5 Best right-left winger combinations since 2000

A winger is very important for the success of a football team. They usually provide the necessary width for a team’s attack and stretch the opposition’s defence. They also cut in from the flanks at times to increase numbers around the penalty box and thereby break through the back line.

A winger is different from a side-midfielder in the sense that he usually has less defensive responsibilities and spends more time in the opposition half. He does not have to fall back as frequently as a side-midfielder to retrieve balls from his half. He should also be able to dribble past the opposition full-back to go near their goal-line.

However, in modern day football, the wingers also have their share of defensive duties and often help in employing the high-press on the opposition.

There have been many great right and left wing combinations in world football. We would take a look at the top 5 of them since 2000:

1. Luis Figo – Cristiano Ronaldo:

Figo was in the twilight of his career when an 18 year old Ronaldo made his debut for the Portuguese national team. The great man took the young man under his wings almost quite literally, and helped him develop into a great player himself.

Figo and Ronaldo played together in the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. Portugal lost to Greece in the final of Euro 2004 on their home soil. They again lost to losing finalists, France in the semifinal of the 2006 World Cup. However, they impressed with their attractive style of football and won over many football lovers worldwide.

Figo usually played in the right wing and Ronaldo started on the left. However, they switched flanks at times and kept delivering crosses to strikers like Nuno Gomes and Pauleta. Figo was a consummate dribbler and a great crosser, whereas Ronaldo was faster than him and a brilliant dribbler too.

Moreover, they had powerful shots on them and scored many goals for their national team. Figo retired in 2006 after having scored 32 goals in 127 matches for Portugal, whereas Ronaldo became their highest capped player and has scored 85 goals in 154 matches for them till date. It remains a pity that they could not win any major silverware for their national team.

2. Freddie Ljungberg-Robert Pires:

Ljungberg and Pires contributed immensely towards making Arsenal the strongest club in England and one of the best in the world in the early and mid-2000s. Both were exceptionally skillful and thrived in the counter-attacking style of football played by Arsenal.

Arsenal won the Premier League in the 2003-04 season without losing a single match and that record has not been equaled since. They also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2005-06 before losing to Barcelona. Arsenal centre-backs typically used to play long, diagonal balls to Ljungberg and Pires, who used their dribbling skills and speed to force their way through the opposition defence.

Ljungberg was the faster of the two and usually played on the left flank. He scored 74 goals in 351 matches for Arsenal from 1998 to 2007. Pires was more skillful and also had great vision and passing range. He could play in the central midfield too and scored 84 goals from 238 matches for the Gunners.

3. Ryan Giggs – Cristiano Ronaldo:

The evergreen Giggs and the supremely talented Ronaldo combined very well for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side from 2003 to 2009. Giggs was already an established player when the teenager Ronaldo was signed in 2003. Ronaldo developed into a world-class winger while playing for United and often found the versatile Giggs as his partner on the other flank.

Giggs could play as a central attacking midfielder too. He and Ronaldo also played as side midfielders in a 4-4-2 formation with Wayne Rooney and Ruud Van Nistelrooy as the two strikers. However, they also frequently played as pure wingers after Nistelrooy’s departure in 2006. Giggs used to play on the left flank, Ronaldo on the right and Rooney as the centre-forward.

Giggs was not as fast as Ronaldo, but had great vision and passing skills and also used to move into the central areas frequently, combining with other midfielders like Paul Scholes. Ronaldo also developed into a fine goal-scorer gradually while playing for United. He scored 118 goals in 292 matches for United.

Giggs continued playing for United till 2012 and scored 168 goals in 963 matches for them. Those two also won 1 UEFA Champions league and 3 Premier League titles together.

4. Ronaldinho-Lionel Messi:

None of the above two are typical wingers, but did play on the flanks for a superb Barcelona side from 2004 to 2008. Messi made his Barca debut in 2004 and started showing his class almost immediately. Ronaldinho meanwhile, was the best player in the world for several seasons and helped Barca become the mightiest club side in the world.

Ronaldinho used to play in the left wing, Messi on the right and Samuel Eto’o as the centre-forward. Those three were also capable of interchanging their positions frequently and playing short passes among themselves. Barca won the Champions League in 2006.

Those two also won 2 LaLiga titles together with Ronaldinho score 94 goals from 207 matches for the Catalan giants, whereas Messi is still going strong for them and remains their highest goal-scorer with 574 goals from 658 matches.

5. Franck Ribery – Arjen Robben:

Both Ribery and Robben are still playing for Bayern Munich and have already spent a decade at the club together. Ribery is a right-footed player who usually plays on the left flank, whereas Robben remains a left-footed one who plays on the right. Both of them are very good dribblers and cut in from the flanks to take shots at the opposition goal.

Robben is lightning fast and forces through the opposition defence with his incisive runs. Ribery is a bit slower, but penetrates into the opposition penalty box frequently with deft touches and smart dribbling skills. Ribery is also a very good crosser and usually provides a lot of assists.

Those two have often played for Bayern in a 4-3-3 with Robert Lewandowski as the centre-forward. They helped Bayern win the treble including the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2012-13. They have won 7 Bundesliga titles together and also finished runners-up in the UEFA Champions league in 2011-12. Ribery has scored 122 goals in 409 matches for Bayern, whereas Robben has 143 from 305.

Edited by Emeka Monyei