The 11 Best Premier League Wingers of All Time
- Think Football Ideas
- Jul 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 15
There were times when watching the Premier League felt like attending a ballet, but one performed on muddy grass. For the Wingers, it used to be all about touchline-hugging, step-over-spinning showmen who knew how to whip in a cross or make full-backs dizzy with sheer flair, balance, and vision, often leaving defenders in a state of panic-induced paralysis.
And while the wingers of today are more inverted and goal-hungry, sometimes even acting as auxiliary strikers, the core magic of wing play, which is unpredictability, pace, and swagger, hasn’t disappeared. It’s simply evolved. The players on this list adapted to the changes and defined them.
Below Are The 11 Best Premier League Wingers of All Time
11. David Ginola
When David Ginola arrived in the Premier League, he brought more than talent, introducing a touch of artistry. At a time when English football was still shedding its scrappy, hard-tackling skin, Ginola glided through matches with a kind of continental grace that felt almost out of place, and all the more mesmerising for it.
With hair flowing and socks down, he slalomed past defenders as if the ball was glued to his boots. He wasn’t the most decorated player, but he brought glamour and grace, and in 1999, he famously won the PFA Player of the Year while not even being at a title-chasing club. Ginola was a theatre in football boots, and for that, he’ll always be remembered.
10. Freddie Ljungberg
There was something about that red mohawk and ice-cold stare that made Freddie Ljungberg a nightmare for defenders.
The Swedish winger brought goals, timing, and a ruthless streak to one of the slickest attacking sides the English top-flight has ever seen: Arsenal under Arsène Wenger.
More than a showy winger, he had a striker’s killer instinct, timing his runs into the box and finishing with precision that caught defenders off guard.
Whether it was in the “Invincibles” season or in his dazzling early 2000s peak, Ljungberg delivered with purpose. Not to mention, he had a knack for showing up in big games and was always in the right place, at the right time.
9. David Beckham
Forget the celebrity status, the paparazzi, and the Hollywood lifestyle; David Beckham’s right foot is what truly made headlines. He was a crosser of the ball like few others in the history of the game.
While he may not have been the kind of winger to beat five players on the dribble, Beckham had a footballing radar that could scan the pitch with surgical precision.
Set pieces, long-range passing, and leadership defined his game. For Manchester United, he was a cornerstone during their most dominant era, and his influence was felt in trophies, assists, and that unforgettable goal from the halfway line.
8. Gareth Bale
Bale’s Premier League story feels like a superhero origin tale. Starting out as a struggling left-back, he transformed into a thunderbolt of a winger capable of leaving even the best defenders in his wake.
Once his switch to the wing clicked under Harry Redknapp at Tottenham Hotspur, Bale turned into a spectacle and a blur of pace, power, and precision.
His left foot was a cannon, and his ability to single-handedly turn a game around made him one of the most feared players in England. Even in his brief return years later, he reminded us what peak Bale looked like - explosive, unstoppable, unforgettable.
7. Sadio Mané
Not every great winger dances. Some sprint. Sadio Mané sprinted, relentlessly, fearlessly, and intelligently. After his stint at Southampton, the Senegalese forward brought directness and efficiency to Liverpool’s front three under Jurgen Kloo, balancing Mohamed Salah’s finesse and Roberto Firmino’s craft with his sheer explosiveness.
Mané didn’t need to showboat, but he let his numbers and work rate do the talking. Time and again, he popped up with vital goals, making him effective and clutch.
Whether in Southampton red or Liverpool crimson, Mané carved out a legacy of a wide man who entertained and delivered.
6. Arjen Robben
Robben’s time in the Premier League may have been short, but it was sharp. Before he became synonymous with “cutting inside from the right” at Bayern, he was slicing up defenders in Chelsea blue. Injuries denied him a longer stint, but when fit, Robben was lightning in a bottle.
That low centre of gravity, electric pace, and that signature move, which everyone knew was coming, and yet no one could stop, were his trademarks.
His contributions during Chelsea’s rise under Jose Mourinho shouldn’t be overlooked, and while his prime came elsewhere, he laid the blueprint for the modern inverted winger in England.
5. Robert Pires
Watching Robert Pires glide across the pitch was like watching poetry set to motion. Rarely rushed, never rattled, the Frenchman played with a smoothness that belied the chaos of English football. For Arsenal, Pires was more than a support act, he was often the silent match-winner.
With his clever positioning and effortless dribbling, he added class to a team already loaded with it. A vital cog in Arsenal’s “Invincibles” machine, Pires combined goals, assists, and intelligence in a way few wingers could. Stylish but always effective, he was elegance personified on the flank.
4. Eden Hazard
At his best, Eden Hazard was unplayable. He didn’t only run, he slithered. With a low centre of gravity and razor-sharp instincts, he could turn defenders inside out before they even realised the ball had left his feet. At Chelsea, he was the magician, the match-winner, the one-man counterattack.
He didn’t rack up the same volume of goals as some others on this list, but when he struck, it often meant something — a game-changer, a title-tilter, a clutch performance. Hazard was good and box office. One of the few players who made fans buy tickets to watch him.
3. Ryan Giggs
Longevity is a superpower, and Ryan Giggs wielded it like no other. For more than two decades, he graced the Premier League stage, constantly adapting while never losing his essence. In his youth, he was all pace and flair, and a nightmare down the left. In later years, he evolved into a composed, cerebral playmaker.
Through it all, he remained a Manchester United icon. Thirteen league titles. Most assists in Premier League history. Over 600 appearances. Giggs wasn’t solely a great winger, he was the living thread that ran through United’s golden era and aged like fine wine.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in the Premier League was nothing short of a transformation, both for himself and the role of a wide player. He arrived at Manchester United as a flashy teenager, all stepovers and raw promise, but under Sir Alex Ferguson’s relentless guidance, that potential was sharpened into pure end product.
By the time he departed for Real Madrid, he’d smashed the 30-goal barrier in a single league season and claimed a Ballon d’Or to his name. What made him stand out? A relentless hunger to evolve, an obsession with improvement, and an unmatched work ethic.
Ronaldo turned the winger role inside out, no longer just a creator on the flank, but a clinical, goal-hungry force. With him came flair, ambition, silverware, and a legacy that reshaped how the modern wide man is defined.
1. Mohamed Salah
From forgotten man at Chelsea to undisputed legend at Liverpool, Mohamed Salah’s ascent is one of modern football’s most compelling arcs.
He redefines what it means to be a winger, part creator, part predator. His movement is instinctive, his left foot razor-sharp, and his consistency is simply staggering.
Since returning to England, Salah has hit 19+ league goals in every single season, a feat most strikers can only dream of. More importantly, he’s been at the heart of Liverpool’s revival, winning the league twice, the Champions League, and three Golden Boots along the way.
The numbers are elite, the moments unforgettable. Mohamed Salah isn’t just the best winger in Premier League history, he’s one of its greatest ever players, full stop.
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