Ranking the 10 best RWs in world football for 2023

Who are the best right wingers in world football today in 2023 as we head into the calendar year 2024?

Here is an updated list of the top 10 players at the position. Since inverted wingers are all the rage and left-footed players are scarcer than right-footed ones, it is especially difficult to find a world-class right winger capable of scoring goals and creating chances. So the players on this list are highly coveted.

The ranking is based on a combination of overall pedigree and current performance, with the latter being the deciding factor. Players who are no longer primarily right wingers were discarded, such as Antoine Griezmann, while players who are better in other positions and not as consistent on the right wing, such as Rodrygo Goes, were not ranked as highly when specifically looking at RWs.

10. Edon Zhegrova, Lille

If you are looking for the next big thing at the right wing position, then look no further than Lille’s new great talent Edon Zhegrova. Astute Ligue 1 followers probably already had him on their radar last season, as the young prospect impressed in his limited minutes. Now that he’s a regular starter for Les Dogues, Zhegorva legitimately looks like one of the best players in the League of Talents right now.

Look at his stats to start the 2023/24 league campaign. Zhegrova has four goal contributions in 633 minutes, averaging two key passes per 90 minutes with 4.1 dribbles completed per 90. He is one of the most skilled dribblers in European football and a rapidly-ascending talent at the age of 24. Maybe that makes Zhegrova a bit of a late bloomer, but it’s better late than never. Zhegrova is one of the most underrated names on this list.

9. Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham

Dejan Kulusevski is in the spotlight at Tottenham, but his quality play on the right flank is nothing new. Back in 2019/20, Kulusevski was the best young player in Serie A while starting games for Parma. At Juventus the following season, Kulu was miscast as a right-sided midfielder in a 4-4-2, playing too far away from goal to make a real impact on games. Tottenham rescued him when Fabio Paratici moved from Turin to North London, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This season, the 23-year-old has scored three goals and is averaging more than two chances created per match for Spurs. He’s also putting up 1.5 dribbles completed per match. Kulusevski is dynamic and highly effective in the final third. The left-footed Swedish international is still only 23 despite having an established track record in European football in two very different leagues. In addition to already being a star-quality option, Kulu still has plenty of future potential.

8. Ousmane Dembélé, PSG

Ousmane Dembélé is a difficult player to get a read on. In theory, he should be one of the top three players at the position. Few footballers on this planet are capable of Dembélé change-of-direction, agility, explosiveness in short spaces, and sheer technical quality off the dribble. Dembélé is two-footed and scores some of the prettiest, most effortless goals you see when he finesses his way into the inside.

The problem is that Dembélé is maddeningly inconsistent. He misses so many sitters, has terrible cold patches in seasons, and is sadly one of the most injury-prone wingers in world football. Dembélé joined PSG this past summer in a surprise transfer from Barcelona, coming off a very up-and-down season for the defending Spanish champions. And since joining the Ligue 1 giants, Dembélé has been just as inconsistent.

Because it’s so hard to trust Dembélé, the two-footed Frenchman has to be ranked far lower than his actual talent level. When it comes to his production, it’s pretty good, but it’s nowhere near the elite levels he looked capable of reaching while a young player for Rennes and Borussia Dortmund.

7. Nicolás González, Fiorentina

Fiorentina has produced some great talents like Federico Chiesa and Dušan Vlahović, and now Nicolás González deserves more praise for being one of the best right wingers in the world right now. The 25-year-old from Stuttgart has been coming into his own for Fiorentina in the year 2023, first playing a crucial role in the Viola’s march to both the Conference League and Coppa Italia Final. He scored some very clutch goals.

González is off to an even better start in the 2023/24 Serie A season. The Argentinian international has already found the back of the net five times, averaging an exciting 3.3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game. When he is in the mood, González is just about unstoppable on the ball and never stops running. He is the kind of player who can lead an attack and score matchwinning goals out of nowhere.

While González’s placement on this list ahead of Dembélé and even Kulusevski may surprise some people, that speaks to the quality he has shown in 2023 for a Fiorentina side that doesn’t have as many surrounding star players as Tottenham or PSG. González is the main one leading the way.

6. Takefusa Kubo, Real Sociedad

There are so many superstar attacking players in LaLiga like Jude Bellingham, Antoine Griezmann, Vinícius Júnior, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri, but Takefusa Kubo has legitimately been as good as any of them since the 2022/23 season started and he arrived in the lovely city of San Sebastián.

Kubo joined La Real from Real Madrid, having spent seasons with Mallorca, Villarreal, and Getafe on loan. Out of all those three clubs, Kubo only looked like a threat in Mallorca, and, even then, his 2021/22 season was a bit more timid than the Merengue club were hoping from that loan return to the island.

Real Sociedad snapped up the talented Japenese international, and he’s been on fire since joining the high-flying attacking side, becoming arguably the Champions League-caliber outfit’s best player. Kubo looks even more ruthless in front of goal this season as a right-sided playmaker, scoring five goals and adding two assists as La Real’s decisive man. Still only 22 years old, Kubo has become a true superstar in world football.

5. Phil Foden, Manchester City

Speaking of great young talents, Phil Foden hasn’t fully found a position he will start at weekly for Manchester City, but he has mostly been playing on the right side of the attack and doing a great job. Many of the criticisms of Foden make no sense. They either seem to come from jealous rivals or overly demanding fans who expect far too much from young players.

Foden is a phenom who is living up to the hype Pep Guardiola gave him. Intelligent and versatile, Foden has few weaknesses, and while he isn’t blowing anyone away in one particular area, the England international’s game is all about consistency in a side that prides itself on possession and tactical discipline.

With three goals and three assists to start the 2023/24 Premier League season, the 23-year-old Foden is still very much affecting the final scoreline for the Citizens. He works hard to progress the ball, create chances, and contribute positively to the team’s ball-winning efforts in defense.

4. Domenico Berardi, Sassuolo

Perhaps the summer 2024 transfer window will be the time Domenico Berardi finally waves goodbye to Sassuolo and joins Juventus, but until then, the veteran right winger is one of the most heartwarming stories of loyalty in world football. And nobody would blame him for leaving for a European giant in the pursuit of more glory and gold, given all that he has done for Sassuolo over the years. Honestly, most fans are shocked he hasn’t joined a top club yet.

That’s because Berardi’s track record of success as a goal-scorer, creator, and leader for the Neroverdi is difficult to match at the right wing position. Berardi has scored at least 12 goals in 6 different Serie A seasons, including in 2022/23 when many fans around the league were writing him off after injuries slowed him to start the campaign. The Italian international still finished with 19 total goal contributions.

The season before, though, Berardi was one of the most statistically brilliant players in European football and would have received Ballon d’Or love on any team other than Sassuolo. He scored 15 goals with 14 assists, averaging 2.5 key passes and 2.3 fouls drawn per game. Berardi can score some of the most wonderful goals you will see, and he has a knack for making important plays when Sassuolo need him the most. Talk about being a leader.

3. Leroy Sané, Bayern Munich

Harry Kane is getting a ton of deserved praise in the city of München, but Leroy Sané has arguably been just as impressive. The winger is capable of playing virtually any position at Bayern. He has been a right winger, left winger, playmaker, and even an 8 for the Bavarian giants.

Sané is finally fulfilling his destiny as one of the best players in European football and one of the three best in the Bundesliga after years of good but inconsistent play since joining the club from Manchester City a few years ago. He has really blossomed under Thomas Tuchel, showing more confidence in his flicks and moves in transition. Sané has more of a license to roam, shoot, and lead attacks, with Tuchel giving him confidence in his athletic ability.

Few wingers can execute technical finishes or difficult passes like Sané. He is such an intelligent footballer with a knack for finding the kinds of creative solutions that managers like Tuchel rave about. Sané is in his prime at the age of 27, and he’s already sitting on eight goals and four assists in ten Bundesliga matches. Maybe better yet, he’s averaging a staggering 2.8 key passes and 4.0 dribbles completed per game.

You can count on one hand the number of players around the continent who have been as good as Sané in the 2023/24 season. This is the level he has always been capable of reaching, and the scary thing is that there is no indication that he will be unable to sustain an elite performance. Watching him play has been a joy.

2. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal

Rarely do you associate the highest level of consistency with a 22-year-old, but Bukayo Saka has never been just any U23 player. The England international played a vital role in Arsenal nearly winning the Premier League title against the preseason odds in 2022/23, scoring 14 goals with 11 assists while filling up the stat sheet as a creator and progressor.

Saka is so important to Arsenal tactically because of his willingness to hold width, lead attacks, and cut inside and score goals himself when the occasion calls for it. A true leader at his age, Saka is so indispensable to Arsenal that the minute he is unavailable in the lineup, you can see a clear dropoff on the pitch.

Wise beyond his years, Saka always puts the team first and is one of the hardest-working wingers in world football. Though he can score and assist like a superstar, Saka is as humble as a workhorse, box-to-box midfielder. To have that in a young, inverted winger is something truly special. Saka deserves all the praise he gets from the Arsenal faithful.

1. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

Mohamed Salah has set the standard at the right wing position for years, and that hasn’t changed in the year 2023. The Egyptian international remains the cream of the crop on the right side of the attack, with the 31-year-old actually matching Sané’s 8 goals and 4 assists in the Premier League.

One of those players so many take for granted, Salah is consistently elite in every season, producing decisive performances and staggering statistics, even when Liverpool aren’t at their best. And when the Reds are a bit off the pace, it is Salah who is carrying them, putting the team on his back as a creator and progressor and stepping up in ways besides goal-scoring. Yet some mainstream pundits and fans don’t give him that due.

Salah once scored 32 goals in a Premier League season for Liverpool. He consistently averages double-digit goals and assists, even as his reputation is mostly based on explosive goal-scoring. Even above the age of 30, Salah remains an athlete in his prime, dominating defenders. His playing style is becoming more creative with age, but since he saves his legs, he can still out-juice any fullback. Forget the Saudi Pro League; Salah is still one of the very best players at the Champions League level.