It’s an adage that attacks win games, and it’s still true in today’s game. That explains why some of the most expensive players in history have been strikers.
A plethora of excellent strikers has graced the game in recent years. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, some of them are still going strong, scoring goals for club and country. Without further ado, here are the five best strikers in the game right now:
Number 5: Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez is one of the game’s most prolific strikers since the turn of the century.
Suarez established himself at Ajax and Liverpool before moving on to Barcelona, where he scored 195 goals in 283 appearances. The 34-year-old is now at Atletico Madrid and shows no signs of slowing down soon.
He scored 21 league goals last season to help the Rojiblancos win their first La Liga title in seven years. Suarez appears to have picked up where he left off last season, scoring eight goals across all competitions.
Suarez, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer, recently broke his nine-game scoring drought by scoring in his team’s 4-1 loss to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Number 4: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He has scored goals and won major titles for club and country throughout a nearly two-decade career.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has immediately impacted his return to Manchester United after more than a decade away. Despite United’s recent struggles, he has nine goals across all competitions.
Last season, the 36-year-old won his first Capocannonieri award after scoring 29 goals. He also performed admirably at Euro 2020, scoring five goals and providing an assist even though holders Portugal were eliminated in the Round of 16.
Ronaldo is on the 30-man shortlist for the 2021 Ballon d’Or, but he is unlikely to win because he did not win a major title this year.
Number 3: Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is one of the game’s best young strikers right now. He made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2019-20 with a memorable hat-trick, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Earlier this year, the 21-year-old became the competition’s quickest player to score 20 goals, breaking the previous record by ten games.
Since joining Borussia Dortmund in January, the Norwegian international has scored 70 goals in all competitions. He scored 41 goals in all matches for BvB last season and has already surpassed that total this season.
Number 2: Karim Benzema
Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Karim Benzema is aging like fine wine. He’s been on a roll this season, scoring 14 goals across all competitions.
The Real Madrid striker is on his way to 300 goals for the club. A total of 101 of these goals have come since Madrid’s all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in the summer of 2018.
After a six-year absence, Benzema, who returned to international duty, has also shone for France, scoring six goals across competitions. These goals helped France win the UEFA Nations League, bolstering Benzema’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or this year.
Number 1: Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the world’s hottest striker right now. For a long time, Bayern Munich’s prolific Pole has been raking in goals.
This season, the 33-year-old has already scored 23 goals in various competitions. In the seven years since joining on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund, he has scored over 300 goals for the club.
Last season, Lewandowski (41) broke the late Gerd Muller’s fifty-year-old Bundesliga record for most goals (41) in a season. This season, he became the quickest player in Champions League history to score 80 goals.
Given his incredible achievements, the Poland international is a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or award in 2021.
