There was a time where the best left-wingers were all left-footed and their sole job was to whip balls into big forwards. Not anymore.
Now, the best LWs in the world are game-changers capable of the unthinkable at the drop of a hat. With football evolving, some of the most talented players in the world play wide on the left, using trickery, pace and creativity to light up sides across Europe.
So that makes picking the best ones a tricky task indeed…
How our experts decided the best left-wingers in the world
Choosing just 10 is a difficult task, for a start. Our experts picked an initial long-list of 15 based on their current ability, form over the past couple of seasons and historic legacy in football. We did this just three months after our last update, to keep the list fresh.
The left-wingers that we went with were all chosen based on their respective influence for their clubs, whether they're more creative players or devastating inside forwards. We eventually worked out an average score for each – while making sure each player was selected the most appropriate list for them, as some stars could have made it into our rankings of the best right-wingers in the world and the best strikers in the world.
We have other lists, too. A little further back, we've collated the best defensive midfielders in the world, the best central midfielders in the world and the best defensive midfielders in the world.
Defensively speaking, we've ranked the best goalkeepers in the world, the best centre-backs in the world, the best right-backs in the world and the best left-backs in the world. We also have a compendium of the best players in the world right now in any position. Let's go!
10. Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe's exit from Paris Saint-Germain gave some of the club's medium-sized superstars a chance to forge their own path as the institution's new icon. Bradley Barcola may have done more than any other in his compatriot's shadow.
The former Lyon man has seen more minutes this term and is evolving into a fantastic left-winger, able to take on defenders, cut in and make a different for the Ligue 1 champions. He's going to the top, all right.
9. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Newcastle United have been up and down this season – but anything is possible when you have Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak in attack.
Take the heroic 1-0 win over Arsenal this season, in which Gordon supplied an inch-perfect cross from absolutely nothing, or the draw at home to Manchester City, in which he took 30 seconds out of a match-long serenade from the Toon to slot home a penalty. He's simply that guy for the Magpies – and perhaps if he'd started a little more for England over the summer, he'd be a European champion too, by now.
8. Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
We'll say it: Gabriel Martinelli is the most slept-on player in the Premier League, as the kids say. This is a guy who managed 15 league goals in 2022/23 after just half a season of having a fully-functional lefthand side… which is still in flux, actually.
Mikel Arteta made steps to sign Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori to give Martinelli more consistency – and yet both players have struggled with injury. Still, the Brazilian has put in the same graft and work rate and is one of the most devastating players on the break in the country. His renaissance is due this season: watch out.
7. Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Son Heung-Min’s Premier League reputation is set in stone thanks to his ten years at Tottenham Hotspur. A jack-of-all-trades across the frontline, Son is capable of carrying out any role asked of him to a devastating standard.
Undeterred by the departure of Harry Kane, Son shouldered the responsibility of helping Tottenham during a massively transitional period on the pitch as a young squad continues to gel. Four goal involvements in five league appearances so far this season suggests that the South Korean legend is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
Comparisons to Diego Maradonna don’t come lightly, so when the nickname ‘Kvara-donna’ was granted to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia it was clear the Georgian playmaker meant business.
Enjoying a remarkable breakout campaign in 2022/23, Kvaratskhelia formed one of Serie A’s most formidable partnerships with Victor Osimhen on the way to Napoli’s first league title since 1990, with the winger registering 31 goal involvements that season. Perhaps a victim of Napoli’s rapid decline last season, the Georgian’s hype appears to have dropped, although anyone who tunes in to a game can see that the ability is well and truly still there, and a career at the elite level is destined for the exciting playmaker.
5. Raphinha (Barcelona)
Raphinha never achieved the dizzying heights he is currently reaching with Barcelona during his time in the Premier League. His two years at Leeds were remarkably inconsistent, although when on form he was still their best player.
But the 2024/25 Barcelona version of Raphina is a totally different beast. The Brazilian is currently in sensational form and has been hailed as one of the best players in the world right now by Barca legend Romario. He’d know a thing or two about it.
4. Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
Liverpool have regularly rotated their attacking three - bar Mo Salah - since manager Arne Slot’s arrival in the summer. But the Reds always look more potent when Luis Diaz is fit and firing.
The Colombian regularly gets the Anfield crowd off their seats when he’s at his best and recently that has been pretty much every time he takes to the pitch. Few wingers in the world can match Diaz’s instant close control and dynamic dribbling style. The £37.5 million Liverpool paid for him just under three years ago, looks a sensational buy in retrospect.
3. Rafael Leao (Milan)
The recent issues between Rafael Leao and the Milan hierarchy show just how good a player he really is. Issues between Leao and manager Paulo Fonseca saw the flying winger benched, but he has proven impossible to leave out, winning his place back and producing a world-class display in an away win at Real Madrid.
He is consistently at the top of the Serie A assist charts and has already scored 50 Serie A league goals.
2. Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
Nico Williams has been threatening to truly explode onto the scene for a number of years now, having broken into the first team at Athletic Club in 2021 before quickly tying down a starting spot.
However, 2024 marked the arrival of a superstar thanks to his performances on the way to Spain’s European Championship success. A complete menace in the final third, adept on either foot and able to attack the box or stretch the touchline, it remains to be seen how long he will remain at his boyhood club as the 22-year-old now looks destined for greatness.
1. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
The clamour for Vinicius Jr to win the Ballon d’Or was slightly hysterical and Real Madrid’s reaction to him not winning the award was pathetic. But putting the award issues to one side, the Brazilian is one of the best forwards on the planet today. Taking on Real’s iconic number seven shirt only seems to have taken his game onto a whole new level.
For a player still relatively young – at 24 years old – he has a big match record most more experienced players could only dream of. Man of the match in both the semi-final and final of the Champions League, Vinicius was later named the competition Player of the Season.
