20 Best Wingers in Premier League History
The Premier League has seen some world-class wingers since 1992, with Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah the current best player in the top flight.
The Egyptian King has extended his stay at Anfield and looks set to continue to light up the division, but where does Salah rank among the best wingers in Premier League history?
Ranking factors Appearances Goals Assists Titles What others have said about them 20 best wingers in Premier League history: in pictures 20 Leroy Sane Man City
Arguably one of the quickest left-wingers the Premier League has seen, Leroy Sane’s spell at Man City under Pep Guardiola was extremely successful.
The German was one of Guardiola’s first signings at the Etihad and would destroy full-backs with his pace alone, with the Spaniard calling Sane “the best wide player in the world” in 2019.
Games
90
Goals
25
Assists
28
Titles
2
19 Harry Kewell Leeds, Liverpool
After coming through Leeds United’s academy, Harry Kewell made a big impact in the Premier League with the Whites and then Liverpool between 1996-2008.
The Australian, could score all sorts of goals, beat defenders with ease and use his pace to great effect and won the Young Player of the Year in the Premier League in 1999/00.
Games
274
Goals
57
Assists
38
18 Alexis Sanchez Arsenal, Man Utd
Alexis Sanchez’s Premier League career may have been stained slightly due to how his time at Man Utd went, however, he lit up the division with Arsenal between 2014-2018.
Under Arsene Wenger, Sanchez would be the Gunners’ main man in attack, so it’s no surprise that the legendary Arsenal manager would call the Chile star a winger who has “something special”.
Games
154
Goals
63
Assists
31
17 Bukayo Saka Arsenal
Over his career, Bukayo Saka could quite easily rise up this list even higher, and he has already made a big impact for Arsenal since turning professional in 2018.
The England international has become a key player for club and country, cutting in off the right to score with his left foot on a regular basis. Regarded as one of the best attackers in the world, Saka has even been called Thierry Henry’s “favourite player” and “one of the best players in Europe” by Robert Pires.
Games
200
Goals
55
Assists
45
16 Marc Overmars Arsenal
Continuing the trend of great Arsenal wingers brings us to Marc Overmars, who would star in his first season in north London to help the club win their first Premier League title in 1997/98.
The Dutch speedster was called “world-class” by Arsene Wenger and also had great technical ability, so it wasn’t a shock when Barcelona paid big money for Overmars after three years at Highbury.
Games
100
Goals
25
Assists
14
Titles
1
15 Steve McManaman Liverpool, Man City
An academy graduate at Liverpool, Steve McManaman’s ability to dribble past defenders with ease was frightening, and he was key for the Reds out wide in the 1990s.
Going down as an arguably an underrated Liverpool legend, McManaman’s displays caught the eye of Real Madrid, where he would go on to become ‘the most successful English player to head overseas’.
Games
275
Goals
41
Assists
59
14 John Barnes Liverpool, Newcastle
John Barnes was approaching 30 years of age when the Premier League was formed, however, he arguably saved the best years of his career as a winger in the latter stages of his career.
Barnes was even called “the best player” Jamie Carragher has ever trained with and the “best finisher” ahead of Fernando Torres, Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler, which says all you need to know about how good Barnes was at Anfield.
Games
201
Goals
28
Assists
29
13 Freddie Ljungberg Arsenal, West Ham
After scoring seconds into his debut against Man Utd in 1998, Freddie Ljungberg didn’t look back and would go on to become a Premier League great.
The skilful Swedish winger would win two titles under Arsene Wenger and had a knack of scoring important goals for the Gunners. His career in north London has seen him recognised as the 11th best player in Arsenal’s history.
Games
241
Goals
48
Assists
29
Player of the Season
1
Titles
2
12 David Ginola Newcastle, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Everton
Iconic winger David Ginola lit up the Premier League in the 1990s and will be best remembered for his time at Newcastle and Tottenham, so much so he was voted PFA Player of the Year during Man Utd’s treble-winning season.
Ginola’s ability to dribble past defenders with ease was his main attribute, and he made the game look extremely easy in his prime, being named among the top 10 Frenchman to play in the Premier League.
Games
195
Goals
21
Assists
42
Player of the Season
1
11 Son Heung-min Tottenham
Son Heung-min has shown during his time at Spurs that he can do it all. Create, take defenders on, score every type of goal, the South Korea star has lit up the division for more than 10 years now.
Regarded as ‘the best finisher in world football’, Son also became the first player from Asia to score more than 100 goals in the Premier League and even won the Golden Boot with 23 goals in 35 games in 2021/22.
Games
333
Goals
127
Assists
71
Golden Boot
1