The role of the winger is one of the most exciting in football. The very best are able to bamboozle fullbacks with their pace and trickery on the ball. Some are goalscorers whilst others specialise in creating for other players on their team. Here are our top 10 best women’s left wingers in the world.
Best women's left wingers in the world: 10. Lieke Martens (Paris St-Germain)
Lieke Martens’ summer move to Paris St-Germain caused some controversy. One of the mainstays of Barcelona’s incredibly dominant team, she had apparently intimated that she would sign a new deal with the Catalan club before suddenly showing up in the French league. Paris St-Germain are a team who have been shrouded in off the pitch controversy but Martens was a breath of fresh air at the start of the season. She scored two crucial goals in the UWCL second qualifying round, helping make sure they reached the group stage.
9. Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns)
Morgan Weaver was selected by the Portland Thorns as the second overall pick in the 2020 NWSL draft, but it is her second NWSL season that she has really begun to shine. A poor run of finishing in 2021 reverted to the norm in 2022 with Weaver scoring seven goals and three assists during the regular season, as well as starting both the semi-finals and final of the play offs. Both her goal scoring and goal contributions were the Thorns’ second highest, behind only Sophia Smith, and with the US Women’s National Team going through a bit of a transition period, Weaver has the opportunity to take the next step.
8. Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir (Wolfsburg)
Icelandic winger Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir is only 21 years old but looks set to be one of the most dominant wingers in football for years to come.
Jonsdottir is one of the fastest players in the world, reaching a top speed of 31.7 km/h during Euro 2022, the highest in the tournament. She is an incredible asset in counter-attacks, being able to easily outstrip defenders. But it is not only her speed and technical ability that helps her side out. Jonsdottir also has a spectacular long throw, enabling her to cause chaos in opposition boxes.
7. Jule Brand (Wolfsburg)
Winner of the inaugural Golden Girl award, 20-year-old Jule Brand has long been attracting attention for her eye for goal and technical ability. She was the star of a Hoffenheim team that made the UWCL for the first time last season, almost causing Arsenal’s downfall in the group stages of the competition, and Wolfsburg moved quickly to snap her up.
She was the youngest member of Germany’s Euro 2022 squad, making two starts, including in the final itself, and recently scored for Germany against the USA. Brand’s an electric player to watch, always looking to do something exciting with the ball, and she is only going to get better.
6. Caitlin Foord (Arsenal)
It is hard not to watch every Australian player right now with one eye on the World Cup in 2023, but Caitlin Foord seems to be coming into peak form at just the right time. In recent international performances, it is Foord that has been the attacking star, overshadowing Sam Kerr, whilst for Arsenal she remains incredibly dependable.
Foord’s brilliance stems from her chameleon-like ability to do a variety of different things depending on what is asked of her. She can cut in, switch flanks, play as a centre forward or hang more out wide. Her five assists in the Women’s Super League this season already equals her season-best from 2020-21.
5. Leah Galton (Manchester United)
Leah Galton does not always receive as much attention as others due to her decision to not play international football in order to focus on her mental health, but there are few left wingers who have been as reliable as her in the Women’s Super League over the past couple of seasons.
Galton is a very strong finisher, regularly outperforming her expected goals across a season, and already has four goals and three assists this year. Her link up play with Ella Toone allows her to enter the box from different angles, causing opposition full backs all kinds of problems as they cannot predict which way she is going to go with the ball. Within United’s young attack, she brings a quiet leadership which could help them achieve Champions League football for the first time ever this season.
4. Sandy Baltimore (Paris St-Germain)
22-year-old Sandy Baltimore has been terrorising defences in the French league since she was 17. The pacy winger has the ability to turn players in knots with an incredibly powerful shot that she regularly unleashes from distance.
Baltimore has struggled with off-field issues, having been dropped from the French national team and left out of PSG squads, but her return to the pitch has coincided with a significant uptick in form for PSG. She has four goals and four assists in all competitions for PSG this year, and recently scored a vital winner against local rivals Paris FC.
3. Klara Bühl (Bayern Munich)
Klara Bühl burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old at Freiburg when scored 11 goals in 20 starts for the Frauen-Bundesliga side. That earned her a move to Bayern Munich where she has been a regular, making 17 starts and providing 12 goal contributions the season that they won the league.
Bühl has struggled to hit the same goalscoring heights in recent years but she continues to be a threat out wide. She recently scored in Bayern’s brilliant 3-1 win over Barcelona in the Champions League and looks set to only continue getting better having signed a contract extension to 2025.
2. Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
Guro Reiten’s time at Chelsea has not always been simple. After an excellent first season, the arrival of Pernille Harder saw her game time limited. That was until she was brought on at half time in the Champions League final against Barcelona at left wing-back. Then it was about damage limitation but she flourished in her new role and was Chelsea’s joint second highest goal contributor last year.
A change of shape from Chelsea has seen her revert to playing at left wing this year and it is once again paying off for Reiten. She already has nine WSL assists - a particularly brilliant first half at Leicester saw her record four assists and one goal in 45 minutes - and the single-season record for assists is 12. You would back her to chase that down this year.
1. Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
Four time winner of the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year, Lauren Hemp has been a star ever since her days at Bristol City. An incredibly intelligent player who is able to run directly at defenders, Hemp’s threat exploded last season when she added goals to her game. With ten goals scored, she was the fourth top scorer in the WSL and meant that suddenly defences had to think about another string to her bow.
Hemp was the attacking player with the most minutes under Sarina Wiegman at Euro 2022, regularly staying on the pitch when others around her were substituted. This was evidence of how essential Wiegman saw her in the system. Hemp might not have been as direct under Wiegman as she is at Manchester City but Wiegman used her cutting in from the flanks as well as switching sides with Beth Mead. That versatility is what has established Hemp as the best left winger in the world.
