15 Greatest Wingers in Football History [Ranked]

Wingers are some of the most exciting footballers in the world. Capable of either cutting in or staying wide and whipping balls in, they have the ability to single-handedly change the course of matches with a flick of a switch. Their elegance, sophistication and sheer talent make them adored around the world.

Some of the greatest players of all time plied their trade on the wing in their career, winning some of the hardest competitions around the globe by taking matches by the scruff of their neck. From the World Cup to the Premier League, they never went quiet for long.

Due to this, GIVEMESPORT has decided to rank the 15 greatest wingers of all time. Stretching from the 1930s to the modern day, football has been blessed with athletes who never gave up. With a plethora of left-footed players switching it up, their unpredictability made even the best defenders of all time fear for their lives.

Ranking Factors

• Longevity – General time spent at the top of their game, but also how long they played as a winger in their career (hence why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature lower).
• Statistics – Whether they continually scored goals and picked up assists.
• Spell as a winger – Although main career successes are taken into consideration, the best wingers played out wide for their whole career.

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15

Eden Hazard

Clubs: Lille, Chelsea, Real Madrid

At his peak, Eden Hazard was not only the most exciting player in the Premier League, but one of the few comparable with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar at a certain moment in time – John Terry even claimed as much in 2015. Sadly, for the Belgian, longevity prevents him from ranking any higher on this list.

As a youngster, he was incredible, dragging Lille to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in 2010/11 before later sealing a move to Chelsea. In England, he’d win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and two Europa League titles, cementing his status as an all-time great. However, fitness issues prevented him from showing his best in Spain following a big-money move to Real Madrid, and he retired in 2022 when he was still just 31 years of age.

14

Arjen Robben

Clubs: Groningen, PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich

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Like Hazard, Arjen Robben was another brilliant winger who player for both Chelsea and Real Madrid, but it’s safe to say the best years of his career were spent at Bayern Munich. The Dutchman won a whopping eight Bundesliga titles in Germany and also scored the winning goal in the 2013 Champions League final.

The old cliche about Robben was that defenders always knew he was going to cut in on his left foot, but were completely powerless to stop him from doing just that, as he found the back of the net over and over again with the same perfectly executed bit of skill. Injury problems hampered his career at times, and he may well have ranked even higher on this list were they not such a regular concern.

13

Paco Gento

Clubs: Racing Santander, Real Madrid

Having played in the 1950s through to the 1970s, Paco Gento might not be a familiar name to younger fans but those who follow Real Madrid will hold the winger in the highest esteem. The Spaniard, who represented his nation on 43 occasions, had a legendary career for Los Blancos, winning a stunning 12 league titles, and six European Cups.

In total, he featured in eight European Cups finals, which is a record, and lost only two of them. Iconic teammate Alfredo Di Stefano summed up his qualities best, once saying: “he is quick and hits the ball like a cannon. That can’t be learned, it’s innate. We can teach him the rest.” Indredibly, he had to say this to convince Madrid not to sell Gento after the winger failed to score in his debut season. They certainly turned out to be words of wisdom, as he scored a total of 182 goals by the end of his career.

12

Luis Figo

Clubs: Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan

Luis Figo will forever be remembered for the infamous pig’s head incident, when Barcelona fans made clear their anger after his controversial move to rivals Real Madrid. That said, only the very best of players are good enough to play for club’s of that stature, and the iconic winger absolutely belongs in that bracket.

Winner of the 2000 Ballon d’Or, Figo won two La Liga titles with each of the two Spanish giants, while also winning a Champions League with Madrid and four Serie A titles with Inter Milan. A sharp type of winger, the Portuguese moved elegantly up and down the flank, creating at will throughout his entire career.

11

Jairzinho

Clubs: Botafogo, Marseille, Kaizer Chiefs, Cruzeiro, Portuguesa (VEN), Noroeste, Fast Clube, Jorge Wilstermann, 9 de Octubre

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Brazil’s team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup is widely considered to be one of the greatest football sides of all time. That Jairzinho was a star player and their top scorer, tells you all you need to know about his quality. Nicknamed ‘the hurricane’, the winger had everything you need to make a difference on the flanks, with his impressive blend of speed, close control, and physical strength often making him too hot to handle.

He won numerous honours at domestic level in Brazil, and was even named in the World XI on two occasions (1971 and 1971.) As such, he rightly ranks among the very best footballers to ever represent the Selecao.

10

Stanley Matthews

Clubs: Stoke, Blackpool

Stanley Matthews won the first-ever Ballon d’Or in 1956, beating Alfredo Di Stéfano and Raymond Kopa to the award. In doing so, he became one of the few players to win the award whilst playing for an English side, and that immediately saw him recognised as one of the best wingers ever.

For Stoke and Blackpool, Matthews was in a league of his own, as he was blessed with speed, skill and excellent crossing ability. If a defender gave him an inch, he would take a mile, effortlessly breaking into the final third before setting up his team-mates.

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9

Ryan Giggs

Clubs: Manchester United

One of the finest wingers in Premier League history, Ryan Giggs’ tenure at Manchester United was marked by a series of Premier League titles and success on the European stage. The Welshman’s ability to turn up on the biggest of occasions – not least in that dazzling run and goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup all those years ago – meant Sir Alex Ferguson could rely on him to pop up with a piece of magic very often.

His success on the international stage perhaps left a bit to be desired, but Giggs was unfortunate in that none of his teammates ever really came close to matching his quality on the ball to power Wales to a European Championships or World Cup. Nevertheless, Giggs remains one of the best wingers in football history.

8

Gareth Bale

Clubs: Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid, LAFC

Once a fast and energetic left-back, no one truly thought Gareth Bale would ever turn into one of the greatest Premier League players of all time, but he did exactly that. At Tottenham Hotspur, his dangerous left foot on the right flank caused countless problems for defenders, as despite it being quite predictable he would fire it into the far top corner, they never knew how to stop it. After moving to Real Madrid in 2013 for a world-record fee, the Welshman continued to shine, including scoring one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time in the 2018 final against Liverpool. Legendary.

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7

Cristiano Ronaldo

Clubs: Sporting Lisbon, Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr

You might be wondering why Cristiano Ronaldo is so far down this list. He’s the best Portuguese player of all time and most argue one of the greatest ever, yet he only places seventh on this ranking. Ronaldo, for all his talent, had a shortened career as a winger.

In the early years of his career, he excelled in that role at Manchester United, but he eventually became a wide forward and a number nine at Real Madrid and beyond. There’s no doubt he was still world-class as a winger, using his skill, pace and trickery to glide past defenders like they were not there. It even led to him winning the Ballon d’Or in 2008.

6

Lionel Messi

Clubs: Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami

In a similar story to Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, despite being the greatest Argentine footballer of all time, only ranks sixth on this list. There have been several different versions of the attacker over the years. There’s no doubt he was phenomenal as a winger in his early career, but his best seasons came as a false nine, playmaker and forward.

As mentioned, Messi broke onto the scene as a right winger full of energy and elegance. He helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League in the position, taking the match by the scruff of its neck and gaining control. World-class in every sense.

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