7 Best Left-Wingers In The World 2022
Wingers play a special role in many positions in football. Players who play in this position typically have great pace and superb dribbling ability. Their role involves providing cut-backs or crosses from which strikers can score. Wingers feature in many attacking formations in football, as they support attacks from the wings.
Wingers who play from the left flank of the pitch are known as left-wingers.
There are a lot of talented left-wingers in football today who distinguished themselves with noteworthy performances in various competitions. Here are the best left-wingers in the world in 2022.
NOTE: Our list of the best left-wingers in football is no particular and is based on footballers who mainly featured in a left-wing position.
1. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Vinicius Junior is gradually growing into the potential Real Madrid saw in him before they decided to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2018.
Since his arrival in Spain four years ago, he’s grown from just being all skill, no result to a big asset to the Los Blancos.
Despite returning just eight goals in 80 appearances in three seasons, he blossomed fully with 17 goals and ten assists in Real Madrid’s triumph last season. He also scored the Champions League-winning goal against Liverpool in Paris, which saw him get rewarded with a long-term extension.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilian has improved a lot in his decision-making, positional sense, movement, and close control, which has made him not just one of the best left-wingers in football but also among the top wingers in the world right now.
2. Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich)
Is there even any need to explain Sadio Mane’s status as one of the best wingers in the game?
His trajectory is one that has enjoyed a steady rise from Senegal through France, Austria, England with the Saints, and Liverpool before his recent move to Bayern Munich in Germany.
He packs strength and pace; his finishing skill is undoubted as he has always hit double digits in his six Premier League seasons.
In 2022, Sadio Mane won a plethora of trophies and played a key role in each one of them.
He led Senegal to the AFCON title and the 2022 World Cup ahead of his ex-Liverpool teammate Mo Salah plus the Senegalese is the reigning African Player of the Year.
3. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Wilfried Zaha’s time at Manchester United may have been forgettable, but at Crystal Palace, he has continued to show class act.
The 29-year-old has consistently been one of the best dribblers in the world for many years now.
The Ivorian forward is known for his trickery, pace, and power. He had 14 goals and a single assist for Palace last season from 33 games, but he’s already had 3 in their first three this season.
4. Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Only World class players can be priced at £100M that Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish.
However, the Three Lions player hasn’t lived up to expectations at the Etihad Stadium, with three goals and three assists in 26 PL games last season.
While he is yet to find his feet at Manchester City, there is no doubt that Grealish is one of the best left-wingers in the world now.
His style of play helps him draw fouls from the opposition as he often drives the ball into tight spaces and was a source for Villa in the 2020/2021 season, where he provided ten assists and six goals in the Premier League.
5. Rafael Leão (AC Milan)
23-year-old Rafael Leao contributed immensely to AC Milan’s run to the Seria A title with 11 goals and eight assists in 34 fixtures.
He won the MVP of Serie A 2021/2022 award as the Best Overall Player in the league last season.
In the season before that, he had six goals and six assists in 30 games. Leao is strong, packed with pace, and can be nimble-footed.
He is a versatile forward who is capable of playing as a second striker or centre-forward.
It’s interesting to see how mature his outputs will be in the coming seasons.
6. Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Leroy Sane may look like he enjoys the dividends of playing in a brutal team like Bayern Munich, but he still is one of the best left-wingers out there.
His pace is undeniable as he is one of the fastest in the game even though his goal’s return can be better.
He had 15 goal contributions (6goals, nine assists) in his return to Bundesliga with Bayern before recording seven goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga last season on their run to their tenth consecutive league title.
7. Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
Playing for Porto in the Portuguese league, Colombian winger Luis Diaz was already a potent goal-getter from the wing.
In 77 appearances in three seasons, he scored 26 times, including 14 goals in the Portuguese top flight in his last season there.
Luis Diaz is up among the best left-wingers in the world because of his amazing pace, goalscoring ability, and tenacity.
With Liverpool, whom he joined in January 2022, he scored four and made three assists in 13 Premier League appearances before the end of the 2021/2022 season.
Notable Mentions:
- Ansu Fati (Barcelona)
- Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle United)
- Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
- Cody Gakpo (PSV Eindhoven)
- Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli).
