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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 timeplied 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, we have decided to rank the nine 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.
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9 Gareth Bale
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.
From one modern-day winger to another. Mohamed Salah had a tough start to his career, with Jose Mourinho's painful and harsh criticism of the Egyptian at Chelsea stalling his career. However, he did not let that be the end of the story, instead fighting back at Roma to earn a move to Liverpool.
At Anfield, he has become one of the Reds' greatest players of all time, guiding the club to both Premier League and Champions League glory in spectacular fashion. By cutting in, dribbling past everyone, and then placing his shots into the back of the net, Salah became one of the best players to watch live—aand he still is.
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.
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.
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 teammates.
Neymar might be considered one of the unluckiest players of all time. If he shone in another era, he might be considered the best Brazilian player of all time, but he's never been the 'greatest' in his era. Being in the limelight is the most important thing for those who stand the test of time, yet unfortunately for Neymar, he came during a spell with both Ronaldo and Messi. He never won a Ballon d'Or — he would have 10 years prior — despite his talent, which saw him effortlessly glide past defenders and fire his efforts into the back of the net.
Neymar's time at Paris Saint-Germain turned sour towards the end, and some of the reasons have now been revealed.
The similarities between Neymar and Ronaldinho are frightening. Both played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Both broke onto the scene in Brazil. And both are seen as two of the greatest tricksters of all time. The only difference is that Ronaldinho came an era earlier, helping him win the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
He treated the pitch like it was a playground, completing every skill move under the sun on a consistent basis. As one of the best players in the world to watch in person, he also had an incredible goal-scoring record, picking up over 350 goal contributions in 549 matches. Spectacular.
After shining for Man United on a regular basis, George Best is seen as one of the greatest British players ever, but also one of the best wingers of all time. The Northern Irish international did not know what failure was at the peak of his career. As a skilful dribbler, creator and scorer of spectacular goals, Best played a key part in the Red Devils' European Cup triumph in 1968. Defenders never knew which way he was going during an era where it was distinctly tougher to dribble past everyone. Unfortunately, he declined in the 1970s due to alcoholism, but at his best, very few came close.
Finally, Brazilian legend Garrincha has been ranked as the greatest winger of all time. Plying his trade on the right wing throughout his career, the superstar was always one step ahead of everyone else. Remarkably, he had one leg shorter than the other and was not expected to become a footballer.
However, he proved the doubters wrong, in particular shining for Brazil at the 1962 World Cup as the competition's top goalscorer. Unsurprisingly, he had a unique dribbling style due to his shorter leg, but that never stopped him during a career which saw him become the world's best.
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