Summary 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele ranks as the best winger right now. Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Raphinha both rank above Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah. Arsenal and England superstar Bukayo Saka ranks in the top five.
Arguably one of the best sights in football is seeing a world-class winger in full flow. Whether it be through speed or skill, there are plenty of top-quality wide men in today’s game, including 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.
In the past, we have been graced with the brilliant skills of Ronaldinho and crossing ability of David Beckham, but who is the best winger in football today?
Ranking factors
To help rank the wingers in order, we have considered the following criteria:
Current form – how well a player has been performing Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their team Role – how unique their skillset is Reputation – what others are saying about them 15 Rafael Leao AC Milan and Portugal
One of the fastest wingers around in the game today is AC Milan star Rafael Leao, who has been called one of the players Ronaldinho most enjoys watching.
Tammy Abraham has even said that Leao “has no idea how good he is”, and he has wowed on the left wing, contributing with double figures for goals and assists in 2024/25.
Serie A
2022
Nations League
2025
Italian Super Cup
2025
Taca da Liga
2018
14 Kenan Yildiz Juventus and Turkey
Kenan Yildiz has come through the Juventus academy after joining from Bayern Munich as a teenager and appears to be the next star attacker in Turin.
A Turkey international who doesn’t have a weak foot and can play on either side, Yildiz is already valued at €100m by Juventus. After five goal contributions in 250 minutes at the Club World Cup, he is now attracting interest from several Premier League sides.
13 Luis Diaz Bayern Munich and Colombia
Luis Diaz has both the speed and the skill to leave defenders for dead and is already catching the eye at new side Bayern Munich.
Diaz, who left Liverpool in 2025, won his first Premier League title before leaving Anfield, and, according to Danny Murphy, has “gone under the radar”. His defensive work ethic has also been praised, and in the final third, he can come up with something special out of nothing.
Premier League
2025
Liga Portugal
2020, 2022
Categoria Primera A
2018, 2019
FA Cup
2022
League Cup
2022, 2024
Taca de Portugal
2020, 2022
Copa Colombia
2017
Community Shield
2022
Portuguese Super Cup
2021
Colombian Super Cup
2018
12 Nico Williams Athletic Club and Spain
After coming through the Athletic Club academy, Nico Williams has made a huge impact in La Liga and with Spain and is now regarded as one of the top left-wingers around. At the age of 23, Williams looks destined to move from Bilbao at some point, but did sign a new contract in 2025.
Jose Mourinho has even revealed that he prefers Williams to Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, calling the Athletic Club star “unique” and “wonderful” – high praise from an iconic manager.
European Championship
2024
Copa del Rey
2024
11 Bradley Barcola PSG and France
Bradley Barcola arguably goes under the radar slightly at Paris Saint-Germain due to the sheer amount of attacking talent at the Parc des Princes, but the 22-year-old enjoyed his best ever season in 2024/25.
Called “unstoppable” by Luis Enrique, Barcola has hit double figures for Ligue 1 goals and assists for the first time in his career, which has resulted in his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing to €70m.
Ligue 1
2024, 2025
Champions League
2025
Coupe de France
2024
French Super Cup
2024, 2025
10 Desire Doue PSG and France
Another exciting attacking PSG star is Desire Doue, who, on the right-hand side, has been making a name for himself all across the world.
In French, Doue means ‘gifted’, and the teenager has been living up to his name, with some even calling him the next Neymar due to his ability to stand defenders up, slow the play down before going past them with a piece of skill.
Ligue 1
2025
Champions League
2025
French Super Cup
2025
9 Rodrygo Real Madrid and Brazil
With Real Madrid’s squad filled with world-class stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo is sometimes forgotten about in Spain.
However, Jude Bellingham labelled Rodrygo as “the most gifted player in the squad” and a “pleasure to play with”, so he must be doing something right at the Bernabeu. Neymar is also a big fan of his fellow countryman, calling him a “joke” in 2025.
Champions League
2022, 2024
La Liga
2020, 2022, 2024
Copa del Rey
2023
FIFA Club World Cup
2023
UEFA Super Cup
2022, 2024
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
2024
Spanish Super Cup
2020, 2022, 2024
8 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG and Georgia
After starring for Napoli for over two-and-a-half years, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sealed a big-money move to PSG in 2025 and is so far proving to be worth the €70m fee.
The two-footed winger can play on either side and has helped PSG to another Ligue 1 title and a Champions League triumph. Kvaratskhelia is not just brilliant in attack, but the Georgia star also does a “titanic defensive job” with a “relentless” attitude in tracking back, something which doesn’t go unnoticed.
Ligue 1
2025
Champions League
2025
Serie A
2023
Russian Cup
2019
7 Vinicius Junior Real Madrid and Brazil
The second most valuable winger in the world according to Transfermarkt is Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, who missed out on the 2024 Ballon d’Or and his form has dropped off slightly since.
Real Madrid failed to retain their Champions League and La Liga crowns, but there is no denying Vinicius’ quality, with legendary striker Ronaldo calling him “the best player in the world”.
Champions League
2022, 2024
La Liga
2020, 2022, 2024
Copa del Rey
2023
FIFA Club World Cup
2019, 2023
UEFA Super Cup
2022, 2024
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
2024
Spanish Super Cup
2020, 2022, 2024
6 Michael Olise Bayern Munich and France
After swapping Crystal Palace for Bayern Munich in 2024, Michael Olise has taken his game to the next level with the Bundesliga giants, hitting double figures for league goals and assists for the first time in his career in 2024/25.
Olise “could be as good as anyone” and, according to Didier Deschamps, the Bayern star has a “lot of qualities and has progressed a lot”, so he could get even better over the coming years. His Transfermarkt valuation now sits at a career-high €100m.
Bundesliga
2025