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​The 10 Best Left-Wingers In The World Right Now, Named And Ranked​

​The 10 Best Left-Wingers In The World Right Now, Named And Ranked​

The best left wingers in the world, from Eden Hazard to Neymar.

Colin Hubbuck

Colin Hubbuck

The final of Euro 2021 saw two of the world's best left-sided attacking midfielders tee-off in the shape of Raheem Sterling and Lorenzo Insigne. The pair were just two of the world-class wingers on display at the tournament, including a returning-to-form Eden Hazard and some of England's young talent.

Here we pick our top 10 on the planet. We've used a number of stats from last season to quantify our rankings, as well as a player's overall contribution to the game in recent times. So who makes it into our top 10?

All stats come from WhoScored.com and are correct as of the publish date. All images are credit to PA Images.

10 Eden Hazard

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 7 appearances
  • 0 goals
  • 1 assist
  • 0.5 key passes per game
  • 1 dribbles per game

Since Eden Hazard joined Real Madrid for a reported £100million in 2019, it's fair to say the Spanish fans haven't been as lucky as fans of the Premier League. Injuries have robbed La Liga of watching the quicksilver Belgian for chunks of the last two seasons but Euro 2021 showed glimpses that he may be on his way back to form. When fit, his trademark runs from halfway can transform games as they did when winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Europa League trophy at Stamford Bridge.

eden hazard
eden hazard

9 Lucas Ocampos

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 30 appearances
  • 5 goals
  • 4 assists
  • 1 key passes per game
  • 2 dribbles per game

An attacking force, Lucas Ocampos contributed to 26% of Sevilla's goals in 2019/20 and he added 14 himself. A versatile right-footer, last season, he was employed on the left 24 times in all competitions - where he scored all five of his goals and made all of his assists - and 11 on the right (10 as a forward, one as a defender).

lucas ocampos
lucas ocampos

8 Kingsley Coman

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 23 appearances
  • 5 goals
  • 10 assists
  • 1.6 key passes per game
  • 1.9 dribbles per game

Bayern Munich's right-footer can play either side of the pitch but from the left, his cuts inside tend to square up defenders in one on ones, allowing him to put in his quality crosses. He was joint sixth in assists in last season's Bundesliga and ninth in dribbles. He's played at PSG (where he was their youngest ever player at 16 years, eight months and four days), Juventus and Bayern Munich in his career and has won a league title every season since becoming a professional.

kingsley coman
kingsley coman

7 Jack Grealish

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 24 appearances
  • 6 goals
  • 10 assists
  • 3.1 key passes per game
  • 2.5 dribbles per game

Now you may not have heard this - presumably you've just returned from your holiday on Mars and missed all of ITV's England commentary - but Jack Grealish was the most fouled player in the Premier League last year. It's easy to understand why, with excellent control, acceleration and change of pace, his directness causes defenders fits. Used mainly by Gareth Southgate as an impact sub, his appearance in England's Round of 16 match against Germany turned the tide as he was involved in both goals. Only Kevin de Bruyne made more key passes in the Premier League in 2020/21.

jack grealish
jack grealish

6 Phil Foden

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 17 appearances
  • 9 goals
  • 5 assists
  • 1.3 key passes per game
  • 1.4 dribbles per game

"I didn't meet Messi at 17 years old like when I met Phil," says Pep Guardiola. "And at that age, I never saw a player with this potential." High praise indeed for the Manchester City star who created 75 chances for his side in 2020/21. In April this year, Foden became only the second player under 21 after Kylian Mbappe in 2017 to score in both legs of a Champions League quarter-final (v Borussia Dortmund) after Kylian Mbappe. And his pair of goals against Iceland at Wembley in November 2020 made him the youngest England player in history to score multiple goals in a game at Wembley.

phil foden
phil foden

5 Yannick Carrasco

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 25 appearances
  • 6 goals
  • 10 assists
  • 1.6 key passes per game
  • 2.2 dribbles per game

Yannick Carrasco would have come to the attention of the casual football fan after his stand-out performance on the left for Belgium against Russia at Euro 2020/21. Using his pace and trickery, he propelled Belgium forward on the way to a 3-0 win in their campaign opener. Tall for a winger, the 27-year-old completed the sixth most dribbles in La Liga and finished 10th in key passes ahead of the likes of Mikel Oyarzabal, Luka Modric and David Silva.

Yannick Carrasco
Yannick Carrasco

4 Sadio Mane

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 31 appearances
  • 11 goals
  • 7 assists
  • 1.7 key passes per game
  • 2.3 dribbles per game

Sadio Mane's athleticism and off-ball movement make him perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp's system at Liverpool and the German boss has described his left-winger as "a complete player". A consistent goal threat (64 Premier League goals since 2016/17, including 22 in 2018/19). Mane averaged 2.7 shots per game (which was sixth in the Premier League) and averaged the sixth-most dribbles. He's made 75 appearances and scored 23 goals for Senegal.

sadio mane
sadio mane

3 Neymar Jr

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 15 appearances
  • 9 goals
  • 5 assists
  • 3.3 key passes per game
  • 4.8 dribbles per game

Is age catching up to the Brazilian maestro? A year or two ago, he'd have been at the top of this list by some distance but multiple injuries took their toll last season, restricting him to just 1,417 minutes of Ligue 1 action. When fit, he was his usual lethal self, putting away nine goals and adding five assists on his 15 appearances and he led the league in dribbles. The sixth highest-paid athlete in the world, he's the third most popular sportsman on social media (282million combined followers).

neymar
neymar

2 Raheem Sterling

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 28 appearances
  • 10 goals
  • 7 assists
  • 1.3 key passes per game
  • 2.1 dribbles per game

Raheem Sterling left a frustrating domestic season behind him instantly after reporting for international tournament duty. The Manchester City winger scored England's first three goals at Euro 2021 and helped lead Gareth Southgate's young side to a historic final at Wembley. His 28 Premier League starts, goals and assists were all his lowest contributions since his second season at City in 2016/17 but for England this summer, he's been reborn. His 248 sprints at Euro 2021 were more than all but Joakim Maelhe, and 63 of them came in the semi-final, the highest total of any player in the last-four games.

Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling

1 Lorenzo Insigne

2020/21 Season Stats:

  • 33 appearances
  • 19 goals
  • 7 assists
  • 1.8 key passes per game
  • 1.9 dribbles per game

Napoli's pint-sized captain carried his relentless form from the 2020/21 season in Serie A into the summer tournament with finalists Italy. The 30-year-old has been the creative inspiration for Roberto Mancini's Azzuri side from the left flank. He led Napoli in scoring, key passes and dribbles, while he topped Serie A in shots from outside the box. At Euro 2021, no player was more proactive at getting into the opposition penalty area - 14 times - and his efforts have been rewarded with two goals in five games, including the screamer that won the semi-final against Belgium.

lorenzo insigne
lorenzo insigne
Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Phil Foden, Eden Hazard, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Raheem Sterling