Arguably the best player on the planet based on current form, and labelled the best winger in Premier League history, Mohamed Salah’s sky-high standards simply cannot be met by another wide forward in world football, not just on the right. Delivering supernova numbers year-on-year, the Egyptian is on course for another ridiculously productive season, already scoring 16 goals and registering 13 assists in all competitions this season.

He may also be on course for a silverware-laden campaign, with his individual exploits providing the catalyst for Liverpool to streak into a comfortable early lead at the summit of the Premier League. If he’s able to sustain this form and guide the Reds to the title, and perhaps even a Champions League triumph, then he’ll surely be in the conversation for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

All Statistics via TransferMarkt – correct as of 18/12/2024

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