Best wingers in the world 2026

A winger skinning a full-back remains one of the best sights in football. It elicits a proper response from fans in the stadium. It gets them off their seats.

The days of wide men hugging the touchline and whipping the ball into the box for strikers to head home have been well and truly consigned to the history books, though. It's all about wide forwards cutting in or drifting centrally to offer more of a goal threat in the modern game.

A top winger will cost a team a pretty penny and they're under pressure to deliver the goods for their teams. Some of the biggest names in the games operate out wide and it's a tricky task narrowing down the best to just 10. We've taken their ability, recent success and output into account to compile our ranking.

You won’t find the likes of Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe, who we’ve got down as strikers, on this list but it is certainly not short on talent.

RadioTimes.com brings you our definitive list of the 10 best wingers in the world in 2026.

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10. Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor)

He might be in the twilight years of his career, but we couldn't leave out Mohamed Salah. One of the greatest players to grace the Premier League, the Egyptian remains a deadly threat in front of goal.

The Egyptian King is capable of moments of pure magic and boasts a CV stacked with silverware. Joining Trabzonspor from Liverpool raised a few eyebrows, but he's taken his new club by storm in the opening weeks of the 2026/27 season.

9. Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich)

If you want a solid winger capable of producing decent numbers on a regular basis then there are few better than Luis Diaz. The 29-year-old also seems to be getting better with age after bagging 26 goals in 51 appearances across all season for Bayern Munich in 2025/26.

Diaz brings energy, deadly dribbling and quality pressing to the table. The Colombia international's also a trophy-winning machine after helping Porto, Liverpool and Bayern to silverware.

8. Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

The king of Stamford Bridge has not looked back since his gutsy call to leave Man City. His talents as both a goalscorer and a creator have made him one of the Premier League’s best attackers.

While his profile does not scream traditional winger or even a wide forward, Palmer does his best worth drifting in off the right to devastating effect. After being left out of England's 2026 World Cup squad, he has a point to prove if he's to rise our rankings.

7. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Bukayo Saka has become one of the Premier League's biggest names after starring for Arsenal. The Hale End graduate has scored more than 80 goals in north of 300 games for the Gunners.

He’s shown his class on the international stage as well, winning England Men’s Player of the Year on multiple occasions and producing some big moments at tournaments.

6. Raphinha (Barcelona)

Relentless is the word that best describes Raphinha. The 29-year-old’s lightning pace, lethal finishing and industry out of possession make him a real weapon for Barcelona.

The Brazilian took a while to reach the top of the game, but he's become Barca's main man. In addition to three La Liga titles, he topped the Champions League scoring charts in 2024/25 and has started the 2026/27 in red-hot form after being handed the captain's armband by Hansi Flick.

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5. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

The most remarkable thing about Michael Olise’s meteoric rise – from Reading to Bayern Munich via Selhurst Park – has been the ease with which he’s taken his game to new levels.

Olise can do it all. He has the quick feet to breeze past defenders with ease, the vision to create something out of nothing, and the technical quality to find the top corner from anywhere. As well as being named Bayern Munich's best player for the last two season, he delivered the goods at the 2026 World Cup.

4. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)

There’s something magic about Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Paris Saint-Germain winger’s dazzling footwork, unpredictability, and penchant for the spectacular make him one of the most exciting players to watch in world football.

‘Kvaradona’ helped deliver Napoli’s first Serie A title in 33 years, was the star man as Georgia caught the eye at Euro 2024, and helped deliver back-to-back Champions League titles for PSG. A proper talent.

3. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

Vinicius Jr is a defender’s nightmare. The deadly pace has always been there, but there is now an inevitability about his play. You cannot stop him.

The Brazilian has more than justified the €45million that Real Madrid spent on him as a 16-year-old and thrived under the huge pressure at the Bernabeu. Quite simply, he has the x-factor you look for in a winger.

2. Ousmane Dembele (PSG)

Ousmane Dembele’s world-class potential was never in doubt, but the Frenchman has shed the injuries and inconsistency to finally live up to the billing in Paris.

Dembele spearheaded Paris Saint-Germain to their maiden Champions League trophy in 2025 and his brilliance was rewarded with that year's Ballon d'Or. He was integral to PSG retaining their European title and has a CV that lives up to his evident talent.

1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

Barcelona's teenage sensation may have been pipped to the 2025 Ballon d'Or by Dembele, but he sits at the head of our list. Lamine Yamal has risen to superstar status at the age of just 19 and the scary thing is that the best is probably yet to come.

Since his breakout season in 2023/24, the La Masia product has established himself as a key weapon for Barcelona and Spain – firing them both to silverware. The Spanish league and World Cup double in 2026 could see him go one better in the latest Ballon d'Or vote.

Who is the best winger in the world?

He's still a teenager and already the best winger in the world, Lamine Yamal is special.

Dribbling, scoring, creating, entertaining – he does the lot and produces the goods at a truly world class level. Yamal is to be enjoyed.

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