Talking about Premier League wingers reminds everyone of players such as Ryan Giggs or Mohammed Salah running down the wing. The toughest league in European football has had plenty of talented players at various clubs but in all the top players, the Premier League wingers have played a special role on the pitch. In recent years we have seen that these EPL wing players are not just ones who set up the goal but score them too! One may say they are as important as a striker today.
Out of many great EPL wing players, it was difficult to narrow down who is the best winger in Premier League history, but we at Man’s Life have shortened it down to five of the best. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best wingers in Premier League history.
Best Wingers In The Premier League History
Here are the top 5 premier league wingers of all time that stole the show in their prime.
5. ROBERT PIRES – ARSENAL
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Being a part of one of the best Arsenal sides we have ever seen, Robert Pires is widely considered as one of Premier League wingers. During his prime time with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, Pires operated as a winger as well as an attacking midfielder but usually playing on the left flank, he was very well known for his dribbling and goal-scoring ability which made him one of the best EPL wing players of all time. The Frenchman was also part of some lethal partnerships in the Arsenal attack with players like Dennis Bergkamp, Freddie Ljungberg, and Thierry Henry. The Premier League winger also played a key role in Arsenal’s historic journey in being crowned as the invincibles back in the 03/04 season. He showed his best form from the year 2002 to 2005 where he managed to bag 14 goals in the league, in all three seasons.
4. DAVID BECKHAM – MANCHESTER UNITED
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David Beckham is arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time and completely deserves his spot in this list of top Premier League wingers. Beckham spent eleven years at Old Trafford achieved a lot, both at a personal and team level. The EPL wing player who was known for his magical right foot was capable of the extraordinary and was often seen whipping his signature inswinging crosses into the box. The former Man United player was also an excellent set-piece taker and was capable of bending the ball like ‘himself’. To justify his addition to this list of top EPL wing players, Beckham scored 85 goals and provided 101 assists in his 338 appearances for Manchester United.
3. EDEN HAZARD – CHELSEA
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We all remember a young player wearing the #10 jersey dancing down the wing at Chelsea, don’t we?. After his move to Real Madrid in the 2019 Premier League summer transfer window, Eden Hazard had that x-factor in him to become the greatest winger of all time but injuries and lack of game-time did not help his cause. However, during his time at Stamford Bridge, Hazard absolutely ruled the Premier League. The Belgian international was the complete package at Chelsea scoring 85 goals overall and winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2014/15 where his contributions were very valuable along Chelsea’s road to becoming PL champions. Some would say that if Hazard had stayed at Chelsea, he had the potential to become one of the best Premier League wingers of all time.
2. CRISTIANO RONALDO – MANCHESTER UNITED
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How can we talk about the best Premier League Wingers without mentioning the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo? The Portuguese legend’s first stint at Manchester United from 2003 to 2009, Ronaldo was an all-out winger and built his reputation as one of the GOATs in world football. Known for his quick/tricky dribbling skills and long-range accuracy, Ronaldo has always been a menace to the opposition defense. Ronaldo made a total of 292 appearances for the Red Devils before leaving for Real Madrid, scoring a total of 118 goals and providing 69 assists. Having signed once again for United this summer, Ronaldo already has five goals in six appearances and has his eye on the #1 spot in being the best EPL wing player.
1. MOHAMED SALAH – LIVERPOOL
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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is a classic example of how the role of premier league wingers has changed from just being goal providers to goal scorers. Since joining Liverpool, Salah has evolved from a regular right-winger to one of the best players in world football by displaying some ridiculous consistency of scoring 20+ league goals ever since he joined the league while earning the most number of points in the Fantasy Premier League as an EPL wing player! In his 152 appearances for the club, Salah has bagged a total of 101 league goals for the Reds and has also provided more than 50 assists. One of his best seasons was his first one with Liverpool in which he went on to score 32 goals in a single season (most by any player in PL history). In the current season (21/22), The Egyptian King has managed to bag 16 goals and nine assists in just twenty games and has broken the record of most goals scored by an African in the PL which makes him the best winger in the Premier League at the moment.
Honorable Mentions:
Like we said before, it was really difficult to narrow it down to just these five to be the best Premier League winger and as a result, there have been some big names who missed on the list. Some honarable mentions when it comes to premier league wingers are: Freddie Ljungberg, Ryan Giggs, Sadio Mane, Riyadh Mahrez and Gareth Bale.
[Image Credit: Mohamed Salah]
Shashank Iyer