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
For this list, FourFourTwo approached an esteemed collection of football experts to ask them for their opinions on the 10 best left-wingers currently in the sport, based not just on aesthetic or technicality but output, form, how good they've been over the last year or two, and how good their season has been.
Each expert provided a list of just 10. The top-rated players received 10 marks down to one, before all scores were collated.
As with our list of the best right-wingers in the world, five players failed to garner enough votes to make the cut, and can be found in our honourable mentions below. Judgement calls were made if the player also played up front as to whether to include the star in this list or our ranking of the best strikers in the world.
As well as our lists of attackers, we have definitive compilations of the best players further back in a team. We have a list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now, while we've also covered defence (right-backs, centre-backs and left-backs), and midfield (defensive midfielders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders) with our other lists. If you're looking for the best on Earth regardless of position, our list of the best players in the world right now covers just about everyone.
Honourable mentions
Honourable mentions
The full list
10. Kaoru Mitoma
Age: 27
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Nationality: Japan
It speaks of the maturity of Kaoru Mitoma that he originally turned his back on football to finish his studies. It speaks of his ability that the Saudi Pro League wanted to spend £90 million on his services in January – and that Brighton were seemingly not bothered about selling him.
When he’s at his best, Mitoma is unplayable, as evidenced by his incredible goal against Chelsea in the league. The touch, the control and the ball-striking ability off either foot make him one of the most dangerous players in the league anywhere in the final third.
9. Anthony Gordon
Age: 24
Club: Newcastle United
Nationality: England
Newcastle United knew what they were doing when they secured Anthony Gordon to a long-term contract in the autumn, as they looked to lock in their third-most expensive player ever for his peak years.
And it was a move that is already paying dividends, as you only need to look at the League Cup semi-final second-leg win over Arsenal, when he capped an impressive individual performance with the final goal of the Magpies’ 4-0 aggregate win thanks to his relentless pressing of David Raya.
8. Nico Williams
Age: 22
Club: Athletic Club
Nationality: Spain
We could be witnessing a dynasty, with Spain having Williams and Lamine Yamal on either wing.
Still at Athletic, Nico Williams may well end up being an all-time sale record for the Basque giants this summer if he eventually moves. He will be worth every penny.
Few players in any position in world football are quite so unpredictable, with the Spain international offering two-footedness and dynamism either out wide or when he eventually breaks into the box. He’s creative, he can finish and he has the kind of pace and strength that has full-backs questioning whether to stand off him or get tighter. At still just 22, we could be witnessing a dynasty in the national team, with La Roja having Williams and Lamine Yamal on either wing.
7. Cody Gakpo
Age: 25
Club: Liverpool
Nationality: Netherlands
The Dutch forward arrived at Anfield on January 1, 2023, and Liverpool had a higher power to thank for the move. Gakpo had ‘asked God for guidance’ as he decided ahead of a match against Volendam in August 2022, that one goal would be a sign he would move to Southampton, two would be a transfer to Leeds United and a hat-trick would mean he stayed put.
Three goals followed, meaning he stayed at PSV, before a January move which is panning out very nicely, with a regular stream of goals and a Liverpool title challenge under Arne Slot. Gakpo is neither the quickest or the more flashy – but his IQ is almost unmatched, finding himself in the right place at the right time almost on cue and always knowing where to be to help his team-mates.
6. Luis Diaz
Age: 28
Club: Liverpool
Nationality: Colombia
Few wingers in the world can match Diaz’s instant close control and dynamic dribbling style.
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.
5. Bradley Barcola
Age: 22
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Nationality: France
Paris Saint-Germain are building the kind of exciting project that they have rarely threatened to, despite their wealth. In collecting young French talents and letting them express themselves freely, they may well have come up with a plan that hooks neutrals far more than reuniting two-thirds of MSN.
Bradley Barcola is possibly the most exciting thing about PSG’s brave new world, having arrived from Lyon and snatched the spotlight from the outgoing Kylian Mbappe. His performance against Manchester City in the Champions League showed the kind of ballsiness and composure he has on the biggest stages, which coupled with his vision and incision, make him Les Blues’ next big superstar.
4. Rafael Leao
Age: 25
Club: Milan
Nationality: Portugal
Like several of his high-profile Milan teammates, the Portuguese winger is enduring something of a tougher season this time out, with the club facing a battle to qualify for European football next season. This will likely alert one of Leao’s many admirers, who will back themselves to get the 25-year-old flying winger back to his devastating best with a change of scenery.
Leao is one of the most dangerous players in the world, however. Pacy, physical and with a wicked finish, he’s the very focal point of Sergio Conceicao’s side – and with Milan valuing him at nine figures, he may well be the next big star out of Serie A.
3. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Age: 24
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Nationality: Georgia
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. He spearheaded the club’s return to the top, however, and has since moved to Paris Saint-Germain in what might be a catalyst for a serious run in the Champions League this season.
2. Raphinha
Age: 28
Club: Barcelona
Nationality: Brazil
Raphinha’s had the versatility to play 10 times across the no.10 and right-wing berths this season but with 29 goals and assists in 29 games at left-wing, he has ascended to another level this season.
Sometimes it takes just one player to make an entire system click – and though Xavi Hernandez’s second season was the difficult follow-up to a first-season smash, Raphinha has been the gel that’s got Hansi Flick’s team competing at the top both domestically and in Europe.
The Brazilian has been superb this term, balancing Yamal on the opposite flank perfectly. A left-footer, he’s able to hold width and knows when to let Barça’s considerable midfield talent perform – but he’s still fantastic when he cuts in to attack the box. Raphinha’s had the versatility to play 10 times across the no.10 and right-wing berths this season but with 29 goals and assists in 29 games at left-wing – with many of them captaining the Cules – the 28-year-old has ascended to another level this season and is one of the favourites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
1. Vinicius Jr
Age: 24
Club: Real Madrid
Nationality: Brazil
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.
