Top 10 strikers in the world
Some would say that giving the Player of the Season award to defenders is pointless. In football, it is difficult to score goals – and that is why the role of the striker on the pitch is the most important.
Well, the transfer market would certainly agree. The most frequent conscripts often command the biggest fees, and a decent hitman can hide a lot of sins for your team. Of course, being a striker is no longer just about finishing. You have to hang on, link play, press, run channels and bully the defense. These guys definitely nailed the role…
NOTE: This list includes players who play as center forwards rather than wide forwards.
1-Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku’s partner in crime last season, has adapted extremely well to the loss of such a prolific helper up front alongside him and has shown himself to be the complete package, even in his own right. The Argentine has the strength and poise as well as the speed and awareness to thrive in the final third. Still only 24, there is plenty of room for development and improvement.
2-Romelu Lukaku
The rise of Romelu is one of the most famous stories in recent football history. He was a round peg in a square hole at Manchester United – and is now a shining star for the European champions. But while people tend to point to the Belgian as brutal and strong – and he is – perhaps an underrated aspect of his game is his sheer intelligence. He can turn defenders around with ease, is always in the right place and his chemistry with other strikers – Lautaro Martinez last season, Mason Mount this, or even Eden Hazard at the international level – is down to his ability to play to others’ strengths. as well as his own. He has truly become one of the best players on earth over the past two years.
3-Patrick Schick
After scoring the best goal of Euro 2020 – an audacious 55-yard lob past Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall – Schick has doubled his tally this season, scoring at a pace that can only be matched by the elite. A Leverkusen side who have been in high spirits under new manager Gerard Seoane have won 18 of their 18 Bundesliga games so far. The Czech forward is the perfect all-rounder: quick, great in the air, strong, and intelligent.
4-Diogo Jota
He was never a striker…but he sure is now.
Diogo Jota was expected to provide backup to the most feared front three in football and he smashed it. The Portuguese are now a sure-fire starter for Jurgen Klopp, offering more run on the ball than Roberto Firmino and retaining what made him a great winger. The goal record shows that something clicked with him up front, good.
5-Cristiano Ronaldo
We’ve reached a point in the timeline where we can legitimately call CR7 a proper striker. Today, she lives at the forefront of the United and is still as ageless and breathtaking as ever. If you’ve ever had an advertisement for mentality, it’s Ronaldo. He used to being No.1 or 2 on these lists, but given that he’s now 37 and that Manchester United has really fallen apart around him thanks to his lack of all-round play, we reckon he’ll be sixth in the world. … or maybe not.
6-Harry Kane
We’ve wondered for a while what kind of striker Harry Kane is. It felt like a comeback; a Shearer-type boxer who could hit the ball really hard but not much else. Maybe we just weren’t watching closely enough. The England captain has gradually become a Swiss Army Knife of a striker, with a range of passes to make the average deep-lying player cry and an off-the-ball movement to tear defenses apart. To be honest, Tottenham Hotspur wanted him last season. He’s not having the best season but is gradually becoming more lethal as the campaign wears on and Antonio Conte molds around the star. He is still world-class.
7-Kylian Mbappe
Was there ever a man less obviously destined for the very top of the game?
Kylian Mbappe has come a long way even after his extraordinary explosion in European football, becoming an excellent left winger and the focal point of the MMN front last season. He has a breakneck pace a sense of goal that can’t be taught, and he oozes subtle talent.
Oh, and he’s still only 23.
8-Karim Benzema
OK, can we please dispel the myth that Karim Benzema was nothing more than a foil for Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid?
Madrid’s star attraction of the 2010 era was, after all, the BBC – and Benzema was an integral central letter in that trio. The Frenchman has not faltered over the years leading from the front with power hard running, exemplary passing, and, as Chelsea found out the hard way last season, a sense of goal that cannot be taught. He is just as golden as your other Galacticos, thank you very much
9-Erling Haaland
Red Bull Salzburg: 17 goals in 16 league games. Borussia Dortmund: 56 in 57 league games. It’s scary to think how good Erling Haaland will be when he 22 – let alone 25 or 30.
The awkward blond giant has become the world’s most in-demand player over the past 18 months. He’s fast, he’s muscular, and he can find the corner of the net with his eyes closed; not only that, but he has a habit of delivering when it matters. Dortmund had a wobbly season last season, but imagine what it would have been like without this truly top talent at the helm.
10-Robert Lewandowski
If Robert Lewandowski was ready to face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, the tie may be different. The season as a whole is potentially moving into a different realm.
That’s the big Pole’s influence – and he’s one of a dozen top players in Bayern Munich’s arsenal. Lewandowski managed 55 in 47 in all competitions as Bayern reached the heights; this time he has 16 out of 12. This is ridiculous. And he should quit at 33 too.
Lewandowski has everything in his locker and is always one step ahead of everyone else. It’s no accident either: if the ball falls to him, there’s only one outcome.
In another universe, he has his second Champions League medal in as many seasons, and is currently looking for a third. In this, he is still the best striker in the world.