The hardest but most important part of football is to put the ball in the back of the net. This makes strikers the most valuable assets in the sport, as finding a number nine that can regularly find a way to score goals is a rare commodity. Some teams find a way to spread their goals around the team, but it is perhaps no coincidence that the best teams tend to have the most prolific men leading the line.

Obviously, playing for a better team gives the forward a better chance of having shots at goal, but ensuring the ball finds a way past the goalkeeper is a fine art. This article ranks the top 15 strikers in world football at the moment, with three of the centre-forwards operating in the Premier League.

Ranking factors

Football is all about opinions. There is often no right or wrong, as most parts of the beautiful game are subjective. Statistics can be used to back up claims, but nothing can be proved outright when ranking players in order. For the list below, the following factors have been used to help place each striker:

• Goals
• Assists
• Goals per game
• Importance to team
• Individual performances

1 Kylian Mbappe

Club: Real Madrid

Is Kylian Mbappe a striker? It’s clearly debatable. Although he can pretty much play anywhere across the front line, he is included in the top 10, even if he is arguably more effective coming off one of the flanks. But back to the player, never have we witnessed such devastating explosiveness as when Paris-born Mbappe is well and truly at it.

The Frenchman falls into the super rare category of being unstoppable at times and if he hasn’t claimed two or three Ballon d’Or awards by the time he’s hung up his boots, then it’ll be a shock. It is extremely harsh that the man who scored a hat-trick in a World Cup had any doubts over his talent in the infancy of his Los Blancos career. While he may have got off to a slow start in Real Madrid’s famous white and gold, his star power didn’t falter and he’s now found his feet, scoring at every given opportunity.

2 Robert Lewandowski

Club: Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski became the only man to manage Champions League hat-tricks at three different clubs when he rocketed three past Viktoria Plzen on his European debut for Barcelona. The prolific Pole just knows where the goal is and has proven the only challenger to the scoring power of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the last decade, now surpassing them both season after season.

Even whilst towards his twilight years, the ex-Bayern Munich talisman finds himself outperforming the young guns such as Mbappe and Haaland. And in the 24/25 campaign so far, he has rediscovered some of his youth, as he’s banged in 22 goals in 26 La Liga appearances, including a brace in El Clasico as La Blaugrana stormed to the top of the table before Lamine Yamal’s injury stalled their progress.

3 Harry Kane

Club: Bayern Munich

Harry Kane is modern football’s answer to Wayne Rooney. Yes, he will absolutely score 20 goals a season. But he’ll also hit double figures in the assist rankings and spend about 30% of his time playing as a holding midfielder just to find that added space to work his magic.

The England captain became his nation’s top goalscorer in 2023, as well as reaching second place in the all-time Premier League scoring charts after scoring an incredible 213 times for Tottenham. His move to Bayern Munich has been a success to date as the 31-year-old continues to search for his first major honour in the sport.

4 Erling Haaland

Club: Manchester City

Erling Haaland has to go down as one of the best strikers in world football for one reason. He’s the best at putting the ball in the back of the opponent’s net. The Norwegian has set the world alight ever since he graced the Premier League with his presence. He smashed the goalscoring record for a single season, scoring 36 times in only 35 appearances during his debut campaign in the competition.

Haaland’s second season in the English top flight followed a similar pattern as he seemed to score every single week before being forced to spend time on the sidelines. He faced a lot of scrutiny from pundits for some of his performances in the second-half of the term, but he’s still one of the best goalscorers on the planet, and there’s no sign of that natural-born instinct letting up any time soon, even if recent form has led to his own self-doubt.

5 Alexander Isak

Club: Newcastle United

A few eyebrows were raised when Newcastle paid a huge £63m fee for Alexander Isak, but there are not many who are doubting his quality now. The Swedish striker had an excellent first season in the English top flight, notching 10 goals and impressing with his finishing and tidy footwork, and that continued last season.

Injuries limited Isak’s impact during his first season with the Magpies, but he remained fit for most of the 2023-24 campaign, showcasing his talent with 21 Premier League goals under Eddie Howe. After a slow start this season, the 6’4″ striker has recently returned to basics – relying on his pace and strength to drive forward with power before delivering a clinical finish. This straightforward yet effective approach has helped him rediscover his ruthless form in recent weeks, and helped him find the back of the net in Newcastle’s famous Carabao Cup triumph against Liverpool.

6 Viktor Gyokeres

Club: Sporting

The name on everybody’s lips, Viktor Gyokeres looked all set for a big-money move in the 2024 summer transfer window, but ultimately ended up spending another year in Portugal. The Sweden international only joined his current club, Sporting, the previous year from Championship outfit Coventry City, but his sparkling form while in the Portuguese league has caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea were linked with the Swede in their search for a new number nine this summer. Given the consistency with which Gyokeres has shone at Sporting, he will no doubt be on their radar in future transfer windows. He currently sits high up in the race for the European Boot, having notched 28 goals and six assists in 25 Liga Portugal fixtures this term. Coming alive on the European stage, the enigmatic centre forward’s traits were on full show as he bagged a hat-trick of goals against a limp Manchester City – what a stupendous talent.

7 Lautaro Martinez

Club: Inter Milan

A typically tenacious Argentine centre-forward, Lautaro Martinez has been doing the business at Inter for several seasons now. During the 2022/23 campaign, he netted an impressive 21 league goals and was integral in the club’s title charge in which they narrowly lost out to city rivals AC Milan.

Now entering the prime of his career as a 27-year-old, Martinez looks to be accelerating his progression and has become one of the finest bagsmen on the planet. The Inter Milan forward won the Serie A Golden Boot last season with a significant margin between himself and the chasing pack. Martinez has refined his finishing ability in recent times and is now being recognised around the world, with Lionel Messi himself even naming the talisman as his heir for the Ballon d’Or, though it would be Rodri who would take that crown in the end.

8 Julian Alvarez

Club: Atletico Madrid

You don’t see Atletico Madrid splash in excess of £80 million on players very often, and after the failed signing of Joao Felix for over £100 million, there was pressure on Diego Simeone and co. to get this one right. Luckily, Julian Alvarez has delivered on every facet and is one of the hottest strikers in European football.

Fans had seen glimpses of what he was capable of at Manchester City, but he was always going to play the supporting role behind Haaland at the Etihad. Now in Spain, he has become the main protagonist and is banging in goals left, right and centre as he takes another step towards putting himself in world-class territory.

9 Omar Marmoush

Club: Manchester City

Having been reportedly scouted by Liverpool’s first-rate recruitment team, mooted as the heir to Mo Salah’s golden throne, is enough of a compliment itself. Omar Marmoush is the next big thing in Egypt, but it was Manchester City who recently raided Eintracht Frankfurt to acquire his services.

In Marmoush, Pep Guardiola has unearthed yet another goal-scoring machine. The Egyptian forward has racked up an impressive 24 goals and 14 assists in just 36 appearances across all competitions this season. But it’s not just his numbers that will excite City fans – his style of play is equally compelling.

Marmoush thrives with his back to goal, often operating like a second striker, a role reminiscent of Julian Alvarez in previous campaigns. Paired with Haaland, the duo is set to wreak havoc on opposition defences – a truly daunting prospect for Premier League defenders.

10 Victor Osimhen

Club: Galatasary (on loan from Napoli)

Victor Osimhen’s potential has been well-known since he joined Lille in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the world truly saw the full extent of the relentless Nigerian’s talent. Standing tall, with speed, aerial dominance, and clinical finishing, Osimhen has scored nearly every type of goal imaginable throughout his Napoli career, leading them to the Serie A title in 2023 with 26 goals in 32 league matches.

Although a highly publicised dispute with the club over the summer has temporarily slowed his momentum, a move to one of Europe’s elite teams still seems inevitable for the 25-year-old in the near future, as he settles for temporary accomodation over at Galatasaray. While in Turkey, though, he’s been firing on all cylinders.

11 Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins’ rise to prominence since Unai Emery’s arrival at Villa Park has been astronomical, and arguably, hasn’t been spoken about enough. The England international has consistently been a reliable source of goals for Aston Villa in the past two years, emerging as one of the top attackers in the English top-flight after starting his career at Exeter City.

His talismanic form for the Villains was enough to fire the West Midlands club into the Champions League. It’s the first time the English side have ventured into the elite European competition in over four decades, and while he hasn’t set the world alight throughout the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, he will be hoping to improve further under his influential Spanish manager as he massively outperformed his xG last term.

12 Victor Boniface

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen were the surprise package of the most recent campaign as the Bundesliga side went a full domestic campaign without tasting defeat. One of the key factors behind Xabi Alonso’s success was the lethal nature of Victor Boniface.

The Nigerian striker fired in 14 league goals in the German top-flight despite missing a large portion of Leverkusen’s title-winning season. His incredible physicality and pace give opposing defenders multiple issues, and coupled with his quick thinking in front of the goal, Boniface is viewed as one of the best players in his position. This term, while his teammates haven’t matched the lofty standards of yesteryear, he’s still been plundering goals in, notching seven in 15 Bundesliga appearances so far.

13 Cristiano Ronaldo

Club: Al-Nassr

There was once a point in time when the greatest goalscorer of all time would be the name at the very top of this list, with no real competition for his crown. In 2025, however, Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League, which is undeniably lower in quality than the top European leagues.

The Portuguese superstar is the biggest fish in the small pond that is the emerging division. Ronaldo scored more goals than any other player in 2023, hitting the back of the net 54 times. As already mentioned, the lack of quality in the league he plays in has to factor against the Real Madrid and Manchester United icon, but 2024 was still a successful year for the 39-year-old, and considering he has recently renewed his contract, 2025 could follow in a similar vein.

14 Marcus Thuram

Club: Inter Milan

Inter Milan stormed to Serie A glory last term, and it’s no surprise with the array of attacking options they have at their disposal. Arsenal-linked, Marcus Thuram may not have been the jewel in Inter’s crown as that mantle was claimed by Martinez, but his debut season at the San Siro was still an incredible success.

Joining on a free transfer from German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, the Frenchman played a starring role as the men in black and blue reclaimed their league title with a Milan derby success against AC Milan. Thuram is one of the best forwards in Italy currently and is more than capable of playing either as his side’s chief line-leader or, instead, on the left wing.

15 Antoine Griezmann

Club: Atletico Madrid

For the casual fan, seeing 34-year-old Antoine Griezmann back in the spotlight might raise a few eyebrows. Wasn’t his prime years ago, back when he dazzled at Euro 2016? Is he even still playing? The answer is a resounding yes, and Atletico Madrid’s resurgence this season owes plenty to their French talisman, who has become the crown jewel of Diego Simeone’s side.

Much like Simeone himself, Griezmann has mastered the art of staying relevant. This season, he’s racked up 13 goal involvements in 28 La Liga appearances, helping Atleti sit just four points behind joint leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid. On the European stage, he’s been just as vital – contributing six goals and two assists in 10 Champions League games thus far, though it wasn’t ennough to prevent their elimination. An older and more seasoned Griezmann, it seems, is far from done.