10 best wingers in European football this season
If the 2000s belonged to the traditional number nines like Ronaldo, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry and the 2010s were dominated by elegant midfielders like Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Luka Modric and kevin De Bryune, the decade ahead of us will belong to the wingers who are currently one of the most sought after players in Europe.
Wingers are one of the most energetic players who are always racing up and down the pitch scoring goals and assisting their teammates in the final third while also helping out the full-backs in the defensive third.
This season, wingers have dominated all of Europe's top five leagues and rank among some of the top scorers in their respective leagues. So, as the 2019-20 season comes to an end here we present to you a rundown of the top wingers in Europe at the moment.
Note: Before we dive into the top 10, we would like to mention a few players who've had an amazing season but just missed out on the top 10.
Honourable mentions:
Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) - Injury spells prevented him from being at his best.
Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) - Played a crucial role in Napoli's Coppa Italia triumph.
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Willian (Chelsea), Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord).
Now, without further ado, let's look at:
Top 10 wingers in Europe at the moment
#10 Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla)
Lucas Ocampos was the driving force behind Sevilla's impressive fourth-place finish in La Liga this season, having a role is almost a third of Sevillistas' goals.
The former Marseille player was also highly involved in defence and made the most of his six-foot frame to help out his full-backs. His best performance of the season came in Sevilla's 1-0 win over Eibar on July 7.
He not only scored the winning goal in that game but also put on the goalkeeper's gloves in the 10th minute of injury time and made a crucial save in the dying moments of the game.
He has notched up 14 league goals and three assists in 33 league appearances this campaign and built on his reputation as a hard-working, industrious winger.
#9 Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich's Player of the Season in 2018-19, Serge Gnabry enjoyed an even better campaign this season as he reached double digits in both goals and assists for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga.
The former Arsenal winger has shown incredible improvement since returning to Germany and has proven to be a menace for Bundesliga defenders with his lightning pace, immaculate dribbling skills and eye for goal.
With Bayern completing the signing of Leroy Sane from Manchester City, it is expected that Gnabry will shift to the right-wing and maybe we will see a partnership forming between him and Sane that can follow the legacy of 'Robbery'.
#8 Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez shot to fame after orchestrating Leicester City's unprecedented 2015-16 title run and has been one of the top wingers in the Premier League since.
He moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2018 for £60 million, becoming the most expensive African in football at that time. He was mostly a second-choice winger behind Leroy Sane in his first season at the club and thus only scored seven goals that season.
This season he made an appearance in 33 league games, 12 from the bench, but proved his effectiveness in the final third by scoring 11 goals and notching up nine assists. The only reason he ranks a bit lower in our list is because of his limited involvement in the games.
Also See: Top 10 midfielders in European club football this season