Top 10 Best Wingers in the World in 2024

Two of the very best players in the world ever, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, started their careers as wingers. Afterwards, they changed and even transcended positions, but the weight placed on wing players remains at its highest ever. Hence, looking at the 10 best wingers in the world in 2023 gives a strong indication of who the best players of tomorrow and the decade will be.

Best Wingers in the World

Looking at the overall impact, but particularly the performances in the 2022/2023 season and the unfinished 2023/2024 one, we gauged goal involvements and trophy hauls the players on the wings had.

Updating from 2023 has made Marcus Rashford an outsider, as quite the shock considering now the golden child of Manchester United is being shushed towards the exit door seemingly.

Jack Grealish's treble won with City is an amazing achievement, yet in this individual race, he cannot make the top 10 with his goal involvement in the 2023/2024 season reaching six. All from a position best suited for both scoring and assisting.

Serge Gnabry also got cut as the he also contributed to six goals over the bad Bayern season, playing in only 17 games.

#10 Rafael Leao (AC Milan & Portugal) - left winger

One of just two representatives of Serie A amongst the top 10 best wingers in the world in 2023, Rafael Leao can say that he is performing in the league most challenging for the position. The long-legged Portuguese international has excelled with 16 goals and 15 assists in 48 games for Milan in the 2022/2023 campaign. Reaching the semis of the Champions League.

At the age of 24, Leao is now facing criticism for not reaching the stellar levels expected of him, yet his goal involvement returns can hold their own compared to any other of these top wingers - 13 goals and 13 assists in 41 games for the unifinished 2023/2024 year.

#9 Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich & Germany) - right winger

One of the best representatives of Germany and he takes the spot of his teammate Serge Gnabry on this list as well. Sane has excelled in the 2022/2023 season with 14 goals and 10 assists in 44 matches. But he has also not been silenced in the weak 2023/2024 campaign of the Bavarians. With nine goals and 13 assits in 39 games. With an important caveat that it is still possible for Bayern to be crowned champions of Europe.

Sane earns his spot as one of the most ambidextrous wingers today, being able to play on both sides of the pitch lethally.

#8 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli & Georgia) - left winger

Perhaps the most traditional winger amongst the best ones of 2023. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was so proficient with his dribbling that he earned the nickname Kvaradona, from the Napoli faithfuls. In 43 matches of the 2022/2023 season, Khvicha scored 14 goals, making 17 assists as well. Alongside making the impossible real again and winning the Serie A for patient and passionate Neapolitans.

Kvaratskhelia is still only 23 but is showing consistency even if the "hangover" season, after the Scudetto triumph - bagging 10 goals and seven assists in his 30 Serie A games by April.

#7 Rodrygo (Real Madrid & Brazil)

The second part of Real Madrid's Brazilian wing one-two combination. Playing even more games than Vini, 57, the year younger player got 19 goals and made 11 assists in the 2022/2023 campaign! All while varying his positions much more, as he did go up front and on the left wing a lot. Still, the right wing is where the Brazil international feels most at home and could make the position synonymous with him in the coming years.

Across the 2023/2024 season in which Los Blancos have one title in the bag, and a CL trophy a real possibility, Rodrygo scored 17 goals in 44 matches and made eight assits. Whether he has a future at Santiago Bernabeu is still a major question mark, as regardless of how good he is, he's not the incoming Kylian Mbappe.

#6 Phil Foden (Manchester City & England)

Even though he admitted to enjoying playing positioned as a number 10, Phil Foden has to be included on this list of the best wingers in the world. As finally, the Englishman has shown not glimpses, but undeniable continuous showings of excellence in the 2023/2024 season. So far, he is the City's player of the season with 22 goals and 10 assists in 46 matches! Mostly playing on the right wing side but also getting utilized as a left wing threat as well.

Foden's greatest strength is his shot technique and fierceness, which he has been able to unleash more with the centre-backs being preoccupied with Erling Haaland.

The Englishman, as well as his teammate next on the list, is one of the best left-footed players in the world right now.

#5 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal & England) - right winger

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The 2022/2023 campaign was the solidifying season for the 22-year-old, Bukayo Saka had double digits in both assists and goals with 15 scored and 11 assists across 48 games. Matches in which Arsenal was an unexpected but worthy title challenger. Even though his counterpart on the left Gabriel Martinelli is considered the more talented player, Saka was the first to reach true star numbers for a winger.

In the second title-challenging season in a row, Saka has been the club's top goalscorer. With 42 games played across the ongoing 2023/2024 season, Saka scored 18 goals and made 13 assists! Proving that he is a double jeopardy when he crashes inwards from the sideline.

#4 Neymar (Al-Hilal & Brazil) - left winger

Even though he left the top five leagues this summer and officially started closing the curtain on his career, Neymar amassed amazing numbers once again. In the 2022/2023 season, in just 29 games for Paris Saint-Germain, he got 18 goals and made 17 assists! It wasn't for nothing that the 32-year-old Brazilian had a fee of €100,000,000 attached to his name even when moving to Saudi Arabia. Hence, Neymar was still a lock for the top 10 best wingers in the world in the 2023 list.

Yet, Ney has only played five games since moving to Al-Hilal and now the football public is wondering whether the Brazilian is one foot in retirement. That’s why he dropped down significantly from the #1 spot he held over the course of 2023.

#3 Heung-min Son (Tottenham Hotspur & South Korea) - left winger

Even though he is at a trophy-less club, no fan will complain about including Heung-min Son among the world's best wingers. The 31-year-old has belonged in this group for a while. Now he has proven that Harry Kane isn't a necessity for the South Korean to shine. With 15 goals and nine assists in 29 Premier League games across the 2023/2024 campaign, the left winger has surpassed his total from the previous season in all competitions.

In his amazing 402 games for THFC, Son has scored 160 goals and made 83 assists. While bagging major pieces of silverware for himself, if nothing else - the 2020 Puskas Award and the 2021/2022 PL Top Scorer award. Sonny has excelled for his country as well, with 46 goals and 20 assists in 125 games.

#2 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid & Brazil) - left winger

Of the top of their head, most football fans would say that Vinicius Jr. was the best wing player in the 2022/2023 season. While he did put in absolutely staggering numbers with 23 goals scored and 21 assists - in 55 games - Real Madrid did end up missing out on the main trophies. Still, with Vinicius maturing fast and after enduring pejorative comments by his older colleague going public, the 23-year-old is seemingly a lock for constant inclusion on this list for the foreseeable future.

Proven by his his outing in the 2023/2024 as he battled injuries, yet still managed to perform with 18 goals and 10 assists in 31 games. The Brazilian has led Real Madrid to the semis of the Champions League (at least) and to a La Liga trophy. With many believing he was the key player in the squad.

#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt) - right winger

One of the very few players on this list who have been amongst the best wingers in the world for several years now. Mo Salah is a world-class player and has a strong case for the title of the absolute best winger in the world. With 51 games played in the 2022/2023 season, the Egyptian returned 30 goals and 16 assists. All while playing for a transitional side that had a lot of instability and new faces. Along with amazing reinforcements landed at Anfield, Salah had to push on for the major title in the 2023/2024 season and he delivered on the challenge.

With a band of new faces in, his old colleagues scattered across the world, Salah still delivered at the age of 31 - 24 goals and 13 assists in 38 games.

While he is the best winger in the world now, in order to secure his inclusion on the list of all-time Premier League wingers he needs to lift more trophies. One title won’t be enough in the competitive English football.