Top 10 wingers in World Football

Playing on the wing is a difficult skill to master in the modern game. And credited to this, ‘The Winger’ is becoming a dying breed in the game, but there are still players who routinely run havoc on the flanks. We present to you the list of top 10 wingers in the world.

10) Memphis Depay

The 21-year-old was Eredivisie’s top scorer and player of the season last season and this feat of his at such young age made him one of the best wingers in Europe last thus leading to a 4 year contract at Manchester United.

Brought in from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of £25m by Luis van Gaal, Depay has been handed the iconic number  7 shirt at Old Trafford.

9) Franck Ribery

The 31-year-old Frenchman has still got what it takes to a classy and a dangerous winger. Though recently we may not have heard much about him as his season was hampered by injuries but Ribery is still lethal with his pace, dribbling skills and perfect crossing. Having retired from the national team, the Bayern Munich star can now focus on elongating his club career as the German champions seem to have suffered in his absence being knocked out from the semis of UEFA Champions League in the consecutive seasons.

8) Marco Reus

The 26-year-old German has been sensational in the last two to three years. Reus who plays for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga has great pace and his ball control is exquisite with both of his feet.

Playing a direct brand of football, Reus has been outstandingly good at finding spaces behind the wing backs, and in exploiting them as well. He is also a good crosser of the ball, as well as being a definite threat in dead ball situations.

7) Gareth Bale

Seventh spot in this list is occupied by the 25-year-old Welshman as he became the most expensive player after Cristiano Ronaldo when Florentino Perez bought him from Tottenham Hotspur for a whopping 100 million Euros. He is known for his long runs with the ball along the wings creating havoc for the defenders. Bale sure is a very difficult player to stop when he plays on the wings given his lethal pace and strength. Although he was booed by Madrid fans during some home matches due to some below par performances, but still the Madrid number 11 remains a beast when playing at his absolute best.

6) Arjen Robben

In a season hampered by Injuries, the 31-year-old still managed to score 17 goals in just 20 league appearances with 7 assists. The Netherland international is world renowned for cutting inside from the right wing with a fiery pace that has troubled defenses for a long period of time. He was also instrumental in his team reaching the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup as the Bayern Number 10 managed to score 3 goals and was one of the candidates for the trophy for the best player of the tournament. The major criticism is that the Dutchman tends to fall to ground too easily and his penchant for the theatrical can leave defenders seething.

 

5) Alexis Sanchez

Bought from Barcelona, Alexis Sanchez turned out to be the best summer signings as the Chilean number 7 produced some of his career’s best football for Arsene Wenger. Also, given his compatibility with the fast paced Premier League style of play, the 28-year-old is bound to have success in the upcoming season as the Gunners are desperate to go above the 4 spot and prove themselves a strong candidate for the Premier League title.

4) Eden Hazard

Touted as one of the best young talents in the World Football, the Belgium international is a world-class dribbler and has scored some amazing goals under the regime of Jose Mourinho. His partnership with Costa and Fabregas were instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League 2014-15.

 
3) Neymar Junior

So many people were skeptical about Neymar Jr’s purchase by Barcelona. Among them was Dutch and Barca legend Johan Cruyff. But the 22 year old Brazilian proved all wrong as he was the joint top scorer of UEFA Champions League 2014-15 along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having scored in the Quarter Final, Semi Final and the Final. He was also the third top scorer of La Liga after Ronaldo and Messi.  Such is his talent that Barca management are now planning to renew his contract to shed off the vultures making him the highest payed player in the club after Messi. One of the best young talents in the world, the Brazilian is definitely a future Ballon d’Or winner.

2) Cristiano Ronaldo 

Undoubtedly one of the greatest showmen of this sport, the Portugal captain has dazzled at the wing for the best part of the decade and if it wasn’t for a certain 4 trophy winning Barca number 10, he would have been at the top of this list. Nevertheless, the Real Madrid superstar won the Pichichi, the UEFA top scorer trophy along with Messi and Neymar for which the number 7 scored an incredible whoscored.com rating of 8.48.  However, on failing to inspire the team to the any of the accolades, the Real Madrid man occupies the second spot.

1) Lionel Messi

Recently awarded with the best player in Europe for his contributions in making Barcelona the best team in Europe, Messi also became the only player to have won this award twice. He was also whoscored.com player of the season with the highest rating of 8.84.

Traditionally a center forward, the Argentine ace was shifted to the right wing by Luis Enrique to bring out the best of Luis Suarez. And this decision turned to be a game changer for both Messi and Barca as it brought out possibly the best ever form of Leo. The Rosario born forward became the player to have given the maximum assists in the Champions League and the Spanish League thus inventing a new dimension of himself, evolving into an even lethal player.

The Barca wizard is still only 28- a fact that looks so unrealistic to the rest of the mortals given the loads of individual and national team honors he has collected during his illustrious career.