The 10 Best Premier League Right Wingers of All Time

The Premier League has produced some truly spectacular wide players since its first season in 1992–93.

The left flank has perhaps received more of the spotlight over the years, home to legends such as Ryan Giggs and Eden Hazard, as well as modern greats like Sadio Mané. But the right side has hardly been short of talent.

Some were devastating goalscorers, others were creators, and a few simply made defenders’ lives miserable every weekend. What they all share is a lasting impact on the right wing of England’s top-flight.

So, let’s get into it. Here are Sports Illustrated’s 10 greatest right wingers in Premier League history.

How We Ranked the Premier League’s Greatest Right Wingers

Peak & Longevity—How good was the player at his absolute best, how long did he stay there and how consistently did he perform across his Premier League career?

Ability—Wingers are entertainers as much as they are producers. Dribbling, pace, technique, creativity, finishing, crossing, movement and the ability to beat a defender all factor heavily.

Legacy—Trophies and individual awards matter, but so do iconic moments, influence, longevity and the mark each player left on his club and the Premier League itself.

10. Juan Mata

Chelsea's Juan Mata opens the scoring against Norwich City at Carrow Road. — Juan Mata could play multiple roles. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

The fact that a player as talented as Juan Mata failed to win a Premier League title over the course of his career is outrageous, but there can be no denying how good the Spaniard was.

Chelsea had spotted his increasing influence at Valencia, and it didn’t take long for Fernando Torres to persuade his fellow countryman that the Premier League was the place to be, despite its increased physicality. Mata certainly wasn’t bothered, taking to the league like a duck to water.

He was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year in his first two seasons and finished the 2012–13 campaign with the most Premier League assists. Surprisingly, he departed Chelsea a year later, joining a Manchester United side that were about to embark on an unforeseen slide post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

Nevertheless, Mata’s ingenuity shone through for years to come, and he often provided moments of magic to get United going—few as impressive as his beautifully taken goal at Liverpool in March 2015.

9. Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka’s career is still in its infancy, yet his early breakthrough at Arsenal has made it feel like he’s been around forever.

A Premier League champion and central figure in Arsenal’s revival under Mikel Arteta, Saka has already racked up more than 100 combined goals and assists in the competition, establishing himself as one of the top flight’s premier attacking threats.

Much like the great Arjen Robben, his modus operandi move isn’t exactly a secret. Saka loves receiving the ball on the right, cutting inside onto his left foot and going for goal. Predictable? Perhaps. Easy to stop? Absolutely not.

8. Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman Liverpool — Steve McManaman left Liverpool for Madrid in 1999. | Stuart Atkins/Offside/Getty Images

You don’t spend four years as a regular starter for Real Madrid without being some player—and Steve McManaman certainly was. And it was his performances for boyhood club Liverpool earned him a move to the Santiago Bernabéu in 1999, where he would go on to win two Champions League titles.

At Liverpool, McManaman was a wonderfully elegant and energetic wide player, combining silky dribbling with excellent two-footedness that allowed him to beat defenders on either side—bursting around them or cutting inside. He also had a knack for arriving in dangerous areas and contributing goals.

He finished his Premier League career with 41 goals and 59 assists, although one of those assists came during his relatively forgettable late spell with Manchester City.

7. Freddie Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg Arsenal — Freddie Ljungberg’s mohawk was iconic. | Clive Brunskill/Allsport/Getty Images

Calvin Klein model. Premier League star. Freddie Ljungberg really was the full package.

Of course, we’re talking about his soccer career—not the underwear ads—and there is plenty to admire. Blessed with intelligent movement, clever positioning and a knack for arriving late in the box, the Swedish winger was one of the Premier League’s most effective wide players for nearly a decade.

He was also one of Arsenal’s greatest bargains. Signed from Swedish club Halmstads for just £3 million ($4 million), Ljungberg went on to score 72 goals and provide 40 assists in all competitions for the Gunners. Along the way, he won two Premier League titles, became part of the legendary Invincibles and was named the league’s Player of the Season in 2001–02.

6. Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling celebrates for Manchester City against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. — Raheem Sterling terrorized defenses on both wings. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

Raheem Sterling burst onto the scene at Liverpool, forming part of a devastating attacking front three alongside Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge. But it was after he’d moved to Manchester City in a blockbuster transfer—brought about by his refusal to sign a new contract—that he really came to life.

Under Pep Guardiola’s management in particular, Sterling became the finished article. He tore defenses to shreds with his approach play—bursting to the byline with pace or cutting inside the fullback with an incisive run—and became a regular goalscorer as City took a stranglehold of the Premier League.

The fluency of his link-up play with Sergio Agüero, Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sané was a joy to behold, and it was no surprise that he was named FWA Footballer of the Year during 2018–19.

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5. Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale celebrates scoring Tottenham’s fourth and his hat trick away at Aston Villa. — Gareth Bale put together one of the best individual Premier League seasons ever seen. | David Davies/PA Images/Getty Images

There was a two-year period where Gareth Bale was not only the best right winger in the Premier League, but he was (probably) the best overall player in the division.

His electrifying coming-of-age at Tottenham Hotspur eventually yielded a record-breaking move to Real Madrid, but the Welshman first put the Premier League to the sword to win two PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards and earn three successive nominations into the PFA Team of the Year.

His 2012–13 campaign was particularly ridiculous, as his pace, power and finishing ability carved apart every opponent he came up against. 21 goals understated Bale’s brilliance for Spurs, with few surprised with what he went on to achieve in Madrid.

4. Riyad Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez Man City — Riyad Mahrez was electric. | Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Name a player with a better first touch than Riyad Mahrez. We’ll wait.

If you’re struggling, go back and watch his ridiculous assist for Jamie Vardy against Manchester City in 2016–17—ironically, against the club he would later join. One touch, one flick, one utterly ridiculous piece of control. Still waiting.

But Mahrez—an unlikely Premier League champion with Leicester City before becoming a four-time winner with Manchester City—was far more than a silky first touch. Quick, outrageously skilful and armed with a wand of a left foot, the Algerian could conjure something from almost nothing—a player who so often made the extraordinary look routine.

3. David Beckham

David Beckham Man Utd — Becks was an icon on and off the pitch. | Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

David Beckham was technically more of a wide midfielder than a traditional winger, but leaving him off any Premier League right-sided ranking would feel absurd.

Very few players in league history, perhaps only Kevin De Bruyne, could match the quality of Beckham’s right foot. Whipped crosses, curling free kicks and even goals from inside his own half—his delivery was a weapon unlike almost anything the Premier League had seen.

The lack of explosive pace mattered little. Beckham’s technique, vision and crossing ability were so exceptional that he could dictate games from the flank, helping Manchester United win six Premier League titles in the process.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd — Cristiano Ronaldo made his name at Manchester United. | Andrew Yates/Getty Images

It took Cristiano Ronaldo just a few seasons at Manchester United to go from raw, showboating teenager to footballing phenomenon. By 2008, he had exploded into one of the most feared players on the planet, scoring a ridiculous 42 goals as United lifted both the Premier League and Champions League. The Ballon d’Or followed, cementing his arrival among the game’s elite.

He left for Real Madrid a year later, but when he returned to Old Trafford in 2021 at 36, there was no victory lap or nostalgia act. Ronaldo simply carried on scoring, finding the net 24 times in all competitions during his first full season back and once again emerging as United’s undisputed star.

The comeback was a reminder of Ronaldo’s extraordinary longevity—and of the enormous hole he had left behind. His return didn’t just reaffirm his status as a Premier League icon; it showed, in painfully clear terms, how far United had drifted since he first walked away.

1. Mohamed Salah

Mo Salah Liverpool — Mo Salah eventually left Liverpool in the summer of 2026. | Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Statistically, no right winger in Premier League history can really match Mohamed Salah. Across 315 top-flight appearances, the Egyptian scored 191 goals, the fourth-highest total in league history, while adding 94 assists.

His trophy cabinet is just as impressive: two Premier League titles, three PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards, three Footballer of the Year honors, four Golden Boots and a Puskás Award.

Quite the résumé.

Salah wasn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing player to watch—and his later years at Liverpool were clouded by uncertainty over his future—but on his day he was absolutely unplayable. His end product was relentless, his ability to deliver in the big moments constant and his legend at Liverpool solidified.

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