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According to recent research, players who favour their left foot have inverted brain hemisphere functions, which gives them an extra dose of unpredictability. Left-footed players are therefore naturally more original and more creative. Maradona, the biggest creative genius that football has ever seen, was left-footed.However, left footed players are often found out to lose out on the strength of their weaker foot. The conclusion seems to be right footed players have a less effective stronger foot but a more effective weaker foot.Whatever be the case, as it is in cricket, a great leftie is always more spectacular to watch than a great rightie.This is a look at the best left-footers in football in the present day with their statistics from last seasons respective domestic leagues.
#6 Honourable mentions
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| Marcelo | 24(4) | 1 | 6 | 1 | 85.1 | - |
| Robin van Persie | 18(3) | 12 | 3 | 3 | 76.7 | 1 |
| Juan Mata | 15(3) | 6 | 6 | 1.67 | 88.7 | 2 |
| Angel di Maria | 27(7) | 4 | 17 | 1.9 | 82.1 | 1 |
#5 David Silva
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| 26 (1) | 7 | 9 | 2 | 88.2 | 3 |
Silva is a very quick-witted player with great ball control and driblling abilities, and the most reliant on his left foot among the players on this list. He draws the whole defense towards him while moving forward. Silva started off as a goalkeeper, and accordingly gives more importance to placement than power while taking his supremely crafted shots on goal.
#4 Mesut Ozil
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| 27 (1) | 5 | 9 | 1.2 | 88 |
Ozil is a footballing artist. Mourinho had once said that there is no other player in the world whose style remotely resembles that of Ozil’s. He is a smart playmaker and shows a lot of imagination in finding his forwards in goalscoring positions. A technically perfect player, there is always a sense of excitement and anticipation whenever Ozil has the ball. His former captain Philip Lahm has said that Ozil can be devastating if he has the right strikers in front of him, and has said “his vision is probably the best I have ever seen”.
#3 Gareth Bale
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| 24 (3) | 15 | 12 | 3.3 | 76.3 | 4 |
Bale is an example of a supremely athletic footballer who shows related traits of speed, agility and stamina. He is a free-kick specialist, often scoring from impossible angles. One of the best left-wingers of current times, Bale can also provide accurate curling crosses.
He started off his career as a left-back, but managers have realized his penetrative ability and have deployed him in more advanced positions. Bale has been accused of simulation far too often though. Between August 2008 and his departure from the Premier League, he was booked an alarming eight times for simulation. The next most-booked players were shown three yellow cards each.
#2 Arjen Robben
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| 20 (8) | 11 | 6 | 2.7 | 81.7 | 4 |
Robben is a specialist as a right winger, from where he frequently cuts across and tries to find space for a shot on goal. He also has extraordinary stamina, he is often seen moving with the ball across to the left flank, overlapping with Ribery while playing for Bayern Munich. He has also developed a defensive acumen in recent years, dropping back to help out his right back.
Robben has been criticized for not passing the ball enough and for being too eager to win fouls, but he almost makes up for it with his accuracy when he does get a chance to shoot.
#1 Lionel Messi
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per match | Passing % | Man of the Match |
| 29 (2) | 28 | 11 | 5.2 | 85 | 14 |
Messi’s small height makes him have a very low centre of gravity, allowing him to be more agile and make sharp turns better than anyone else. With the outside of his left foot, he usually begins dribbling runs, and he uses the inside of the same foot to finish and provide passes and assists to team mates.
He began his career as a left winger but was moved to the right side by former manager Frank Rijkaard, from which position he has a tendency to cut into the middle and curl shots on goal with the left foot. Messi is also endowed with vision, he can provide passes to his forwards through seemingly impenetrable defensive walls.
