Top 20 Best Strikers in the World 2023

By
Ibiye Ambille
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There’s a reason football has continued to entertain fans globally, and this is due to the enormous work players put on display, especially strikers.

 

Over the past decades, we’ve watched some of the best strikers consistently dominate the headlines due to their outstanding contributions. We have seen some of the most incredible forwards in the sport, but the 21st century has ushered in some of the most talented and exciting players who have drawn more attention worldwide.

 

From Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland to Kylian Mbappé, Interesting Football brings you the current best strikers in the world.

 

1. Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland is one of the best strikers in the English Premier League. The Norwegian has proven this with his outstanding performance despite playing his first season.

 

Although he was known to have scored 86 goals in 89 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, he quickly justified the hype surrounding his arrival in the English top flight.

 

This season, Haaland is the pivot of Pep Guardiola’s attack, standing as the sole number nine. According to statistics, he has scored over thirty league goals and leads the Premier League Golden Boot race.

 

Haaland’s brilliance and ability to replicate his Bundesliga form in England shows his top-notch attacking prowess. He has been hailed as being at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by Pep Guardiola.

 

Read: Top 10 Best strikers in the Premier League

2. Kylian Mbappé 

 

Kylian Mbappé’s position atop the list is due to his outstanding performance for club and country in the last few years. The Frenchman has been at the forefront of Paris Saint-Germain’s quest for domestic and European glory.

 

Mbappé’s performance with the French Men’s National Football team was excellent, scoring two comeback goals to force the World Cup finals to Extra time.

 

According to statistics, Kylian Mbappé is one of the best strikers in the French Ligue 1 and in Europe this season. He scored over nineteen goals and provided three assists.

 

3. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

There’s no doubt that Messi is constantly mentioned on the list. The Argentine star is arguably one of the greatest players in world football.

 

Messi began his career at FC Barcelona and enjoyed an impressive 21-year stay at the Catalan club before heading for the Parc des Princes.

 

Although his first season wasn’t his best, he has brought his A-game to the club in his second stint at Parc des Princes. According to statistics, Messi has scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1.

 

Although PSG could not get past the Champions League quarter-finals following the defeat to Bayern Munich, Messi played a significant role in the club’s unsuccessful attempts to reach the competition finals.

Read: Soccer players to score 50+ goals per season

4. Harry Kane

1024px Harry Kane in Russia1
Кирилл Венедиктов, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons

Tottenham star Harry Kane is arguably one of the most prolific forwards in world football in the last five seasons. The Englishman has constantly hit double figures in all competitions for his club.

 

Kane has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, including two consecutive awards in 2016 and 2017.

 

According to statistics this season, Kane is only behind Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland with 23 league goals with two assists. His consistency on the top goal scorers chart appears to be a tradition and not just the numbers.

Read: Top 10 best young strikers in the world

5. Lewandowski

Lewandowski

Year in and year out, Robert Lewandowski has been a top-level player. The Polish forward switched to Barcelona in 2022 after eight seasons at Bayern Munich.

 

Lewandowski is considered to be one of the greatest strikers of all time. He has been a prolific forward since his time at Borussia Dortmund and shows no signs of slowing down.

 

This season, Lewandowski has been firing on all cylinders and is currently top of the La Liga top scorers chart with fourteen goals, leading veterans like Karim Benzema, the top goal leader last season.

 

6. Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen is one of the most prolific forwards in world football this season. The Nigerian has led Napoli’s goalscoring duties and is currently leading the Serie A top scorers chart.

 

Osimhen joined the Partenopei in 2020 from French club Lille for a club record fee of €70 million, making him the most expensive African footballer.

 

Although he showed some flashes of brilliance, he could not hit the ground running in the first season in Naples.

 

The Nigerian was gradually improving in his second but has become a world-class player in his third season in Italy as he is currently one the pillars of Napoli.

 

7. Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema vs. FC Schalke 04 16647992937 2
Chris Deahr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Karim Benzema is getting better by age, although he may not be the most prolific forward.

 

The Frenchman played a significant role in 2021/22 as he helped Real Madrid lift the La Liga and Champions League. He also became the top scorer in the league.

 

Real Madrid’s top hierarchy had relied heavily on Benzema as the club’s main striker. This season, he is among the league’s top scorers, only behind Robert Lewandowski.

Read: Best Trios in Football History – Top 10 from MSN, BBC, RRC and others

8. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

There’s no doubt about Cristiano Ronaldo’s inclusion on the list, as the Portuguese show no signs of slowing down with his goal scoring abilities.

 

Ronaldo left European football for Al Nassr for a record deal. He saw a rocky start to lift in the Saudi Pro League but was able to find his footing and is currently among the league’s top scorers with double figures.

 

According to statistics, Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded fourteen goal involvements and has been ranked among the best players in the Saudi Pro League this season.

Read: Top 10 Best right backs in the World

9. Neymar

Neymar

Neymar, on and off, has drawn criticism about his form and football career at Paris Saint-Germain, which has already brought up exit rumours.

 

However, despite these ups and downs the Brazilian faces, he remains one of the most lethal forwards in world football. His outstanding playmaking abilities make him rank among the best players in the world.

 

This season, Neymar has had twenty-three goal involvements in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain.

 

10. Ivan Toney

 

One of the players who has taken the English Premier League by storm is Ivan Toney. The Brentford forward appears to be ignored but remains one of the biggest goal threats even though he plays for a smaller side.

 

Toney has been outstanding since Brentford’s promotion to the English Premier League. His performance was rewarded with a place in England’s final shortlist for the summer World Cup in Qatar.

 

This season, Toney has scored 18 Premier League goals and are currently third in the standings behind Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

 

11. Jonathan David

Jonathan David

Lille forward Jonathan David is one of the best young strikers in the world. The Canadian soccer player is the joint top scorer in the French Ligue 1 with nineteen goals along with Kylian Mbappé.

 

Although players from Paris Saint-Germain dominate the French Ligue 1, some players have pulled off some outstanding performances, including Jonathan David, whose performance raises eyebrows.

 

This season, he is among the favourites to win the Golden Boot alongside Mbappé, Folarin Balogun, and Alexandre Lacazette.

 

12. Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford has shown to be the most reliable player at Manchester United. The English forward has single-handedly taken charge of the goalscoring duties at Old Trafford.

 

The arrival of Erik ten Haag has also added life to Rashford’s contributions to the team. He played a significant role as United won the Carabao Cup to end the club’s wait for a trophy.

 

This season, he has been involved in almost every game for Manchester United in the Premier League and has made over nineteen goal involvements.

 

13. Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann is one of the key players leading Atlético Madrid’s comeback following the club’s disappointing performance in the Champions League.

 

The Rojiblancos were eliminated from the group stages despite having teams like Club Brugge and Benfica in the same group.

Antoine Griezmann has scored many goals as Diego Someone’s men race for qualification for the UEFA Champions League next season.

 

14. Ademola Lookman

 

 

 

It would be unfair to leave out Ademola Lookman on the list of the best strikers in world football today. The 25-year-old forward has found his footing in the Italian Serie A and is currently Atalanta’s best player this season.

 

He was on the books of Everton FC before making the switch to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and had stints at Leicester City. However, the journeyman found a new home on the Italian top flight.

 

Although his talent had never been in doubt, he hasn’t particularly found or had the opportunity to showcase it. But Gian Piero Gasperini, whose idea of raising a young team, Atalanta, has given him the quality time to thrive.

 

15. Lautaro Martínez

Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan

Inter Milan star Lautaro Martínez is one of the most consistent forwards in world football lately. The Argentine has registered double digits in goals in the last few seasons with the Nerazzurri.

 

He was one of the best players at the World Cup, helping Argentina lift the trophy for the third time in its history.

 

Back in the Italian Serie A, Martinez is the top scorer of Inter Milan and is one of the most lethal forwards in world football.

 

16. Niclas Füllkrug

 

Niclas Füllkrug is one of the surprise players in the German Bundesliga. The 30-year-old forward is currently the league’s top scorer.

 

He has had over twenty-one goals involvements in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen and has helped the club stay out of the drop zone.

 

Niclas Füllkrug has enjoyed a remarkable rise in the last few seasons and is now rewarded for a place and the position of Germany’s most preferred striker. He is exceeding expectations.

 

17. Randal Kolo Muani

 

Randal Kolo Muani is one of the most exciting players to watch. The Frenchman would be remembered for his last-gasp shot that Emiliano Martínez blocked as France took on Argentina in the world cup final.

 

The 24-year-old is a good finisher and a team player who has helped Eintracht Frankfurt rise in European football. He has played a significant role and helped the Eagles advance to the round of 16 in the Champions League.

 

Kolo Muani’s performance has raised eyebrows across Europe and has attracted interest from top clubs. He moved to Germany from French club Nantes last summer on a free transfer.

 

18. João Mario

 

Are you not familiar with this name? Well, you need to watch the Portuguese Liga Pro games involving FC Porto, and it is because of the outstanding performance of the 23-year-old forward.

 

João Mario plays as a right winger or a right-back but deserves to be on the list due to his goal-scoring prowess.

 

19. Gonçalo RamosGoncalo Ramos

Gonçalo Ramos is one of the best talents in Europe. The Portuguese forward plays for Benfica in the domestic scene and in the Champions League, where he has scored over seven goals.

 

The 21-year-old came through the Benfica youth system and has established himself as one of the pivots of the team.

This season, Ramos scored over 17 goals for Benfica as the club established a commanding lead on the Portuguese league table.

 

20. Pedro

 

Pedro is arguably one of the best strikers on the South American continent. The 25-year-old Flamengo forward was outstanding as the club won the Copa Libertadores in 2022, where he was the top scorer with twelve goals.

 

Although Brazilian and South American football isn’t popular in Europe, Pedro dazzles his way around the continent with his fine form.