Deciding the best right-wingers in the world certainly isn't an easy task to answer in the modern age.
But these days, many of the best players in the world play on that side, with the role becoming one of the most important in any side. With 4-4-2 more or less resigned to history (we're aware of the irony…), a myriad of formations means wide men are a different breed than the classic crossers of the 1990s.
These days, they're also goalscorers, pressers, raumdeuters and more – and this lot represents the elite collection of difference-makers in the final third.
How FourFourTwo's expert panel decided the best right-wingers in the world
FourFourTwo assembled an esteemed expert panel for this task, asking European football expert Julien Laurens, Breaking the Lines' chief editor Zach Lowy, freelance analyst/scout Ben Mattinson and Scouted co-founders Phil Costa and Tom Curren among others for their opinions on the best players on Earth in every position.
Along with accounting for statistical metrics across Europe's top five leagues – such as Expected Assists per 90 (xA per 90), through balls and shot-creating actions – we tasked our experts to give a score to each winger from 10 down to one in their list, collating all the data at the end for a final ranking.
Ultimately, 24 players were put forward: the five highest-rated beyond our top 10 are referenced with an honourable mention below, while all values are courtesy of Transfermarkt and correct as of June 2025.
Judgement calls were made over players who may play on the opposite flank, with the prospect of some stars eligible for our list of the best left-wingers in the world. When it comes to the sharp end of the pitch, we have a list of the best centre-forwards in the world, too, while we've covered matters further back: we have a list of the best goalkeepers in the world, while defence (right-backs, centre-backs and left-backs) and midfield (defensive midfielders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders) are both wrapped up with three specific lists a-piece.
The full list
10. Jarrod Bowen
Club: West Ham United
Date of birth: December 20 1996 (28)
National team: England
Value: €32.00m
Jarrod Bowen completely changed the landscape for West Ham United when he signed. Little was expected of the then-Hull City star, who joined in January and helped drag the club away from relegation.
Since then, he's become a blueprint of sorts for a club that struggled when looking to sign discarded superstars, proving that the Irons are better off shopping for up-and-comers ready to put in hard yards and prove themselves. A European final-winning goal and club captaincy have since followed.
Bowen is proof that hard work pays off – and though he's not as refined as some of the names on this list, he's just as deadly and capable of delivering breathtaking moments, as Hammers fans will testify.
9. Ferran Torres
Once a bit-part player at Manchester City, Ferran Torres has managed to forge a reputation as a reliable creative asset in one of the most difficult environments in modern elite football: Barcelona.
Torres’ contributions at Barça this season have undoubtedly made for one of the best campaigns of his career, appearing 45 times in all competitions while registering 19 goals and seven assists.
That’s some achievement when considering the 25-year-old has had to battle his own injury issues, plus the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal for minutes.
The best part? Torres still has years ahead of him; he may only just be getting going.
8. Inaki Williams
Club: Athletic Club
Date of birth: June 15 1994 (30)
National team: Ghana
Value: €15.00m
He may have only started truly receiving his plaudits since his sibling came along – but Inaki Williams, much like his younger brother, Nico, is every full-back’s worst nightmare.
Pace and trickery give the Basque-born Ghana international everything required to beat any man in a one-on-one situation, often making his opposite number look silly in the process.
Williams has racked up 471 appearances for Athletic Club, netting 111 goals and providing 64 assists; a true modern-day club legend, showing unbreakable commitment to a community that took his family in as one of their own, following his parents’ perilous journey across the Sahara to get there while pregnant with the older Williams.
He will have fielded plenty of offers elsewhere, likely with heftier pay packets and glitzier stadia, but nothing could replace the legacy he’ll leave at San Mames.
7. Bryan Mbeumo
Perhaps one of the most underappreciated Premier League players in recent years, Bryan Mbeumo's numbers simply speak for themselves.
Operating primarily as a winger or forward for Brentford, he excels in cutting inside from wide areas, delivering precise crosses, and finishing with aplomb. Mbeumo’s dribbling, work rate, and ability to exploit spaces make him a constant threat in transition, too.
A strong left foot and eye for goal add a lethal edge, while his tactical flexibility allows him to adapt across attacking roles seamlessly.
6. Rodrygo
Club: Real Madrid
Date of birth: January 9 2001 (24)
National team: Brazil
Value: €90.00m
A diminutive forward, Rodrygo is a defender's nightmare, given his lightning-quick speed and adaptability across the forward line.
Not many in the modern game can seamlessly shift between winger, no.10 and an out-and-out striker as Rodrygo does – and with rumours of a move to the Premier League gathering traction in recent weeks, defenders will be worried if he does move to England.
Brilliant in tight spaces and with a decisive eye for goal, not many would turn down the chance to sign one of Brazil’s up-and-coming stars, who is still only aged 24. His attacking spark is bringing joy back to the game.
5. Desire Doue
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Date of birth: June 3 2005 (20)
National team: France
Value: €90.00m
A 10/10 Champions League final has made the world sit up – but FourFourTwo ranked him at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch at the start of last season.
It’s been touted over the past year or so that Desire Doue is one of a dying breed: a true entertainer, brought up on tapes of Neymar, evoking the spirit of Ronaldinho. It’s seemingly fitting, therefore, for him to make the Parc des Princes his playground.
It shouldn’t be overlooked, however, that Doue is far more than a Joga Bonito merchant. He’s diligent and disciplined, able to press in the first line or second: it’s rare for such an entertainer to be so impressive out of position.
Doue's mental strength is incredible and he has the upper body of a boxer.
Julien Laurens
Doue will forever be known as the boy who led Paris Saint-Germain to the promised land but there’s a reason that he succeeded where the likes of Messi and Mbappe couldn’t.
The French youngster is one of the most phenomenally talented starlets in world football right now – but that talent’s nothing without the world-class drive backing it up.
4. Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have broken their transfer record to sign nine-figure England heroes. They signed their captain from Real Madrid, landed a £60m striker from London rivals.
And yet their best players is still a kind from the academy who started off at left-back and worked his way up to becoming one of the best footballers on the world with little more than guile, determination and the head of someone much older on his young shoulders.
Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury last season perhaps derailed Arsenal’s title challenge more than any other factor – and there’s a simple reason for it.
Saka has the best decision-making in the league.
Mark White
The England international, quite simply, has the best decision-making in the league: he may not always pull off what he’s trying to do but he makes the correct choices without fail, whether that’s spotting the right pass or unleashing shots at he opportune moments.
Saka has seemingly downloaded new patches to his game over the years, becoming Arsenal’s best penalty taker, corner taker and moving from left-back to right-wing – his future may well lie more at no.10 as he develops, too.
3. Michael Olise
Club: Bayern Munich
Date of birth: December 12 2001 (23)
National team: France
Value: €100.00m
Crystal Palace really struck out with Michael Olise and it was maybe only a matter of time before bigger and better things followed for the Frenchman.
Olise possesses a calmness when playing the beautiful game that is rarely seen, with his agility and ability on the ball making him one of the most exciting players to watch. The Bayern Munich man is a typical get-off-your-seat kind of player, yet he's so direct, too: you rarely see a combination of both.
So quick to turn on the burners, but careful and precise with his creation techniques, Olise is hugely intelligent and has already adorned himself in Germany with a Bundesliga title in his debut season at the Allianz Arena.
We expect much more to come from a man who is as nonchalant as they come.
2. Mohamed Salah
One of the most naturally gifted goalscorers of our generation, Mohamed Salah has already etched his name into Premier League folklore with two top-flight titles at Anfield.
A hero in the northwest, the Egyptian superstar has revolutionised wing play with his goal output. A serial creator, he never got the chance to show what he could do at Chelsea but Liverpool won't care one bit, having developed the star into one of the most talented and admired footballers of the 21st century.
Now aged 32, who knows how much longer we will get to see his talents on show, but what a story it has been, and his wizardry will live long in the memory for most who got the chance to see him shine.
1. Lamine Yamal
Club: Barcelona
Date of birth: July 13 2007 (17)
National team: Spain
Value: €90.00m
He's only 17, and yet, it had to be him.
Lamine Yamal’s performance for Spain against France in the Euro 2024 semi-final had echoes of Lionel Messi beating Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup final two years prior. Mbappe used to be the future: now, he’s already old news, with a 17-year-old ready to assume his throne, all things being right over the next few years.
In the last 12 months, the young pretender has already bettered Mbappe in the Superclasico, La Liga (twice), the Copa Del Rey and the Nations League, on top of that Euros moment of magic. Mbappe must be sick of the sight of him.
We’ve gone from debating whether or not Lamine Yamal is the best youngster in the world (he is) to debating whether or not he’s the best right winger in the world (he is) to whether he’s the best player in the world. This is a once-in-a-generation talent we’re talking about.
Zach Lowy
Ultimately, though, there may be no one on Yamal's level in the next decade. He's the complete winger: devastatingly creative, able to beat a man on either side, and unpredictable.
And while his output might not match up to his elders just yet – though he had the third-most assists in Europe's top five leagues last season – it was obvious when he faced Inter Milan in the Champions League just where he was in terms of his ability: no one could get near him, despite one of the best sides in the world tripling up on him.
Concerns over his workload are valid… but how can you drop a player this good?
Honourable mentions
These five players only just missed out on a shot in our top 10…
FAQs
Who is the best right-winger of all time?
It's Lionel Messi. The Argentine is widely considered the GOAT, ranking at no.1 on FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time.
Who is the greatest right-winger in Premier League history?
Mohamed Salah is the highest-ranked right-winger in our list of the greatest Premier League players ever to have spent his entire career in the position. He's at no.5 – though Cristiano Ronaldo, at no.2, spent his first few years as a right-winger at Manchester United.
Who is the most expensive right-winger of all time?
Ousmane Dembele became the most expensive right-winger of all time when he joined Barcelona in 2017. He became Barça's record signing and the most expensive French player of all time with the move – though he plays more as a striker these days.
What is the main role of a winger in football?
Wingers primarily operate on the flanks, tasked with providing width in attack, taking on defenders with dribbles, delivering crosses into the box, and cutting inside to shoot or link up with central players. They are key to stretching opposition defenses.
What is an inverted winger?
An inverted winger plays on the opposite flank to their dominant foot (e.g., a left-footed player on the right wing). This allows them to cut inside onto their stronger foot to shoot, create chances, or combine centrally, rather than primarily delivering crosses.
