The best right wingers of all time include traditional touchline dribblers, creative wide playmakers, and modern inverted forwards who attack the goal from the right. Garrincha built his game around beating defenders and crossing. Luís Figo created from wide areas. Arjen Robben and Mohamed Salah moved inside onto their stronger left foot, while Lionel Messi combined elite dribbling, creativity, and scoring from the same flank.
For this FootballerRank ranking, only substantial elite evidence from the right wing or right-sided attacking role receives full weight. A player’s achievements from other positions may provide career context, but they do not automatically improve his right-wing score. We compared peak wing play, dribbling, creativity, goals, major-match impact, longevity, trophies, and influence on the position. Based on those rules, Lionel Messi ranks as our greatest right winger of all time.
Last reviewed: August 29, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Lionel Messi ranks as our best right winger of all time.
- Garrincha takes second and remains our benchmark for the traditional right-wing role.
- George Best ranks third after combining dribbling, creativity, goals, and a Ballon d’Or-winning peak.
- Mohamed Salah rises to fourth because this page rewards his long-term right-wing output directly.
- Luís Figo completes our top five.
- Only right-wing evidence receives full weight, preventing this page from duplicating our broader Best Wingers of All Time ranking.
Top 10 Best Right Wingers of All Time
| Rank | Player | Country | Main Clubs | Right-Wing Style | FootballerRank Rating |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona | Inverted creator / goalscorer | 100/100 |
| 2 | Garrincha | Brazil | Botafogo | Traditional dribbling winger | 98/100 |
| 3 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United | Two-footed dribbling winger | 96/100 |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Liverpool | Inverted goalscoring winger | 95/100 |
| 5 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Barcelona, Real Madrid | Creative traditional winger | 94/100 |
| 6 | Jairzinho | Brazil | Botafogo | Powerful goalscoring winger | 92/100 |
| 7 | Arjen Robben | Netherlands | Bayern Munich | Inverted goalscoring winger | 91/100 |
| 8 | Stanley Matthews | England | Stoke City, Blackpool | Traditional touchline winger | 90/100 |
| 9 | Jimmy Johnstone | Scotland | Celtic | Dribbling right winger | 88/100 |
| 10 | Amancio Amaro | Spain | Real Madrid | Goalscoring right winger | 87/100 |
FootballerRank ratings are editorial scores. They are not official FIFA, UEFA, club, or Ballon d’Or ratings.
What Counts as a Right Winger?
A right winger starts or operates mainly from the right side of the attack.
That does not mean every player needs to stay next to the touchline.
The role has changed across football history.
Traditional right wingers
Traditional right wingers usually stayed wide.
Their main responsibilities included:
- Beating the left-back
- Stretching the defence
- Reaching the byline
- Crossing
- Creating chances
- Carrying the ball down the flank
Garrincha and Stanley Matthews are classic examples.
Inverted right wingers
Modern right wingers are often left-footed.
Instead of always attacking outside, they move inside toward goal.
That allows them to:
- Shoot with the stronger foot
- Combine centrally
- Play through balls
- Attack the penalty area
- Become major goalscorers
Messi, Robben, and Salah represent different versions of this role.
FootballerRank accepts both styles.
We judge how effectively the player performed the right-sided role his era required.
How This Page Avoids Cannibalization With Best Wingers of All Time
Our Best Wingers of All Time page answers:
Who are the greatest wingers ever across both sides?
This article answers:
Who are the greatest right wingers ever?
That changes the comparison group.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho can compete very high on the broad winger page because of their left-sided careers.
They cannot compete here because this article is restricted to right-wing evidence.
Messi appears on both pages because he has enough elite evidence from the right.
The same applies to Garrincha, Best, Figo, Jairzinho, Robben, and Salah.
Player overlap is acceptable.
Search intent and methodology remain different.
How We Ranked the Greatest Right Wingers
We used six factors:
| Ranking Factor | Weight | What We Considered |
| Peak right-wing performance | 25% | How dominant the player was from the right |
| Dribbling and creation | 20% | 1v1 ability, passing, crossing and progression |
| Goals and attacking output | 15% | Scoring produced from right-sided roles |
| Major-match impact | 15% | World Cups, European competition and finals |
| Longevity at right wing | 15% | How long the player performed the role at elite level |
| Trophies and positional influence | 10% | Success and effect on future right wingers |
Why We Do Not Count Every Career Achievement
This rule is especially important for Lionel Messi.
Messi also played as:
- A false nine
- A central forward
- A deeper playmaker
Those years strengthen his overall career.
They do not automatically strengthen his position-specific right-wing ranking.
The same applies to players such as George Best or Jairzinho when they operated centrally or on the opposite flank.
1. Lionel Messi
Country: Argentina
Main club: Barcelona
Position: Right Winger / Forward
FootballerRank Rating: 100/100
Lionel Messi ranks as our best right winger of all time.
His complete career covered several positions, but he produced enough elite right-wing football to rank first without depending on everything he achieved centrally.
Messi began many attacks from Barcelona’s right side.
Because he was left-footed, defenders faced a difficult choice.
Force him outside and he could still beat the defender.
Allow him inside and he could move toward his strongest foot.
From there, Messi could:
- Shoot
- Dribble into the box
- Play through balls
- Combine with midfielders
- Find the centre-forward
- Switch play
- Carry the ball through several defenders
One of the clearest examples came during Barcelona’s 2014/15 treble season.
Luis Suárez played centrally.
Neymar attacked from the left.
Messi operated mainly from the right while regularly moving inside.
The three formed one of football’s most dangerous attacking units.
Barcelona won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Messi finished joint-top scorer in that Champions League campaign with 10 goals.
His earlier Barcelona teams also used him extensively from the right before his move into the false-nine role.
What separates Messi from other right wingers is the combination.
Garrincha may have a stronger pure touchline-dribbling case.
Salah became a remarkable goalscorer.
Figo was a more traditional creator.
Messi combined elements of all three.
Why he ranks No. 1: Messi produced elite right-wing dribbling, chance creation, scoring, and major-trophy success while changing what an inverted winger could do.
2. Garrincha
Country: Brazil
Main club: Botafogo
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 98/100
If this ranking used only the traditional definition of a right winger, Garrincha could rank first.
He is our historical benchmark for the classic role.
Garrincha usually received the ball on the right.
His defender often knew what was going to happen.
Garrincha still beat him.
His game relied on:
- Body feints
- Acceleration
- Changes of direction
- Balance
- Repeated 1v1 attacks
- Crossing
- Improvisation
He helped Brazil win the 1958 World Cup.
His greatest tournament came four years later.
Pelé was injured during the early stages of the 1962 World Cup.
Garrincha took greater attacking responsibility.
He scored twice against England in the quarter-final.
He then scored twice against Chile in the semi-final.
Brazil went on to retain the World Cup.
His tournament became one of the strongest examples of a winger carrying a major share of his team’s attack.
Garrincha did not produce the modern goalscoring totals of Messi or Salah.
That was not his role.
His job was to destroy the defensive structure from the flank.
He did it better than almost anyone.
Why he ranks No. 2: Garrincha combined unmatched traditional right-wing dribbling with a central role in two World Cup-winning Brazil teams.
3. George Best
Country: Northern Ireland
Main club: Manchester United
Position: Right Winger / Wide Forward
FootballerRank Rating: 96/100
George Best could play from both sides.
His substantial right-wing evidence earns him third place here.
Best did not behave like a fixed touchline winger.
He wanted the freedom to attack defenders wherever he found space.
From the right, he could move outside or inside.
His main strengths were:
- Close control
- Balance
- Acceleration
- Two-footed dribbling
- Finishing
- Creativity
- Individual chance creation
His greatest season came in 1967/68.
Manchester United won the European Cup.
Best scored a crucial goal against Real Madrid during the semi-final and then scored again in the final against Benfica.
United won the final 4-1 after extra time.
Best also finished as the joint-leading scorer in England’s First Division that season.
He then won the 1968 Ballon d’Or.
His peak was high enough to challenge almost any winger.
The main weakness is longevity.
His years at the absolute top were shorter than those of Messi, Salah, or Figo.
Why he ranks No. 3: Best combined elite right-sided dribbling with scoring, creativity, a European Cup, and a Ballon d’Or-winning peak.
4. Mohamed Salah
Country: Egypt
Main clubs: Roma, Liverpool
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 95/100
Mohamed Salah has built one of the strongest right-wing scoring careers in football history.
His Liverpool role is a clear example of the modern inverted winger.
Salah starts from the right but constantly looks to attack central scoring areas with his stronger left foot.
He can:
- Run behind the defence
- Attack the inside-right channel
- Combine with the striker
- Finish quickly
- Create chances
- Counterattack
- Carry the ball into the box
His consistency separates him from many other wide attackers.
During his Liverpool career, Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot four times.
He also helped Liverpool win multiple Premier League titles and the Champions League.
His 2024/25 Premier League season was one of his finest.
Salah recorded 29 goals and 18 assists.
That gave him 47 direct goal involvements in a 38-match league season.
He became the first player to win the Premier League Player of the Season, Golden Boot, and Golden Playmaker awards in the same campaign.
His Liverpool career also produced more Premier League goal involvements for one club than any previous player.
Unlike several players in this ranking, Salah has spent a very large share of his peak career in the same right-sided role.
That positional longevity strengthens him significantly on this specialist page.
Why he ranks No. 4: Salah combined long-term right-wing consistency with historic Premier League scoring and creation, major trophies, and elite inverted-wing play.
5. Luís Figo
Country: Portugal
Main clubs: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 94/100
Luís Figo was one of the great creative right wingers.
Unlike Salah or Robben, Figo’s main job was not to move inside and become a high-volume scorer.
He controlled the flank.
Figo could:
- Beat his defender
- Protect the ball
- Slow the attack
- Accelerate again
- Cross
- Create chances
- Combine with central players
- Control possession from wide areas
His peak around the turn of the century brought major individual recognition.
Figo helped Portugal reach the EURO 2000 semi-final.
Later that year, he won the 2000 Ballon d’Or.
He was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001.
With Real Madrid, Figo won the 2002 Champions League.
His career also included major success at Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Figo does not have Salah’s goals or Messi’s complete attacking production.
His value came more heavily through creation.
In a traditional right-wing ranking, that matters greatly.
Why he ranks No. 5: Figo combined elite right-wing creativity, longevity, a Ballon d’Or, Champions League success, and major international performances.
6. Jairzinho
Country: Brazil
Main club: Botafogo
Position: Right Winger / Forward
FootballerRank Rating: 92/100
Jairzinho followed Garrincha as one of Brazil’s great right-sided attackers.
But they were very different players.
Garrincha was lighter and more focused on repeated dribbling.
Jairzinho added greater physical power and scoring threat.
His defining tournament was the 1970 World Cup.
Brazil won all six matches.
Jairzinho scored in every one.
He finished with seven goals.
He became the first player to score in every match of a six-game World Cup-winning campaign.
Jairzinho officially operated from the right wearing Brazil’s No. 7 shirt.
The system was fluid.
He often attacked central spaces and sometimes moved across the front line.
That movement makes him an early version of the modern goalscoring winger.
He could stretch the pitch and then arrive inside the penalty area.
His combination of:
- Power
- Pace
- Dribbling
- Movement
- Scoring
gave Brazil an unusual threat.
Why he ranks No. 6: Jairzinho combined right-wing power with seven goals across every match of Brazil’s legendary 1970 World Cup victory.
7. Arjen Robben
Country: Netherlands
Main clubs: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 91/100
Arjen Robben turned one movement into one of football’s most recognizable attacking weapons.
He received the ball on the right.
He moved inside onto his left foot.
Then he shot.
Everyone knew it.
Stopping it remained difficult.
Robben’s success came from more than predictability.
His acceleration allowed him to create a shooting angle before defenders could close the space.
His main strengths included:
- Explosive first steps
- Close control
- Left-foot finishing
- Long-range shooting
- Transition play
- 1v1 dribbling
His greatest club period came at Bayern Munich.
Robben’s defining moment arrived in the 2013 Champions League final.
Bayern faced Borussia Dortmund.
With the score 1-1 late in the match, Robben scored the winning goal.
Bayern completed a treble that season.
Robben also played in the 2010 World Cup final and helped the Netherlands finish third in 2014.
Injuries prevented him from matching Salah’s consistency.
At his peak, however, few right wingers were more difficult to defend.
Why he ranks No. 7: Robben perfected the inverted right-wing role and added a Champions League-winning goal to years of elite club and international performances.
8. Stanley Matthews
Country: England
Main clubs: Stoke City, Blackpool
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 90/100
Stanley Matthews represents one of the earliest great right-wing careers.
His game was built around traditional wing play.
Matthews used:
- Close control
- Feints
- Changes of pace
- Touchline dribbling
- Crossing
He became famous for beating full-backs without relying on physical strength.
His longevity was extraordinary.
Matthews continued playing top-level football into his late forties.
That was unusual even for his era.
In 1956, Matthews became the first winner of the Ballon d’Or.
He finished ahead of Alfredo Di Stéfano in the voting.
His career began long before modern European club competitions and detailed statistical tracking became normal.
That creates a comparison challenge.
FootballerRank therefore uses era adjustment.
We do not punish Matthews because the modern Champions League, detailed assist statistics, or global broadcasting did not exist during much of his career.
His importance comes from how strongly he defined the traditional right-wing role.
Why he ranks No. 8: Matthews combined elite traditional wing skill, exceptional longevity, and the first Ballon d’Or award.
9. Jimmy Johnstone
Country: Scotland
Main club: Celtic
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 88/100
Jimmy Johnstone was one of Britain’s great dribbling wingers.
He spent most of his peak career with Celtic.
Johnstone was small, quick, and difficult to knock off the ball.
His style depended on:
- Close control
- Rapid direction changes
- Acceleration
- Touchline dribbling
- Crossing
- Creative combination play
His greatest team achievement came in 1967.
Celtic won the European Cup.
They became the first British club to win the competition.
That team became known as the Lisbon Lions.
Johnstone was one of its most dangerous attacking players.
His individual standing was also reflected in the 1967 Ballon d’Or voting, where he finished third.
Johnstone does not have the global international record of Garrincha or Jairzinho.
Scotland’s tournament results limited those opportunities.
His club evidence remains strong enough for a Top 10 place.
Why he ranks No. 9: Johnstone combined elite right-wing dribbling with European Cup success and a top-three Ballon d’Or finish.
10. Amancio Amaro
Country: Spain
Main club: Real Madrid
Position: Right Winger
FootballerRank Rating: 87/100
Amancio Amaro completes our Top 10.
He was one of Real Madrid’s leading attacking players during the period after the club’s first great European Cup generation.
Amancio operated mainly from the right but carried a stronger scoring threat than many traditional wingers.
His game combined:
- Dribbling
- Acceleration
- Technique
- Goals
- Creativity
- Movement into central areas
His international career included a major achievement with Spain.
Spain won the 1964 European Championship.
Amancio scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Hungary.
Two years later, his Real Madrid team won the 1966 European Cup.
Amancio also won multiple Spanish league titles.
He was sometimes described as a more attacking winger because he regularly moved toward goal rather than staying permanently wide.
That flexibility fits the evolution of the right-wing role.
Why he ranks No. 10: Amancio combined right-sided creativity and scoring with European Championship and European Cup success.
Who Is the Greatest Right Winger of All Time?
Lionel Messi is the greatest right winger of all time in our ranking.
The important point is that we do not need his entire career to make that case.
His elite right-wing periods already included:
- World-class dribbling
- Elite chance creation
- Major scoring
- Champions League success
- Domestic titles
- A historic treble
- Years of influence from the right side
Garrincha remains the strongest traditional-right-wing challenger.
George Best follows because of his extraordinary individual skill and 1968 peak.
Salah’s specialist right-wing longevity pushes him higher here than on our broad winger list.
That difference is deliberate.
Messi vs Garrincha: Who Was the Better Right Winger?
The answer depends partly on how the position is defined.
| Area | Lionel Messi | Garrincha |
| Main foot | Left | Right |
| Right-wing style | Inverted | Traditional |
| Dribbling | Elite | Elite |
| Crossing | Excellent | Elite |
| Chance creation | Elite | Excellent |
| Goalscoring | Elite | Good |
| Inside threat | Elite | Very good |
| Touchline play | Excellent | Elite |
| World Cup wing impact | Strong career context | Exceptional in 1962 |
| Club success | Exceptional | Strong |
Garrincha has the stronger case as a pure traditional winger.
Messi offers the stronger complete attacking package from the right.
That gives Messi the narrow overall advantage.
Who Is the Greatest Traditional Right Winger?
Garrincha is our answer.
If the criteria are narrowed to:
- Staying wide
- Repeatedly beating the full-back
- Dribbling
- Crossing
- Stretching the defence
- Creating from the touchline
then Garrincha becomes the benchmark.
Stanley Matthews and Jimmy Johnstone also score very highly under that definition.
Who Is the Greatest Modern Right Winger?
Messi ranks first overall, but several players helped define different versions of the modern role.
Lionel Messi
Combined playmaking and scoring.
Mohamed Salah
Turned the right wing into a high-volume scoring position.
Arjen Robben
Popularized one of the clearest inverted-wing patterns: start right, cut inside, shoot left-footed.
Each player represents a different tactical version of the position.
Best Right Wingers by Style
Best all-round right winger
Lionel Messi
He combines the most areas at an elite level.
Best traditional dribbler
Garrincha
Few players have ever dominated full-backs more consistently in one-on-one situations.
Best right-wing goalscorer
Mohamed Salah
His Liverpool output gives him an exceptional long-term scoring case from the flank.
Best traditional creator
Luís Figo
His crossing, passing, ball protection, and chance creation made him a complete wide playmaker.
Best inverted-wing specialist
Arjen Robben
His inside-left-foot movement became one of modern football’s most recognizable attacking patterns.
Best World Cup right-wing performance
Garrincha in 1962 and Jairzinho in 1970 both have exceptional cases for different reasons.
Why Cristiano Ronaldo Is Not Included
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest wide attackers ever.
But his strongest winger evidence came from the left side.
That is why he ranks highly in our broad Best Wingers of All Time article but does not belong in this right-wing Top 10.
He will instead be a major candidate for Best Left Wingers of All Time.
Why Ronaldinho Is Not Included
Ronaldinho also operated mainly from the left or in central creative areas during his peak.
His career belongs more naturally in:
- Best Wingers of All Time
- Best Left Wingers of All Time
- Best Attacking Midfielders of All Time
Including him here would weaken the position definition.
Who Just Missed the Top 10?
Several players had strong right-wing cases.
Notable omissions include:
- David Beckham
- Tom Finney
- Julinho
- José Augusto
- Allan Simonsen
- Roberto Donadoni
- Andrei Kanchelskis
- Steve Coppell
- Riyad Mahrez
Why David Beckham misses out
Beckham was an elite right-sided midfielder and one of football’s greatest crossers.
However, his role often belonged more clearly to right midfield than to the attacking winger role used in this ranking.
That small positional difference matters when competition for the Top 10 is this strong.
FAQs
Who are the top three right wingers of all time?
Our top three are Lionel Messi, Garrincha, and George Best. Messi ranks first for his complete attacking influence, Garrincha second for traditional wing greatness, and Best third for his dribbling, goals, and peak.
Is Messi the best right winger ever?
Yes, in our ranking. We only give full weight to his substantial right-wing periods rather than using every achievement from his years as a false nine or central creator.
Was Garrincha better than Messi as a pure winger?
If “pure winger” means a traditional touchline right winger, Garrincha has the stronger case. Messi ranks first under our broader right-wing definition because of his superior combination of scoring and creation.
Is Mohamed Salah one of the greatest right wingers ever?
Yes. His long Liverpool career, four Premier League Golden Boots, major trophies, scoring records, and consistent right-sided role give him a strong Top 5 case.
Is George Best a right winger?
Yes, although Best could operate from either side and move centrally. He has enough substantial elite evidence from the right to qualify for this ranking.
Was Luís Figo a right winger?
Yes. Figo was primarily a creative wide player and is one of the strongest historical examples of an elite right winger.
Was Jairzinho a right winger?
Yes. Brazil’s 1970 system was fluid, but Jairzinho wore No. 7 and regularly operated from the right while moving into central scoring positions.
Why is Arjen Robben only No. 7?
Robben’s peak was exceptional, but injuries reduced his overall availability and longevity compared with several players above him.
Why is Stanley Matthews not higher?
Matthews was one of history’s greatest traditional wingers and won the first Ballon d’Or. Players above him have stronger combinations of international tournament impact, European trophies, or modern attacking output.
Why is Salah higher here than on the broad winger ranking?
Because this article measures right-wing evidence specifically. Salah spent most of his elite career in that exact role. On the broad winger page, he competes against left-wing legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Gento, and Neymar as well.
Can a player appear in both Best Wingers and Best Right Wingers?
Yes.
The broad article compares both sides.
This article compares right-sided players only.
The search intent is different even when some players overlap.
Sources and Fact-Checking
FootballerRank uses research-based editorial rankings.
For this article, we checked:
- Historical World Cup records
- European competition records
- Ballon d’Or history
- Domestic league records
- Official club records
- Documented player positions
- Right-wing tactical roles
- Major individual and team honors
Position eligibility received extra attention.
A player needed substantial elite evidence from the right flank.
Achievements from a different position may provide background but do not automatically increase the player’s right-wing score.
This is what keeps Best Right Wingers of All Time separate from our broad winger, left-wing, striker, and attacking-midfielder rankings.
Conclusion
In short, Lionel Messi ranks as our best right winger of all time because his elite years from Barcelona’s right side combined dribbling, creativity, scoring, trophies, and tactical influence at an exceptional level. Garrincha remains the strongest traditional-right-wing challenger, while George Best, Mohamed Salah, and Luís Figo complete a top five covering very different versions of the position. Jairzinho, Robben, Matthews, Johnstone, and Amancio round out a Top 10 built specifically around right-wing evidence rather than complete career fame. By applying that strict position rule, this ranking stays separate from FootballerRank’s broader Best Wingers of All Time and future Best Left Wingers of All Time pages.
