From the prolific to the all-rounded, let’s order the hottest hitmen on the planet right now
(Image credit: Future)
The most difficult thing in football is to score goals – and that makes the striker’s role the most important on the field.
The transfer market would certainly agree: the biggest fees are often commanded by the most frequent goal-botherers, and a decent hitman can hide a multitude of sins for your team. Of course, being a striker isn’t just about finishing anymore: you also have to hold up, link play, press, run the channels and bully defences.
These 10 lads have certainly got the role sussed…
The 10 best strikers in the world right now: 10. Santiago Gimenez
Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord celebrates against Lazio (Image credit: Getty Images)
An Argentinian who represents Mexico was always likely to result in chaos all around, and Feyenoord forward Santiago Gimenez is continuing to make noise in the ever-present breeding pool of Dutch football.
Fast approaching the half-century mark for Arne Slot’s up-and-coming outfit, Gimenez helped the Pride of the South claim a first Eredivisie title in six years in 2022/23 and couldn’t stop scoring, placing many clubs across Europe on high alert in the process.
Terrific with the ball at his feet with a fine-tuned and innate killer instinct, the 22-year-old has immacuate link-up play and is the master of a body faint, that has been likened to those Dutch heroes of yesteryear.
9. Randal Kolo Muani
Randal Kolo Muani of France in action during the Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece (Image credit: Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Born in Bondy, a breeding ground for some of France’s finest footballing talent, the next from the production line is PSG’s deadly frontman Randal Kolo Muani, who continues to make waves across the European scene.
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At just 25, the forward enjoyed a glittering season with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga last year, finding the net 23 times as the Eagles qualified for the UEFA Conference League in the process.
A move to Paris followed this summer, as the Frenchman continues to go from strength to strength. His aerial presence at 6’1 deceives most defenders and with electric pace to go with it, the striker has many tools to help him reach the very top across his career.
8. Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez gestures during Liverpool's 0-0 draw against Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
A fiery South American seemingly cut from the same cloth as his compatriot Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez’s electric rise to the very top of European football is something to applaud.
Clinical in his spells with Almeria and Benfica in Spain and Portugal respectively, the 24-year-old forward opted to follow the path set by many before him, moving to the Premier League, and in particular, Liverpool back in 2022.
Possessing superb acceleration, fantastic hold-up play and movement comparable to countryman Edinson Cavani, Nunez is sure to be a staple in attack for Liverpool across the next few years and his development is something we can’t wait to see even more of.
7. Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
Alexander Isak of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring a against West Ham (Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle's record signing at £63m from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022, Alexander Isak averaged almost a goal every other game during his first Premier League campaign.
Then the towering Swede went truly prolific, bagging six goals in his first seven appearances at the beginning of the 2023/24 season – including an opening weekend brace as the Magpies demolished Aston Villa 5-1.
Deceptively agile for a player who stands six-foot-four tall, Isak's pace makes him an asset whether deployed centrally – as he usually is – or out wide, from where he can cut inside dangerously (as evidenced by his superb dribble and finish away to Everton last term).
6. Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace (Image credit: Getty Images)
No Harry Kane? No problem. That's been the case so far this season for Tottenham anyway, after the summer departure of their all-time record goalscorer left an ostensibly unfillable void.
But new boss Ange Postecoglou has converted Son Heung-min from a winger to a centre-forward, and the South Korean superstar – who captains club and country these days – is playing some of the best football of his career.
A clinical finisher who's more than capable of creating chances for his teammates, too, Son – who has scored more goals than any other Asian player in Premier League history – hit a hat-trick as Tottenham thumped Burnley 5-2 on the road in September – before bagging a brace in a 2-2 North London derby draw at Arsenal later the same month.
7. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan in action during the Serie A match against Frosinone (Image credit: Getty Images)
A highly consistent performer for Inter Milan, Lautaro Martinez has enjoyed a great 2023/24 Serie A campaign so far – scoring all four goals in Inter's 4-0 win away to Salernitana in September.
The tirelessly hard-working Argentine has found the net well over 100 times since joining the Nerazzurri from Buenos Aires-based Racing Club back in 2018 – and he is regularly touted for a major move to one of Europe's top, top clubs.
Surprisingly physical given his relatively slight frame, El Toro's (The Bull) centre-forward exploits are made all the more impressive by the fact he was actually a centre-back in his youth!
4. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Victor Osimhen of Napoli pre-game against Fiorentina (Image credit: Getty Images)
Amid apparent intense interest from all over Europe, Napoli kept hold of Victor Osimhen over the summer – and the 2022/23 Serie A champions will be thanking their lucky stars that they did.
The Nigerian international top-scored in the Italian top flight with 26 goals last season (out of 31 he managed in all competitions) and netted six times in his first eight league appearances of an injury-disrupted early 2023/24 campaign.
Rapid, powerful and terrifyingly clinical in front of goal, Osimhen is the complete package – and he'll be integral to Napoli's hopes of success in the post-Luciano Spalletti era.
3. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain looks on during the Ligue 1 match against Montpellier (Image credit: Getty Images)
Simply one of the best players on the planet for a number of years now, Kylian Mbappe continues to tear up Ligue 1 and the Champions League in the colours of PSG.
Could he be a Real Madrid player by next season? Quite possibly (we won't open that can of worms now) – but whichever shirt he pulls on, the France superstar guarantees goals and plenty of them, often in nothing short of spectacular fashion (case in point: his outrageous 40-yard lob in Les Bleus' recent 14-0 evisceration of Gibraltar).
Unquestionably one of the biggest speed demons in world football right now, Mbappe has regularly shown himself to be as good as unstoppable – which isn't really what you want as a defender, is it?
2. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring a penalty against Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
Having smashed the Premier League's single-season goals record with 36 goals in his first campaign for Manchester City (and 52 in all competitions), Erling Haaland continues to provoke questions about his humanity.
The Norwegian Terminator is an absolute machine at the sharp end of the pitch, and he's sure to propel Pep Guardiola's City to further greatness this term.
If you could take a blank canvas, design the perfect striker and have it custom-built in a factory, you'd want it come out pretty much like Haaland – who had amassed 20 goals for club and country in 2023/24 by mid-November.
1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Harry Kane of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring against Heidenheim (Image credit: Getty Images)
Having moved to within 50 goals of Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League record of 260, Harry Kane decided it was finally time to up sticks for a new challenge in the summer of 2023: the Bundesliga, as Bayern Munich's latest mega-signing.
And so far – to the surprise of absolutely no one – the England skipper has more than lived up to his £82m price tag, rattling in dozens of goals and assists for Bayern in all competitions (plus more for his country).
The complete number nine who also possesses plenty of the attributes you'd look for in an elite second striker – his passing from deeper areas is as good as many of the world's best playmakers – Kane, who only turned 30 in July, is well on his way to becoming a legend in Germany.
More lists
We have lists of the best players in every position in the world right now.
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
