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Wingers have always been some of the most skillful players in football. The beautiful game has evolved a lot in recent years but having a reliable winger in their ranks is still a sure-shot way of finding the back of the net week in and week out.
A couple of decades ago, they were only required to hug the sidelines, make timely runs and put in a cross for the central strikers. Defending wasn't part of their on-field duties.
Wingers can score and assist with ease
The strikers end up scoring a lot of goals and creative midfielders pick up most of the assists.
But the wingers are the actual masters of the final third. Players like Arjen Robben epitomized the role of wingers in the modern game. Cutting inside with pace and having a go at the goal or drawing markers towards them and setting up their strikers.
With so many top-class wingers plying their trades in the world at any given moment, some players' contributions will likely go unnoticed. On that note, here we take a look at the five underrated wingers of the 21st century.
#5 Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski shot to fame with Koln when he led his side to the 2. Bundesliga title, scoring 24 goals in the 2004-05 campaign. He then joined Bayern Munich but struggled to establish himself at the club.
He impressed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals and winning the Best Young Player award at the tournament. He possessed a quick turn of pace and was able to unleash powerful shots from his left foot after cutting inside from the flanks.
He is Germany's third-highest goal-scorer in international competitions and now plays in the Polish top-flight with Gornik Zabre.
#4 Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt was not a traditional winger, starting out as a striker in his career. The Dutch international shifted to the right wing under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool in 2008.
He was not the quickest player on the pitch and neither did he stand out with his one-on-one skills but had a brilliant footballing mind. Much like Thomas Muller, he popped up in the right place at the right time.
He was deployed in a similar role with the Netherlands national team and helped them to second-place and third-place finishes in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups respectively.
#3 Freddie Ljungberg
Wingers were not a major part of Arsene Wenger's sides, who built a team with world-class midfielders and a highly capable striker. Nonetheless, Freddie Ljungberg carved out a place for himself in his squad, becoming one of the Gunners' key players during his nine seasons at the club.
The player began his career with Halmstad but spent his peak years in the Premier League with Arsenal. He hit double-digits in goals in two campaigns, winning the Premier League Player of the Season award for his 12 goals in the 2001-02 campaign.
The winger left the Premier League club in 2007 and for the next seven years appeared for six different clubs.
#2 Nani
Manchester United's signings from Portuguese club Sporting have paid off in the 21st century. Cristiano Ronaldo left the club as probably the best player in the world while Bruno Fernandes became the most important player in the squad.
One player who went under the radar was Nani. The winger rose to prominence after Ronaldo's departure but never really grew out of his compatriot's shadow. His 10 goals and 20 assists across all competitions in the 2010-11 campaign earned him his first nomination on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.
Apart from more goals and assists than Ronaldo in his first 100 Premier League games, he also picked up more assists than Rooney in his first 100 games for the club.
He has returned to Europe after a brief spell in MLS but it is clear that he is way past his glory days.
#1 Pedro
Pedro is one of the most highly-decorated wingers of all time. He has won everything at club level with Barcelona between 2008 and 2015. He was also part of the Spain team that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2012 EURO. He then moved to Chelsea in 2015.
The former Barcelona star's two-footed ability and pace made him one of the most dangerous players on the counter-attack, with most of his goals for Chelsea coming in that fashion.
He has always been surrounded by relatively gifted footballers at club and country level, which is why he hasn't received the recognition he deserves. The winger now plays for Lazio in Serie A and will be hoping to secure his first piece of silverware since the 2018-19 campaign.
