The best left-wingers in the world all used to be left-footers tasked with whipping balls into front twos.
While FourFourTwo loves a bit of nostalgia for our namesake formation, plenty of the best players in the world playing on the left flank in 2025 are far more unpredictable than their predecessors, with creators, goalscorers and tactical Swiss Army knives all playing on the left-wing at the elite level in football these days.
It makes this list a tricky one to pick…
How FourFourTwo's expert panel decided the best left-wingers in the world
FourFourTwo's esteemed expert panel were asked to decide on the best players in every position in terms of current technical ability, form over the past year and a half and each player's standing beyond that.
Players ranked first in the left-wing category were given 10 points, second given nine points and so on, with minimal additional points added to those who featured across the top of statistical metrics across Europe's top five leagues, such as successful take-ons, goals, assists and key passes.
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The full list
20. Nicolo Cambiaghi
Bologna forward Nicolo Cambiaghi made his name during four years on loan away from Atalanta. He never made a senior appearance for La Dea, where he was on the books for 15 years, but has flourished at his new permanent home in Emilia-Romagna.
Now 24, Cambiaghi is a vital source of attacking impetus in the final third, offering cut-through from the middle and a rich seam of crosses into the penalty area.
19. Said El Mala
Said El Mala, the teenage German winger making his name at Koln in the Bundesliga in 2025/26, is effective beyond his years. A livewire attacker with acceleration in his boots and aggression in his play, El Mala is already demonstrating the direct impact lacking in so many electric young wide players of his ilk.
Julian Nagelsmann has noticed it. Already a Germany Under-21 international, El Mala was called up to the final senior squad of 2025.
18. Jack Grealish
Former Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish is one of a kind. His successes in terms of silverware were achieved at Manchester City but if he can recapture the player who led Villa out of the wilderness, his career swansong will be special.
Grealish is one of the most natural flair players produced in England for generations and will come to be remembered as one of Villa’s greatest of all time. Genius is only really genius when it’s flawed.
17. Mattia Zaccagni
Mattia Zaccagni is an experienced winger who’s played more than 130 matches in Serie A for two different clubs. He left Hellas Verona for Lazio in 2022 after a season on loan in the Italian capital and has gone from strength to strength, establishing himself in the Azzurri picture.
Now 30, Zaccagni is an effective user of the ball and a key contributor for Lazio in and out of possession, and in both halves of the pitch. Only two players have drawn more fouls in Europe's top five leagues this season.
16. Ansu Fati
Turns out that taking Lionel Messi’s shirt number wasn’t terminal.
Plenty worried for Ansu Fati after his failed loan at Brighton & Hove Albion and his career seemingly nosediving after successive injuries, but the La Masia graduate has found a place at Monaco’s home for lost souls alongside Paul Pogba and is starting to show the form that he did in his teens: with five goals in nine Ligue 1 appearances, is there a way back to Barcelona for the 23-year-old?
Form would certainly suggest so. At one point this season, only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland had a better goals-per-90 record…
15. Leandro Trossard
Sometimes, Leanrdro Trossard does absolutely nothing for Arsenal in 90 minutes, except score a goal. Luckily, that's what matters in this sport.
Trossard has had his ups and downs at Arsenal but his ability to contribute in the final third is inevitable: he's versatile enough to play across the pitch but his role as a creative left-winger tasked with making the decisive run behind a defence has suited him down to the ground this term.
Considering he cost less than £25 million, he's been an absolute bargain and one of Arsenal's greatest signings under Mikel Arteta.
14. Anthony Gordon
There aren’t many world-class left-wingers in the Premier League right now, and Anthony Gordon stands somewhat out in a field as one of the very few equally adept at receiving to feet and in behind.
The Newcastle United man has the pace to beat full-backs, is excellent from a wider position and can be incredibly dangerous when cutting inside: everything you want in that position.
This hasn’t been his season so far, but the former Everton man is only in a dip. It won’t be long before he regains form and rises once more, given his class.
13. Thiago Almada
Velez Sarsfield junior graduate Thiago Almada has forged an impressive reputation on the pitch since arriving in Europe in 2025.
After a loan spell with Lyon, the former Atlanta United and Botafogo winger signed for Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2025 and quickly debuted in La Liga and the Champions League. Serious and varied allegations and legal proceedings threaten to overshadow the Argentina international’s ability entirely.
12. Cody Gakpo
Another often underappreciated icon of Liverpool’s recent successes, Cody Gakpo was drafted in by Jurgen Klopp when Darwin Nunez wasn't working out. The Reds returned to the false nine template, and things began looking up. Yet when Gakpo moved out to the left, he's arguably been even better.
A product of PSV, Gakpo’s intelligent movement and ability to find space make him a constant attacking threat. He thrives at cutting inside from the left flank, and with 18 goals last season, 16 before, he's consistent in his output.
It's impressive because there it isn't one particular thing that the Dutchman does that he's known for. He doesn't offer pace like Nunez, intensity like Diaz, even flair like Firmino or creativity like Coutinho. He's simply a well-rounded forward who knows when to pop up at the right place at the right time.
11. Kenan Yildiz
Juventus have seen better days, but have been able to remain broadly competitive thanks to the emergence of talents like Turkish international Kenan Yildiz.
The 20-year-old was born and raised in Germany and switched from Bayern Munich’s youth ranks to Juve Next Gen as recently as 2022. He caught the eye with his incisive attacking play in his first couple of seasons in Serie A and has matured nicely.
Now one of the biggest threats in a young Turky side who'll hope to come into their prime when they host Euro 2032, Yildiz is a creator and a goal threat all in one, with dynamism and power. Will he become a big sale for Juve or a club legend?
10. Marcus Rashford
Frozen out at boyhood club Manchester United, England forward Marcus Rashford spent 2025 putting his career back together with World Cup 2026 around the corner.
A successful loan at Aston Villa was the first step, earning Rashford his desired move – also on loan – to Barcelona. Away from the claustrophobic grip of home, Rashford has largely thrived in La Liga as he approaches the decisions that will define the next phase of a career still brimming with promise.
9. Jeremy Doku
If you want a winger to spend 90 minutes terrorising a right-back and go past him 99 times out of 100, 23-year-old Belgian international Jeremy Doku is your man.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola deploys him to devastating effect and Doku has gradually added end product to his game, a development Guardiola’s counterparts around the Premier League could have done without.
The former Anderlecht and Rennes youngster still has room to improve and that’s a scary thought.
8. Rafael Leao
The Thierry Henry comparisons are apt: close your eyes and you can picture the French god with Rafael Leao’s leggy dribble, the height and power.
But it’s in the swagger and charisma that the Portuguese really is a dead-ringer for Titi. He can grab a game by the scruff of the neck, and though Milan have been in flux for a while now, no one in Italy really has the ability to single-handedly change things like Leao does.
He’s electric. Does an even bigger move beckon?
7. Nico Williams
Nico Williams may be unique on this list: he has a chance of going down as his club’s greatest-ever player – and given the history at Athletic Club, that’s really quite something.
Like a Pamplona bull, there’s no stopping him when he glides on the ball, leaving an army of opponents tugging on his shirt to no avail. Williams has athleticism in abundance but he’s also capable of the unexpected, whether that’s cutting in, a final ball or a wicked pass.
In all honestly, the Athletic winger has had a few knocks and struggled to kick on with the kind of breathtaking form he showed at Euro 2024 since coming back with a winner’s medal – hence why he’s not higher, here – but at 23 the potential is still there to become the best in the world.
6. Bradley Barcola
A product of the Lyon academy system now lured away to PSG, Bradley Barcola’s journey over the last two years is something to be admired.
Capable of elegant wing play, Barcola often leaves defenders in his wake with his precision dribbling and striking a correct level of consistency could mean we are about to see yet another young forward burst onto the scene amongst a new generation of talents.
A Champions League winner at just 22, Barcola is technically astute and often has no second thought about wrapping an effort at goal should he be presented with a half chance.
With plenty to learn under Luis Enrique, it’s an exciting time for Ligue 1 fans and beyond.
5. Antoine Semenyo
Bournemouth signed a player from Bristol City to much excitement of football hipsters – but that was Alex Scott. When it came to Antoine Semenyo making the same move, hardly anyone batted an eyelid.
That the Ghana international has become one of the best footballers on Earth under the radar of just about everyone has been great to see: defenders still haven’t got to grips over whether to mark him touch-tight or give him space, because he’ll burn them either way. He has the strength of a centre-forward, but the two-footedness to beat you on either wing, inside or out.
He’s just getting started, too, and a big release clause suggests that the story won’t be ending in Dorset…
4. Luis Diaz
Liverpool fall apart with Luis Diaz: coincidence?
Well, a little – football is complicated – but it’s also no surprise that a player with that work-rate was so quietly integral to the entire attack. Diaz is a rare breed of a player with equal amounts talent and work ethic, and both come in abundance, either on the left or through the centre, where he cosplays as a false nine.
He’s taken Bayern Munich up a level and in a side with Harry Kane and Michael Olise dovetailing in attack, the Colombian is showing the world why he was just as important as Mohamed Salah.
3. Vinicius Jr
The future is uncertain for Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid, following very public tantrums and Los Blancos moving away from a laissez-faire manager to someone who demands hard yards and rotations (both on and off the pitch): it’s a strange thing to say considering the pedestal the Brazilian was on after two Champions League final goals.
Consider the queue of clubs who’d be interested in his signature were he to leave, and that should give you an idea of just how magical Vinicius is with the ball at his feet. He’s a complete winger capable of everything – capable of carrying a team, even – with seemingly his biggest problem right now that he has to share a spotlight.
He’s one of the most talented and accomplished players of his time: the situation surely has to work itself out in his favour, given his ability.
2. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
A Treble for PSG and another Scudetto medal in the same season? Not bad…
Georgia’s very own golden boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s ascent to the top of the European game is something most of us watching at Euro 2024 could see coming a mile away: one of the best dribblers in the world, Kvaratskhelia can play with both feet so seamlessly and is a nightmare when charging at you.
Similarities with Jack Grealish have also been widely debated, given the PSG star loves to draw clever fouls by tempting defenders into a challenge he simply knows they cannot win. But in the last 12 months, Kvaradona's risen to new levels to be a left-winger and centre-forward all in one alongside Ousmane Dembele.
Now, he stands as one of the best in the world after years of hype at Napoli – and he’s somewhat underrated, even, in that star-studded PSG side…
1. Raphinha
The counter-argument to Pep Guardiola being the greatest of all time is that he’s never truly had to suffer: he’s done it all at the elite level, but never had to fight relegation. Drop-battling is something that another Barcelona icon had experience of prior to Camp Nou heroics, however.
That Raphinha has been equally talismanic for teams at the top and the bottom is unusual in this day and age: the Brazilian was the magnet of the right-wing that Leeds played everything through but in Catalonia, he’s been reborn on the left as a superstar who can hold width, cut in, create and finish. Had just a few results been a little different this year, he’d almost certainly have a Ballon d’Or now, too.
It may be within reach in 2026, should a good season follow with Barcelona and Brazil. Raphinha’s ascension to the top table in the last few years has been a glorious one, and he’s still the most devastating player in his position right now.
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