There’s just something extra special about a left-footed footballer who can dazzle on the ball, and whether it’s Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona, some of the world’s most legendary and captivating players of all time have been left-footed wizards.
In 2025/26, the Premier League boasts an enviable collection of left-footed stars, both in terms of well-established legends of the league, as well as young superstars with Ballon d’Or potential. There are even defenders who are a class above the rest on the ball with their left feet.
So in honor of the southpaws, let’s rank the top 10 left-footed players in the Premier League heading into the 2025/26 season.
10. Tottenham CB Micky van de Ven
We begin with a center back because defenders are important, too. And Europa League-winning Tottenham star Micky van de Ven is one of the best athletes in the Premier League and one of the most underrated defensive players in world football.
Van de Ven has transitioned wonderfully to English football after being a breakout star in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg, and he’s formed one of the best center back partnerships in world football next to World Cup winner Cristian Romero.
The Dutchman completed 91 percent of his passes in the Premier League last season and more than 93 percent of his pass attempts in the Europa League-winning campaign, sealing his status as one of the best ball-playing defenders in the world.
9. Arsenal CB Gabriel Magalhaes
Although Gabriel Magalhaes gets overshadowed by William Saliba’s brilliance on and off the ball, Gabriel is a former Ligue 1 standout who became one of the world’s best in North London, too, and he deserves a lot more respect than he gets from the mainstream for being a world-class player.
Gabriel rarely makes mistakes in defense and is so strong in the tackle, often cleaning up transition opportunities before they even have a chance to develop. A no-nonsense defender, Gabriel’s toughness often belies his quality on the ball, as Gabriel is a solid technician from the central defensive position who also completed 91 percent of his passes in both the Premier League and Champions League last season.
8. Manchester United RW Bryan Mbeumo
One of the newcomers to a revamped Manchester United attack, Bryan Mbeumo is perhaps the biggest immediate difference-maker to join the Red Devils this summer after blasting the Premier League wide open and helping Brentford flirt, once again, with European football despite losing star striker Ivan Toney to Saudi Arabia in the previous summer transfer window.
Mbeumo moved to Man United for big bucks – 70 million pounds to be precise – after scoring 20 goals and registering 7 assists for Brentford in the 2024/25 Premier League season as one of England’s biggest breakout stars.
A superb athlete and a man with a ferocious shot, Mbeumo is one of the best left-footed right wingers in the world right now, and he has a chance to form an even more potent attacking quartet at Old Trafford alongside Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, and young striker Benjamin Sesko.
7. Manchester City CB Josko Gvardiol
Although Josko Gvardiol’s overly aggressive nature can sometimes lend itself to mistakes, there is no question that the Croatian international is one of the most uniquely gifted defenders in world football and can attack from the center back position like a forward with his scorching shots.
Gvardiol’s goal highlights for Manchester City to this early point in his Premier League career are highly impressive, and while his overly aggressive nature can sometimes get him burned, it also enables him to make decisive interventions at a quantity and level of quality that surpass his peers.
His sweet left foot is a real weapon out the back for Manchester City whenever he surges forward with a run out of the defense, as he has been known to craft intelligent passes in the build-up or even launch a rocket that leaves the goalkeeper dead to rights.
6. Manchester City FW Phil Foden
While Phil Foden did not enjoy a banner year in 2024/25 for a Manchester City side that nearly fell out of the Champions League places entirely, the England international was the official Player of the Season just a year before and is one of the most versatile and technically gifted players in the league.
Now 25 years old, Foden is entering his prime as a Manchester City forward, and more will be expected of him next season. He now has a future member of this list, Rayan Cherki, to potentially compete with, and Pep Guardiola is likely thinking this will help bring the best out of the England international.
Foden only scored seven goals last season, but if Manchester City bounces back and he follows with him, there’s every reason to believe that he has the quality to surpass the whopping 19 goals and 8 assists he posted as one of the league’s top players in the 2023/24 campaign.
5. Arsenal AM Martin Odegaaard
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is under a microscope heading into the 2025/26 season after a poor showing in important games last season, including in the Gunners’ elimination to PSG in the Champions League semifinals.
But everyone has a down year – unless they are Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi – and the 2024/25 season may have just been the Norwegian sensationa’s mulligan after battling early-season injury woes.
Regardless of Odegaard’s shortcomings, there is no doubt that the left-footed playmaker makes Arsenal a much better team when he’s in the lineup, and he’s a cut above his teammates against low blocks and tight defenses with his close control, vision, and clever lay-offs and dummies.
Odegaard will have even mroe room to roam in the attacking third with Martin Zubimendi joining Declan Rice as a midfield anchor to rival Chelsea’s duo of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
4. Arsenal RW Bukayo Saka
It feels like Bukayo Saka is a little low on this list, but that has more to do with the sheer quality of the Premier League’s left-footed contingent than rather anything to do with Saka – and the reality is that there’s room to argue any of these four players, specifically, as a potential No. 1 choice.
Although Saka has been a key starter for Arsenal for six seasons now, the right winger will still be just 23 years old when the 2025/26 Premier League season opens this weekend.
A model of hard work and consistency, Saka is a difference-maker on that right flank despite being unselfish. He scored just 6 goals last season but did so much more than that, providing 10 assists with 2.3 key passes and 3.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game last season to lift his teammates.
Like Odegaard, Saka could stand to improve in the biggest games, but he did match his Premier League output with six Champions League goals in just nine games and did have some important league goals mixed in, too.
And also like Odegaard, you have to think Saka will benefit significantly from the addition of a true top No. 9 this summer in Swedish star Viktor Gyokeres, as Saka will have someone to combine with and feed who can also take pressure off him on the flank.
3. Chelsea AM Cole Palmer
The Conference League and Club World Cup-winning Cole Palmer proved to be a league above the rest on the global stage this summer, and Palmer’s clutch performances for Chelsea were a reminder that the hype about the English playmaker being a future Ballon d’Or winner isn’t unfounded by any means.
Palmer has lifted Chelsea out of the doldrums and back into the Champions League as the clear face of the team, and with the Blues signing valid young wingers in Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Estevao Willian who offer more ability and excitement than retreads like Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho, Palmer has weapons at his disposal who can make him even more dangerous in transition.
The 23-year-old is putting up numbers that can rival Eden Hazard’s output in a Blue kit, as he registered 15 goals and 8 assists last season in the Premier League with nearly a goal contribution per game in the summer at the Club World Cup.
Cold Palmer’s technical ability and creativity are the highest in the entire Premier League, and the scariest part is that Chelsea are only going to get even more out of Palmer as he 1) gains experience and 2) works with better teammates going forward.
2. Manchester City ST Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland vs. Mohamed Salah is a debate for the ages, as is Haaland vs. Palmer, but like Phil Foden and the other Manchester City stars, Haaland has to get respect for what he did before the wheels fell off in the midfield during the 2024/25 season.
Depraved of reliable service last season, Haaland’s goal-scoring output fell from 27 to 22, but he was still the biggest bright spot on the team. And without his athleticism and clinical finishing, Manchester City wouldn’t have maintained a Champions League spot with how little goal-scoring there was from everyone else – not to mention the issues in midfield.
Haaland will see his output rise next season with significant playmaking upgrades in Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, as well as the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri from a torn ACL.
He is the best pure goal-scorer on the planet with his ability to finish from just about any angle or distance with that trusty left foot of his, and if City can feed him more chances, the record-setting Premier League single-season striker should be back to 30+.
1. Liverpool RW Mohamed Salah
Although Mohamed Salah’s numbers trailed off a bit by the end of the season, the Liverpool superstar was unmistakably the best player in the Premier League last season and continues to build his case for being the best player in the league’s history, even above the likes of Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s hard to beat out those players or even more recent superstars like Eden Hazard and Harry Kane, but Salah’s combination of longevity and his peak of 30+ goals as winger are a winning one.
Salah should receive more Ballon d’Or love after leading Liverpool to a clear and obvious Premier League title victory. The 33-year-old is arguably even better now than he was five years ago, because he’s developed so much as a playmaker, registering 18 assists to go with his jaw-dropping 29 goals.
Those numbers are impressive in any league but especially in the Premier League, where 20 goals and 10 assists for a winger are massive feats. Salah is from a different planet, and the best part for Liverpool is that his numbers may skyrocket further with Florian Wirtz feeding him chances and Hugo Ekitike now there to put more of them away than Darwin Nunez could.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.