The number 7 in football has traditionally been reserved for wingers, though this has been diversified, particularly in recent years.
Two entrants on this list are now playing in Saudi Arabia, but still showcase an exceptional level of quality.
Luis Diaz appears to have been revitalised as a player in the early days of new Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s tenure at Anfield.
The number 7 is fabled within the game of football. Commonly, it has been a number associated with wingers who, particularly in the modern era of the sport, have dazzled opponents and amazed fans with their flair and trickery. It is one of several numbers that is often cherished by those venturing into professional football.
Much as Lionel Messi has made the number 10 his own, like Johan Cruyff made himself synonymous with the number 14, many players have taken the number 7 and turned into diamonds under such pressure throughout history, but many are still doing it today. The number is not solely worn by wingers, with strikers, attacking midfielders and even defensive midfielders having been known to wear a seven on their backs.
Ranking Factors
Goals and assists: Perhaps the most crucial aspect of a winger’s game (though, players of different positions were ranked according to attributes that suit their position)
Current Form: Their performances at and up until the time of writing this list will influence their position.
Honours won: What trophies have these number 7’s helped guide their teams to over the years?
Fan reception: Quite simply, if they are universally adored by fans of multiple clubs or countries, then they’re most likely one of the best.
Ranking the 9 Best Number 7’s in Football Right Now
Rank
Name
Nation
1.
Vinicius Jr.
Brazil
2.
Bukayo Saka
England
3.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
4.
Antoine Griezmann
France
5.
Heung-min Son
South Korea
6.
N’Golo Kante
France
7.
Lorenzo Pellegrini
Italy
8.
Luis Diaz
Colombia
9.
John McGinn
Scotland
9.John McGinn
Aston Villa
From relegation to the Scottish Championship to captaining a team in the Champions League, John McGinn has had quite the career thus far. The Scottish midfielder began life with St. Mirren, joining Hibernian upon the former’s relegation in 2015. After three further campaigns with Hibs, he joined Aston Villa in 2018, where he remains presently. McGinn quickly became a crucial player for Villa, helping them earn promotion back to the Premier League in 2019.
McGinn’s first few seasons in the Premier League were solid, but everything changed upon Unai Emery’s appointment as Aston Villa manager. Succeeding Steven Gerrard, Emery took Villa from battling relegation to competing for European places. First, they entered the Conference League, then qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League campaign. Throughout Emery’s reign, McGinn has been a constant, churning out impressive performances week in, week out and showing no signs of slowing down.
8.Luis Diaz
Liverpool
Luis Diaz moved from his native Columbia to Europe in 2019, joining Porto from Atletico Junior. After 60 goal contributions in 125 games for the Portuguese side, English giants Liverpool came in with a bid and in 2022, Diaz made the move to England. It took him some time to adjust, but it is hard to argue against the fact that, of players currently wearing the number 7, Diaz is one of the best.
Especially in the 2024/25 season, under new manager Arne Slot, Diaz has showcased some electric form. In the first six games of his campaign, Diaz scored five goals and added an assist, his best-ever start to a season with the Reds and a promising sign for the season, and seasons, to come.
7.Lorenzo Pellegrini
Roma
Pellegrini spent eight years with the Roma youth academy, from 2007 to 2015. At the age of 18, he made his debut for the senior team, but joined Sassuolo in 2015, where he played Serie A football consistently for two years. As part of the deal, Roma had a buyback clause which they activated in 2017, with Pellegrini having been a consistent member of the team ever since.
Now the captain of his boyhood club, Roma’s number 7 has racked up 288 appearances for the Italian outfit, with over 50 goals and over 50 assists in that time. Pellegrini is one of Europe’s most consistent attacking midfielders. In 2023, he played a crucial role as captain in leading Roma to the Europa League final, during which they ultimately fell to defeat in a penalty shootout against Sevilla.
6.N’Golo Kante
Al-Ittihad
N’Golo Kante had one of football’s greatest rises. Signed as a relative unknown from SC Caen by Leicester City ahead of the 2015/16 season, Kante was part of the game’s biggest fairy tale as the Foxes took the Premier League by storm and won the title.
Such was his form that Kante was soon snapped up by Chelsea after just one campaign in the Midlands.
Kante would stay with the Blues for seven years in total, establishing himself as the best defensive midfielder in world football for a time. Even Chelsea fans considered renaming the “Makelele role” due to Kante’s consistent, world class performances.
He won a Champions League with the West London side, as well as a Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League. In 2018, he was a staple in the French side that won the World Cup. Even in 2024, playing in Saudi Arabia, Kante still has quality, as was evident in the 2024 Euros when he was once again called up to the French national side.
5.Heung-min Son
Tottenham Hotspur
Upon the departure of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son succeeded the Englishman both as captain and as Tottenham’s longest-serving player. It made complete sense for the South Korean superstar to inherit the armband as, for almost a decade now, Spurs’ number 7 has been putting in consistent performances at the highest level.
Of course, as with any player, he has had his ups and downs, but Son is undoubtedly one of the best Tottenham players of the Premier League era. Capable of playing on the flank or through the middle, he has scored over 150 goals in over 400 games for the North London side. From his second season to the current campaign, Son has never scored less than 10 goals for Spurs in a Premier League season.
4. Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann is the epitome of a number 7, having worn the number in all but four of his professional seasons as a player. The recently-retired French international has scored 271 goals and grabbed 123 assists across just over 700 career games and has always been a player highly thought of for his talent.
Griezmann has a natural flair to his style of play, a way of making the hard parts look far easier than they should. He has spent his entire professional career in Spain, predominantly with Atletico Madrid, with whom he won the Europa League in 2018. Griezmann has been successful at an international level too and was man of the match in France’s triumphant World Cup final against Croatia in 2018.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr
The best to ever wear the number 7. By now, such a statement with regards to Cristiano Ronaldo is probably impossible to argue against. Ronaldo, who turns 40 next year, is still racking up the goals and assists with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, but of course, it was his time with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus that drew the world’s eye to one of football’s most talented ever individuals.
In Europe alone, Ronaldo made 949 appearances, assisted 223 goals and scored an eye-watering 701 goals. A player of his calibre was more than capable of gliding across the attacking line, as he often did in his prime, playing as a winger or playing as a striker. It is hard to put even an estimate on when Ronaldo may announce his retirement, but whenever that day comes, it is undeniable that he is within the top three best footballers in history.
2. Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Having come through the ranks at Arsenal, Bukayo Saka’s journey is an inspiring one. Initially serving as cover at full-back, Saka was brought further up the pitch after Keiran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac returned from injury and has never looked back. Six years on from his debut, Saka has made just shy of 250 appearances for the Gunners, notching 59 goals and 58 assists in that time, helping Arsenal to an FA Cup triumph in the 2019/20 campaign.
Saka has been a crucial cog in Mikel Arteta’s post-Wenger revolution at the Emirates. At just 23 years old, there are no signs that Saka’s importance will decrease in the near future, just as there are no signs of Saka’s ability doing anything but develop as impressively and consistently as it has in the last few years.
1. Vinicius Jr.
Brazil
Despite Real Madrid’s general accuracy with transfers, there were understandable questions when, in 2017, they agreed a deal for just under £40 million to sign 16-year-old sensation Vinicius Junior when he turned 18. When the transfer went through in 2018, the winger spent time with Madrid’s B team as his development was carefully monitored.
Over the following years, Vinicius’ impact and role within the Madrid team grew and grew, until eventually, he became a fixture within the first team. Vinicius has made almost 300 appearances for Madrid, with 82 assists and 86 goals in those games. After the departure of Eden Hazard from Madrid in 2023, Vinicius inherited the number 7 jersey, a testament to how integral he had become by that stage. The Brazilian is now, understandably so, considered one of the best wingers in the world by most football fans, and by some, the best winger in the world.
