20 Best Strikers in World Football [Ranked]

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. But some strikers from the past and present can dictate a match almost entirely by themselves.

With that said, this article ranks the top 20 strikers in world football at the moment, with a few 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
• Strength of league

20

Viktor Gyokeres

Club: Arsenal

The name on everybody’s lips over the last few years, 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 former side, Sporting CP, the previous year from Championship outfit Coventry City, but his sparkling form while in the Portuguese league had caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

After another incredible season where he finished second in the race for the Golden Shoe, the Swede made the switch to England to join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. His first season in the Premier League was a mixed bag, but supporters will tell you that his mere presence on the pitch contributed to the Gunners becoming champions of England for the first time since 2004, though Arteta has opted to keep him on the bench at the start of this campaign.

19

Benjamin Sesko

Club: Manchester United

Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

In Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United have finally found the consistent goalscoring number nine they have long been searching for. They forked out a hefty fee to bring the Slovenian to Old Trafford but after a slow start, he found his feet and the back of the net.

Standing at six feet five inches, his imposing presence is a real handful for defenders, and he boasts electric pace that helps United on the counter. A promising debut season finished with 12 goals, and many of those came when playing a super-sub role, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on this term, having been sidelined for Mateus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo so far.

18

Junior Kroupi

Club: Bournemouth

via Reuters

The hottest number nine prospect in the Premier League and another gem unearthed by Bournemouth. Junior Kroupi is enjoying a meteoric rise. Likened to Kylian Mbappe thanks to his pace, instinctive movement and lethal right foot, the French starlet looked the real deal in the 2025/26 season.

There’s a reason the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have been circling for his signature. He finished last season with an impressive tally of 13 goals, but unfortunately, he’s missed the start of this campaign with a foot injury, and he’s yet to get the big move he was tipped for not that long ago.

17

Igor Thiago

Club: Brentford

For the last couple of years or so, Brentford have landed themselves a talismanic figure, and soon after, they’ve been tasked with replacing them. The free-scoring nature of Ivan Toney was replaced by Bryan Mbeumo and Igor Thiago is now emulating the success of the Cameroonian in the final third – and that’s perfectly showcased by his 22-goal haul in 38 Premier League outings last season.

A revelation for the Bees, Thiago is capable of wreaking havoc for defences in quick succession – and his knack for drawing fouls and subsequently earning Keith Andrews’ side a penalty is second to none. He couldn’t quite carry his red-hot form into the World Cup with Brazil and, as a result, finds himself lower down this list, despite finishing second in the race for last season’s Premier League Golden Boot.

16

Serhou Guirassy

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Like so many top strikers, Serhou Guirassy has matured later in his career and established himself as one of the best on the planet only in the last few years, despite turning 30 back in March. After scoring 30 goals in 30 appearances for Stuttgart in the 2023/24 season, Borussia Dortmund moved to sign the Guinean, and he’s since continued his prolific goal-scoring exploits at the Westfalonstadion.

Netting 34 and 26 goals in his first two campaigns at Dortmund, respectively, Guirassy shouldn’t continue to be overlooked when it comes to discussing the best number nines in world football. His combination of excellent finishing, immense strength and intelligent combination play makes him a handful. He certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a more competitive league.

15

Nicolas Jackson

Club: Aston Villa

Nicolas Jackson was often sneered at whilst at Chelsea, with many dismissing him because of his occasional wasteful finishing. However, it’s no surprise that Cole Palmer’s form fell off a cliff after his departure, with the playmaker thriving when he had the Senegalese striker making dynamic runs ahead of him.

Now at Villa, Jackson is making waves under the manager who unearthed him at Villarreal. Unai Emery seems to know how to get the most out of the unrelenting number nine, and this has seen the player quickly establish himself as Villa’s new talisman.

14

Kai Havertz

Club: Arsenal

One of football’s most scrutinised players, Kai Havertz, has silenced his critics since joining Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer of 2023. The versatile German already proved himself a big-game player after scoring the winner in the 2021 Champions League final and he was at it again in last season’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

While he endured a World Cup to forget, it’s fair to say Germany were a letdown as a collective. He remains a key player for Mikel Arteta and is a real nuisance for the opposition, often coming up with a late goal to steal three points, while also earning a starting spot ahead of the aforementioned Gyokeres as the Gunners begin their title defence.

13

Hugo Ekitike

Club: Liverpool

Once unfavoured at Paris Saint-Germain, the languid Frenchman – who has drawn plenty of comparisons to new teammate Alexander Isak because of his rangy frame and dribbling exploits – became Eintracht Frankfurt’s latest big-money striker by joining the reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool, last summer. He moved after a career-best season of 22 goals and 12 assists.

At his previous club, Ekitike plundered 40 goal involvements (26 goals and 14 assists) in 64 outings, but he’s proved that he’s more than just an out-and-out goalscorer. He’s relatively adept at taking on opposition and stretching defences to exploit space. What’s crazier is that we’re yet to see him at his best, as the Reds seem to have found their new long-term talisman, as long as his current injury doesn’t hamper his progress too much.

12

Marcus Thuram

Club: Inter Milan

Striker Marcus Thuram may not be the jewel in Inter Milan’s crown; that mantle is claimed by Lautaro Martinez (more on him later!) but his opening three seasons at the San Siro can still be considered an incredible success. Joining on a free transfer from German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, the Frenchman played a starring role in his first campaign as the men in black and blue reclaimed their league title.

In 2024/25, he was pivotal as his side reached the Champions League final and his return in front of goal (eight goals and two assists) proved his importance to the Nerazzurri. 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, where he has turned into an impressive playmaker.

11

Joao Pedro

Club: Chelsea

Liam Delap, signed by Chelsea in the early stages of last summer, wouldn’t have been most pleased to see Joao Pedro walk through the door. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the Premier League, the Brazilian worked his magic on the coast for Brighton & Hove Albion – and that intrigued the nation’s biggest hoarder of talent.

Although he is still in the embryonic stages of his west London career, it is clear that Pedro will be a revelation for the Blues. The six-cap Brazil international was his side’s primary choice in 2025/26. He can score, drop deep, move out wide and run the channels. In truth, there’s not much he cannot do – and to a good standard, too, as he’s already got three goals and as many assists after four league games under Xabi Alonso.