The 25 best strikers in world football - ranked

You can have the most technical inverted full-back, the most powerful box-to-box midfielder and the silkiest playmaker in the world, but they're all pretty irrelevant without a player who knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.

Football's evolution has facilitated the diversification of goalscoring and strikers are no longer merely tasked with hitting the target. When assessing the very best strikers in the world, the rate at which they score isn't the be-all and end-all.

However, teams still need goals up front, and some of the very best in the world put up astonishing numbers season after season.

Here are our top 25 strikers in the world right now as part of our 2023 Welcome to World Class series.

25. Viktor Gyokeres

Swapping Coventry City for Sporting CP isn't a particularly usual transfer path, but Viktor Gyokeres has been simply sensational since arriving in Lisbon last summer.

His ruthlessness has carried over from the Championship and the Swedish forward already has over 35 goals in all competitions for Sporting this season.

24. Artem Dovbyk

Girona's rise has been mightily impressive this season and Artem Dovbyk is one of the major influences for the Spanish side.

The Ukraine international is a real handful up top and remains in the hunt to win La Liga's Golden Boot come the end of the current campaign.

23. Santiago Gimenez

We're in the business of ranking goalscorers on this list and Santiago Gimenez is certainly a good one.

The Uruguayan has rattled in the goals for Feyenoord since joining in 2022 and looks set for a big-money move very, very soon.

22. Randal Kolo Muani

What a whirlwind year it's been for Randal Kolo Muani since leaving Nantes.

He emerged as one of the Bundesliga's top strikers and got his dream move to PSG. Were it not for the giant outstretched leg of Emiliano Martinez, he would have won France the 2022 World Cup in the last minute of stoppage time.

Kolo Muani is destined for big things.

21. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time, but he's no longer one of the very best in the world. Signs of the demise were evident during his time at Juventus, but he was still able to score at an alarming rate.

Under Andrea Pirlo, though, while he continued to find the back of the net, he proved more of a hindrance in the progressive system.

He carried the goalscoring load at Manchester United in 2021/22 - impressively scoring 18 times in the Premier League - but was let go a few months later and now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr.

20. Serhou Guirassy

Serhou Guirassy was not a name many were familiar with before the 2023/24 campaign, but the sharpshooter is suddenly being linked with Europe's elite sides.

The Stuttgart striker has enjoyed a brilliant second campaign with Stuttgart since arriving permanently in Germany last summer. His challenge as a late bloomer will be to back up the first truly prolific season of his career.

19. Ivan Toney

Ivan Toney plays with a swagger that borders on arrogance, but he's got the ability to back up such confidence. The Brentford striker has enjoyed a steady rise to the top and scored bucket-loads at every level he's played at.

The Englishman missed the majority of the 2023/24 campaign due to a betting suspension but has immediately got back to his best upon his return.

18. Karim Benzema

Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid in 2018 thrust Karim Benzema into the spotlight and, boy, did he deliver.

Following a poor 2017/18 season from a scoring perspective, Benzema then produced 21, 21, 23 and 27 La Liga goalscoring campaigns to re-emerge as one of the best strikers in the world.

However, the Ballon d'Or winner has dropped in the rankings following his move to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, with the Frenchman no longer testing himself at the highest level.

17. Olivier Giroud

The forgotten man in France's 2018 World Cup win, Olivier Giroud is still doing his thing in Serie A.

Often criticised for his lack of pace in the Premier League, Giroud has found a home for himself in the slower, more intricate Italian top flight. The Frenchman led AC Milan to the Scudetto in 2022 and it was his ingenious brace in the Derby della Madonnina that helped turn the tide in the title race.

16. Rasmus Hojlund

Manchester United were so impressed by Rasmus Hojlund's form for Atalanta and Denmark last season that they forked out £72m for his services.

After a slow start which saw him score exclusively in the Champions League, the pacy and powerful Danish forward has now found his shooting boots in the Premier League.

15. Lois Openda

Lois Openda burst on to the scene during the 2022/23 season by scoring a stunning 22 goals to fire Lens into the UEFA Champions League.

His reward for those goalscoring feats? A big-money move to German giants RB Leipzig. He's big time.

14. Marcus Thuram

Well, what a free transfer this has been for Inter.

Marcus Thuram rocked up in Milan after some remarkable seasons with Borussia Monchengladbach and has endured no difficulties settling in Italy.

The French striker has formed a formidable partnership with Lautaro Martinez and has helped push Inter to the top of the Serie A table as they search for another Scudetto.

13. Dusan Vlahovic

Dusan Vlahovic hasn't always been a firm fan favourite at Juventus but he is starting to shape up as the striker who delivered regularly at Fiorentina.

The powerful centre-forward has become dependable for the Old Lady and helped the Italian giants rediscover some impressive form.

12. Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata has been in delightful form this season as a constant source of goals for Atletico Madrid in Spain and Europe.

After bouncing around the continent, the Spaniard is finally settled and producing some of the best football of his career.

11. Gabriel Jesus

Pep Guardiola loves Gabriel Jesus and his incredible first season at Arsenal provides a strong rationale why. He lauded the Brazilian's ability out of possession and Jesus helped transform the Gunners in 2022/23.

Jesus' impact transcends mere goals and assists. He's so strong, excellent with his back to goal and relentless without the ball. He excels in so many aspects that his samba dribbling skills are almost overlooked.

The versatile forward is a four-time Premier League winner who performed a myriad of specific tactical functions at Manchester City. He was criminally underrated during his time at the Etihad and it feels like he's been unleashed in north London by Mikel Arteta.

10. Victor Boniface

Victor Boniface has been one of the many transformative figures at Bayer Leverkusen this season as the Bundesliga leaders look to end Bayern Munich's dominant reign.

The Nigeria international has suffered with injuries but was crucial in the early part of the campaign for Xabi Alonso's side, who remain unbeaten thanks to Boniface's goals.

9. Darwin Nunez

The chaotic Uruguayan just makes things happen.

His start to life at Liverpool has been a mixed bag to say the least, but Darwin Nunez has already shown in the Premier League that he can make plays when the opposition least expects it.

Nunez lacks refinement but the comparisons to Edinson Cavani are valid. The former Benfica star is a physical behemoth whose relentlessness is enough to deter defenders. He runs the channels at will and is a player capable of lifting his side via the energy he emanates both with and without the ball.

8. Alexander Isak

There were a few eyebrows raised when Newcastle decided to spend a club-record sum to sign Alexander Isak following a subpar season at Real Sociedad, but they clearly had a plan to help him unlock his full potential.

Whether through the middle or coming in from the left, the gangly Swede causes mayhem and gives other teams multi-faceted headaches.

Is he a Zlatan Ibrahimovic regen? Not quite, but he's pretty damn close.

7. Ollie Watkins

Ollie Watkins has looked like a natural number nine ever since he took on the role at Brentford but has hit new heights under Unai Emery.

The England international has been either scoring or setting up goals all season and looks set to fire Aston Villa into the Champions League.

6. Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski hasn't always been given the credit he's deserved - if not for a cancelled Ballon d'Or during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, he'd surely have one of the shiny golden balls.

After dominating the Bundesliga for a decade, Lewandowski opted to make the switch to Barcelona and has continued his fine scoring.

The Poland international combines the finest attributes of his elite contemporaries to create a near-complete centre-forward. Sure, he's not as quick as Kylian Mbappe or as freakish as Erling Haaland, nor can he grow a beard like Karim Benzema or ping 80-yard diagonals as Harry Kane can, but Lewandowski is an efficient monster in his own right.

5. Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann's tactical intelligence and positional flexibility meant he featured as a central midfielder for France at the 2022 World Cup, but the brilliant 33-year-old has been similarly impactful up top for Atletico Madrid this season.

His technical qualities are more or less unmatched in La Liga and the diminutive attacker continues to age like a fine wine since returning to the Spanish capital after a difficult spell at Barcelona.

4. Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen's Serie A record has now justified the mammoth fee Napoli paid Lille to secure his services in 2020.

He has exploded into life as part of a joyous Napoli attack and immediately instils fear into opposing defences as a result of his athleticism and relentlessness when running in behind.

The Nigeria international is one of the most valuable outlets in the world and led Napoli to their first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona.

3. Lautaro Martinez

Admirers of calcio fell in love with the telepathic 'LuLa' strike partnership at Inter. Lautaro Martinez had struggled somewhat in his debut season at San Siro amid the backdrop of Mauro Icardi's looming departure, but the arrivals of Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku brought the Argentine to life.

Martinez immediately hit it off with the Belgian as Conte's Inter finally ended Juventus' decade-long reign as Italian champions.

The goals have continued to flow in Conte and Lukaku's absence and the World Cup winner has hit new heights under Simone Inzaghi.

Overall, Lautaro is an intelligent and multi-faceted forward who excels out of possession.

2. Harry Kane

There have been plenty of times where the England skipper has looked like both the best number nine and playmaker in the world. There isn't a pass Kane can't execute, nor a goal he can't score. 

The ever-elusive piece of silverware shouldn't detract from Harry Kane's majesty and the 30-year-old has been a relentless goalscorer in Bavaria, just like he was in north London.

1. Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland may not be as naturally gifted or as marketable as Kylian Mbappe, but he's currently the best player in the world at doing what a striker is employed to do: score goals.

Haaland is an absolute phenomenon. Standing at 6'5 and blessed with a demonic turn of pace, the Norwegian superstar is football's answer to Ivan Drago.

His knack for scoring goals has seen him fall into the welcoming lap of Pep Guardiola at Man City and Haaland has made a mockery of anyone who believed his frightening form wouldn't translate over to the mean and nasty Premier League.

There's a simplicity to Haaland's game that's almost eerie. He's inevitable.

READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL