The 11 Greatest One-Footed Players in Football History [Ranked]

Some of the best footballers to ever play the beautiful game have relied heavily on just one of their two feet to make a huge difference. Football we know and love hasn’t become so endlessly enjoyable through the years by way of watching the very best players perform like robots without weakness. Far from it. The best players are the ones who know their strengths and weaknesses, and play to them as best they can.

While you do need to have some use of your weaker boot to make it to any respectable level in football, there is a category of severely one-footed players who have still managed to reach exceptional heights despite having a notoriously weaker foot. From David Beckham to Diego Maradona, below is a list of the greatest one-footed players in football history.

Related

From David Beckham to Ryan Giggs, here are the greatest British crossers in the history of the game.

11Andy Robertson

Notable clubs: Hull City, Liverpool

andy robertson

Nobody can deny just how magnificent a footballer Andy Robertson is, and just how tirelessly he has worked to transform himself into a world class full back despite once being a relegated minnow at Hull City. Having said that, it’s a good thing the Scotland international’s left foot is as scrumptious as it is. The heroics with his left have seen him collect the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup during a decorated spell on Merseyside.

Andy Robertson’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 505
Goals 23
Assists 84
Trophies 8

Related

Scotland have produced some true icons of the game and the very best of them have been ranked.

10Giorgio Chiellini

Notable clubs: Juventus

Giorgio Chiellini

In an era where defenders are required to be more progressive, composed and all of that boring stuff about no longer being a throwback defender, Giorgio Chiellini has somehow massively outstayed his welcome.

Despite having no right foot, the veteran Italian and Juventus legend has forged a tremendous legacy for himself as one of Italy’s greatest defenders. Combining the dark arts with a blend of modernity, his career at the top has been a joy to watch.

Giorgio Chiellini’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 710
Goals 44
Assists 29
Trophies 25

Related

Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic and Franco Baresi all feature – but who’s the GOAT?!

9Antonio Valencia

Notable clubs: Manchester United, Wigan Athletic

Antonio Valencia - Manchester United

Before his leg break against Rangers in 2010, Antonio Valencia looked like yet another world class piece of recruitment from Sir Alex Ferguson, blazing down the right wing for Manchester United and turning defenders inside out.

However, he was never quite the same following his return. While he enjoyed an illustrious career at United, he lost that ability to beat a marker on either side, and would always do everything he could to fashion angles on his right foot only. Endlessly frustrating to watch.

Antonio Valencia’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 492
Goals 33
Assists 73
Trophies 12

Related

The Red Devils have had the likes of Gary Neville and Antonio Valencia excel at right-back over the years.

8Paulo Dybala

Notable clubs: Juventus, Palermo, Roma

Pablo Dybala celebrates.

When in full stride, Paulo Dybala and his wand of a left foot can cause havoc for any defence in world football. Be it threading through a killer ball, bamboozling a marker one vs one, or letting one rip into the top bins with all the finesse in the world, ‘La Joya’ has a wonderful left peg. Show him onto his right, though, and he looks half the player, unfortunately. Despite that, Dybala has managed to pick up a glut of trophies at Juventus and the World Cup with Argentina.

Paulo Dybala’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 505
Goals 188
Assists 82
Trophies 15

Related

Fans and even some players take sides in the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo debate, but this striker grew up to play with both.

7Christian Vieri

Notable clubs: Inter, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina

Christian Vieri for Inter

Christian Vieri, the Italian powerhouse who bulldozed his way to goals no matter the conditions or the club. Initially growing up wanting to play cricket, the Italian had an unrelenting eye for goal and a physicality that does not wilt meant that Vieri was always good for a goal, with 23 in 49 caps for Italy. However, it was only his left foot that was capable of finding those world class levels; never the right.

Christian Vieri’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 476
Goals 236
Assists 36
Trophies 7

Related

Some players spend their career hopping from club to club, but some have mastered the art of impressing in many different teams.

6David Beckham

Notable clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy

Manchester United's David Beckham celebrates after scoring the fifth goal against Tottenham Hotspur

When your right foot is as good as David Beckham’s was – and probably still is – you can absolutely get away with not having much to offer from the left peg.

In fact, Beckham’s left foot was very good; very good at planting into the floor and making room for his right foot to do something outrageous. A viciously one-footed technician that goes under the radar. Manchester United, Real MadridLA Galaxy – it was on display worldwide.

David Beckham’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 720
Goals 127
Assists 225
Trophies 21

Related

London is one of the best cities on the planet, and here is a list of the greatest footballers from the city.

5Angel Di Maria

Notable clubs: PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester United

MixCollage-22-Aug-2024-06-02-PM-9790

Angel Di Maria simply should not have worked as a world class right winger for Real Madrid, with just how often he’d shift the ball back onto his left. But alas, he did work, and he made defenders’ lives hell in his best years.

While he evolved into a much more refined player in his later years, the younger iteration of the Argentine was unleashing crosses from deep in the right flank from near enough exclusively his left peg. Defenders knew what was coming, but they couldn’t stop that vicious whip. Neither could goalkeepers.

Angel Di Maria’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 774
Goals 180
Assists 267
Trophies 34

Related

Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Thomas Muller all feature in the top 13 for most Champions League assists ever.

4Ricardo Quaresma

Notable clubs: Besiktas, Porto, Inter, FC Barcelona

Ricardo Quaresma in action for Porto

The man so one-footed that it nearly won him a Puskas Award. Was Ricardo Quaresma so good with his right foot that he simply didn’t need his left, or so bad with his left that he had to make his right foot so unstoppable to even things out? We’ll never know for sure, but what we do know is that he had it all. Rabona or outside of the boot, Quaresma’s right foot is a menace, and he’s proof that one-footed players are just as exciting as two-footed players.

Ricardo Quaresma’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 681
Goals 112
Assists 166
Trophies 21

Related

Some of the sport’s best attackers have hailed from Portugal

3Hristo Stoichkov

Notable clubs: FC Barcelona

Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria

Another with a left foot that was near unstoppable, the general consensus here is that if you’ve got an absolute wand of a left peg, you’ll do alright. Hristo Stoichkov winning the 1994 Ballon d’Or is a win for all of us who didn’t put in the reps against the wall as kids. Skills or goals, ‘El Pistolero’ could do it all with his left boot, thus he needn’t try with his right.

Hristo Stoichkov’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 426
Goals 180
Assists 48
Trophies 30

Related

From Lionel Messi to Diego Maradona, here are the legends who had a wand of a left foot.

2Arjen Robben

Notable clubs: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich

MixCollage-12-Aug-2024-01-17-PM-1672

We all knew what he was going to do, every single time. But could any defenders stop him when he was on it? No chance. Arjen Robben was a killer, and his left foot was the poison. Think Di Maria at Real Madrid, but multiply it by ten. Peak Robben was a complete cheat code. Marking him? Good luck. He’ll run you wide, square you up and send you packing. Every time. Football heritage.

Arjen Robben’s Club Career Statistics
Appearances 614
Goals 209
Assists 165
Trophies 30

Related

Including Eden Hazard and Willian, the best Chelsea wingers of all time have been ranked.

1Diego Maradona

Notable clubs: Napoli, FC Barcelona

Argentina's Diego Maradona in action during the 1986 World Cup semi-final match against Belgium

In the eyes of many, Diego Maradona is the greatest footballer of all time. And you cannot rubbish that opinion. The majestic Argentine really was that incredible.

What makes that feat even more staggering is the fact that he wasn’t all that well balanced. In fact, Maradona was heavily left-footed, but that didn’t stop him from turning defenders inside out and pulling off moves that very few footballers are capable of repeating. The man was a magician in every sense of the word.

Diego Maradona’s European Club Career Statistics
Appearances 343
Goals 159
Assists 105
Total Trophies 12

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 27.09.24.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *