The best strikers in the world are the most valuable people in the game. 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 and 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.
That makes judging the position particularly tough in the modern age.
How our experts decided the best strikers in the world
For this list, FourFourTwo asked a collection of respected football experts to consider the best no.9s on the planet, not just by goals but the whole package. A false nine should stand as much of a shot as a fox in the box.
Naturally, we didn't want to mark someone like Erling Haaland down based on his lack of passing though, so we asked experts to rank how good each player is on their own merits and how important they are to their team – regardless of what they do.
And so, 14 frontmen returned, when our experts picked their own top 10s, based on ability, form, current season and historic performance over the last couple of years. Judgement calls were made on those who fitted our list of the best left-wingers in the world right now (hello, Luis Diaz) and the best right-wingers in the world right now (that's you, Bryan Mbeumo). The four who didn't quite make the cut when we tallied up everyone's scores, instead, receive their own honourable mentions below.
If it's another list you're looking for, we also have compilations of players further back on the field. We've totted up the best goalkeepers in the world, along with defenders (right-backs, centre-backs and left-backs) and midfielders (defensive midfielders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders) – while our list of the best players in the world right now covers just about everyone.
Honourable mentions
Honourable mentions
The full list
10. Ollie Watkins
Age: 29
Club: Aston Villa
Nationality: England
We mean no disrespect (well, maybe a little) when we say it’s a bit weird that Watkins remains at Aston Villa, given how many of nominally ‘bigger’ English sides would be improved by adding him to their side.
Perhaps that’s just a reflection of what a massive valuation Villa have placed on Watkins’ head. He’s now in his fifth consecutive year of entering double figures for Premier League goals, with his return generally proceeding on an upward trajectory season on season. Watkins will turn 30 this year, but that’s no age for a modern centre-forward. He may very well continue getting better from here.
9. Julian Alvarez
Age: 25
Club: Atletico Madrid
Nationality: Argentina
It perhaps took his £80 million to Atletico Madrid for Manchester City this summer to realise just how integral Julian Alvarez was to their recent successes. During his two seasons at the Etihad, the 25-year-old could be relied upon to fill in anywhere across the frontline and provide the kind of link-up play that the team have sorely missed this season.
Has quickly adapted to life under his compatriot Diego Simeone in La Liga where he is enjoying his status as the main man upfront. Pep Guardiola won’t have many regrets when he calls time and looks back at his career, but letting Alvarez go will be one of them.
8. Victor Osimhen
Age: 26
Club: Galatasaray (on loan from Napoli)
Nationality: Nigeria
Victor Osimhen’s potential has been common knowledge since joining Lille in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the world really got to see what the ruthless target man was all about. A tall, fast, aerially dominant finishing master, Osimhen’s skillset has seen him score pretty much any type of goal imaginable across his Napoli career, guiding them to the Serie A title in 2023 with 26 goals in 32 league games.
A very public fallout with the club over the summer appears to have put his career on the back burner for a season, however, a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs still appears destined for the 26-year-old in the very near future.
7. Lautaro Martinez
Age: 27
Club: Inter Milan
Nationality: Argentina
Lautaro has performed remarkably alongside a host of different strike partners, guiding the Nerazzurri to two league titles.
Lautaro Martinez’s reputation has undoubtedly fallen victim to the poor coverage of Serie A outside of Italy as the Argentine has consistently been one of the most formidable strikers in the division since signing for Inter Milan in 2018.
The Argentine is averaging around a goal every other game in Milan, performing remarkably alongside a host of different strike partners, guiding the Nerazzurri to two league titles. A ruthless finisher with a surprisingly physical approach, Martinez has used his skillset to fantastic effect in Italy and could potentially set Inter up for a sustained period of dominance in Italy once again.
6. Viktor Gyokeres
Age: 26
Club: Sporting
Nationality: Sweden
It’s funny to think that it’s just four or five years ago that Gyokeres had relatively unnoteworthy loan spells in the Championship with Swansea and Coventry. The Swede started to show his potential after making the latter move permanent, but we’re not sure anybody could reasonably have expected just how rapidly he has adapted to playing top-flight football.
Gyokeres is not far removed from a goal per game for Sporting, and actually exceeded that for his country in 2024. The 26-year-old may need another move to one of the big five leagues before he makes true believers of everyone – but you wouldn’t back against him taking that step up in his stride.
5. Kylian Mbappe
Age: 26
Club: Real Madrid
Nationality: France
Few predicted that PSG’s all-time record scorer would struggle at Real Madrid. His World Cup final display for France against Argentina in 2022 is ranked at no.7 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest individual performances of all time, so Kylian Mbappe is no stranger to the spotlight.
He was always going to come good. A hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League was the perfect encapsulation of his upturn in form: the Frenchman is back to his devastating best and now targeting a first European title. Already ranked at no.93 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, it’s scary to imagine how far up that list he may shoot.
4. Erling Haaland
Age: 24
Club: Manchester City
Nationality: Norway
Haaland is already about a third of the way to Alan Shearer’s Premier League record: surely it’s just a matter of time before he breaks it?
It speaks volumes that Haaland is now judged by standards all of his own. This dreadful campaign has led Manchester City to realise they needed to do a rebuild, but Haaland has still kept scoring at what for anybody else would be a monstrous rate.
City have thus put their striker at the heart of their plans, tying Haaland down whopping nine-year contract. Haaland is already about a third of the way to Alan Shearer’s Premier League record. With that long-term deal sorted, surely it’s just a matter of time before he breaks it?
3. Robert Lewandowski
Age: 36
Club: Barcelona
Nationality: Poland
Robert Lewandowski looked tired last season. Plenty wondered where the prolific Pole was on the decline – well, 26 goals in all comps last season isn’t bad but it’s not up to the standards previously set. He’s answered critics in a big way, though.
Lewangoalski has been utterly irrepressible this term, thanks to a reunion with Hansi Flick – and the pair are targeting another Treble together. Now 36, the forward is as good as he’s ever been, taking advantage of the excellent service from Raphinha and Yamal, while adapting his movement for the two flying wingers either side of him. He’s already surpassed his La Liga total for the entirety of last sason, with 32 in his first 34 in all competitions. He’s a big reason Barcelona are targeting European glory.
2. Alexander Isak
Age: 25
Club: Newcastle United
Nationality: Sweden
All great strikers have that season, where they ascend to the ‘inevitable’ level: Alexander Isak is enjoying that, now.
All great strikers have that season, where they ascend to the ‘inevitable’ level. Alexander Isak is enjoying that, now: when he gets the whites of the goalposts within his sights, there’s no question as to what will happen.
The Swedish superstar is everything you want in a striker from any era of the game. Towering and strong, yet rapid in short bursts and across half a pitch on the counter, he’s ice cold, too, and a big-game player able to handest the brightest of spotlights. Barring a miracle, he’ll hit 50 league goals before his first 80 appearances – and at 25, could he yet target some of Alan Shearer’s milestones?
1. Harry Kane
Age: 31
Club: Bayern Munich
Nationality: England
In an era of Luis Suarez, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane’s ability to break records is perhaps the biggest testament to his world-class ability which has kept him at the top of the game for the best part of a decade now.
A technically excellent centre-forward who is good in the air and an elite finisher, England's record scorer is as close to the complete striker as it comes, with an astonishing goal record to back him up. Unfortunate circumstances have seen him go without a trophy throughout his illustrious career, perhaps the only criticism left to throw at a player who has been scoring goals at a more consistent rate than almost all his peers.
