The position of winger was traditionally associated with a player who stayed wide and crossed into the box for the centre forward. However, over the years it has evolved to the point where different profiles now exist depending on each team’s way of playing. For example, there are still classic wingers like Savinho, Coman, Rodrygo, or Doué, but there are also outstanding players with different profiles such as Bernardo Silva, Salah, Martinelli, Barcola, Lamine, or Vinicius.
In MBP Coaches’ School we identify three winger profiles: fast, classic and gamer. All of them fit into different ways of playing, so choosing the best profile for a team will depend on the type of game model the coach wants to implement. Below, we outline the characteristics of each one.
1. Fast winger
They are game-changing players in wide areas due to their power and technical ability in one-on-one situations and in tight spaces. To achieve this, they stand out for the following attributes:
Figure 1. The three most relevant structures for the fast winger. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
For that, this type of winger must perform the following fundamentals:
Figure 2. Individual fundamentals that a fast winger must perform. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
They are wingers who can help the team progress quickly, with a good rate of crosses, assisting more than shooting on goal. Their involvement in the offensive play (xG participation) is important too, being decisive in key passes and touches inside the opponent’s penalty area. Some examples of fast wingers are Gabriel Martinelli, Vinicius Jr., Nico Williams, Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz, Bradley Barcola, Leroy Sané, and Jérémy Doku.
Figure 3. Graphic with Martinelli’s performance during the 23/24 season in Premier League with Arsenal. Source: Driblab
2. Classic winger
They are players who participate by providing width to the team, being important during the progression momento of the team through individual performance, and they outstand for their high control of the final pass and crossing.
Figure 4. The three most relevant structures for the classic winger. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
Considering the most frequent game situations for this profile, it Will be very important to be able to perform some individual fundamentals connected with the offensive pase of the team:
Figure 5. Individual fundamentals that a fast winger must perform. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
This winger profile outstands for his great ability in one-on-one situations (completed dribbles). They also show a high impact on expected assists. The individual threat of this type of player is highlighted by their skill in dribbling past opponents, being decisive in the opponent’s half and in final third areas. Some examples of classic wingers are Bukayo Saka, Savinho, Rodrygo, Antony, Désiré Doué, Kingsley Coman, and Rafael Leao.
Figure 6. Graphic with Savio Moreira “Savinho”’s performance during the 23/24 season in Premier League with Manchester City. Source: Driblab
3. Gamer winger
They are wingers who stand out for their ability to link up with teammates, participating more in interior spaces and playing an important role in the team’s offensive build-up and progression moment.
Figure 7. The three most relevant structures for the gamer winger. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
Obviously, these players will experience situations in the game different to the other profiles previously described. So, it is very important that they can perform the following fundamentals:
Figure 8. Individual fundamentals that a gamer winger must perform. Source: MBP Coaches’ School
In this case, this profile is different than the two previous ones, outstanding more for his capacity to organise the offensive phase of the team and les for creating individual advantages. The following graphic shows how this profile of winger helps the team with the progression of the play, finding through passes and showing a high level of completed passes in the six-yard box. Players like Bernardo Silva, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Brahim Díaz, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden o Leandro Trossard are some examples for this profile of winger.
Figure 9. Graphic with Bernardo Silva’s performance during the 23/24 season in Premier League with Manchester City. Source: Driblab
Considering what we have been talking about so far, which profile of winger fits best with your game model? Which behaviours do you expect from them during the game? Do you have two similar wingers or are both different profiles? You must evaluate different aspects since, as you can see, it will help the team with different characteristics according to their profile.
¿Do you want to know more about individual fundamentals per position?
The course “Specialist in Individual Fundamentals per Position” will allow you to dive deep into more than 90 individual fundamentals for each player position. All these fundamentals stem from an exhaustive study of every common and relevant situation a player faces during a match, depending on their position on the field. Once these game situations are identified, we analyze the optimal responses that give the player the highest chances of success.
