The best 14 strikers in world football right now

The category for being the ‘best’ in your position has never been tighter in modern football. This remains the case for those at the top of the pitch, who are signed to largely do one thing: put the ball in the back of the net.

sports-ehtymag. has ranked the best strikers in world football right now. This list is based on statistics compiled from Transfermarkt and FBref for the 2023/24 season and the international tournaments that followed.

We have also accounted for trophies won in the last year and the impact those individuals had on their respective clubs. Just to make it completely clear, names such as Vinicius Junior and Mohamed Salah are natural wingers rather than strikers; therefore, they are not featured on this list.

14

Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Nassr & Portugal

It would be very harsh not to give some credit to a 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for Al-Nassr last season.

Although the opposition he faces on a regular basis is far from comparable to those in the bigger leagues, at the end of the day, Ronaldo is still doing what he is there to do in Saudi Arabia – score goals.

However, the recent dip in domestic standard for the Portugal captain, plus his disappointing Euro 2024 performances, makes it hard to place him any higher among the current elite strikers in modern football.

13

Victor Osimhen

Napoli & Nigeria

Napoli’s 10th-place finish in Serie A last season makes it hard to justify a higher placing for a player like Victor Osimhen, who would’ve entered this list with ease had it been written a season prior.

The Nigerian bagged 17 goals in all competitions last season for the Partenopei, averaging only 0.6 goals per 90 minutes in the Italian top flight.

Osimhen did reach the Africa Cup of Nations final – which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast – but the No 9 for club and country only scored one goal at the tournament, in the first group stage game against Equatorial Guinea.

12

Alvaro Morata

Milan & Spain

Although not renowned for his goalscoring prowess in recent years, it would feel wrong not to mention Alvaro Morata’s name in this list based on his Euro 2024 performances alone.

The 31-year-old captained his Spain side to their fourth European Championship in July – a record among all other European nations – clinching the trophy in Berlin after a 2-1 victory over England.

Morata scored 15 goals in 21 La Liga starts for Atletico Madrid last season, and displayed the characteristics of not only a great leader, but a resilient striker at the Euros.

His form saw Serie A giants Milan secure his services for the 2024/25 season, moving for around £11m.

11

Victor Boniface

Bayer Leverkusen & Nigeria

A back-to-back Victor appearance, and certainly not the last to feature on this list.

There would be no room to debate including Victor Boniface in the top 10 had he played the full season for first-time Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen last campaign.

Boniface scored 14 goals in 18 starts for Xabi Alonso’s side, but missed the crucial end-of-season run-in from January to April 2024, meaning he missed the Africa Cup of Nations, too.

Boniface is only 23, so there is no reason why he can’t overcome his injuries and have an even better 2024/25 campaign.

10

Artem Dovbyk

Girona & Ukraine

After emerging through the ranks in his home country at SC Dnipro-1, Artem Dovbyk cemented his name in the La Liga history books during his debut season at Girona, scoring 24 goals in 32 starts.

Dovbyk was at the forefront of bringing Champions League football to Girona for the first time, as he finished as top goalscorer in La Liga with his side placing third, just four points behind Barcelona.

Although Ukraine finished bottom of their group on the same amount of points as Slovakia, Belgium and Romania, Dovbyk also showed promising spells of quality on the biggest international stage at Euro 2024.

9

Serhou Guirassy

Borussia Dortmund & Guinea

Serhou Guirassy burst onto the scene with 30 goals in 30 games across all competitions for Stuttgart last season.

The Guinea forward averaged 1.14 club goals per 90 minutes – the joint-highest figure on this list – during an incredible Bundesliga campaign which saw his side finish a point ahead of Bayern Munich in second.

Earlier this summer, Borussia Dortmund reached a full agreement with Stuttgart to sign their star striker at the beginning of the transfer window, but the move was put in jeopardy after the player failed his medical.

The move to the Westfalenstadion was eventually completed, with Dortmund paying the release clause of around £15m in the forward’s contract.

8

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa & England

Ollie Watkins arguably had his best professional football season during 2023/24, contributing 32 goals and assists in 37 Premier League starts for Aston Villa.

His superb, late winner against the Netherlands in Dortmund also secured England a place in a second successive European Championship final.

The best thing about Watkins’ 19-goal haul in the Premier League last season was the fact none of them came from the penalty spot, displaying his consistency and clinical nature up front.

Valued at €65m (£54.6m) by Transfermarkt, Watkins will be aiming to hit the ground running again in Villa’s opening game of the new season away to West Ham.

7

Lois Openda

RB Leipzig & Belgium

Speaking of hitting the ground running, that’s precisely what Lois Openda managed in his first Bundesliga season at RB Leipzig.

Openda signed for the German giants for a club-record fee of €43m (£36.07m) in July 2023 after just one year with French club Lens.

Fast-forward 12 months, and the 24-year-old had bagged 28 goals in all competitions for Leipzig, including four in the Champions League.

Openda averaged 19.7 non-penalty expected goals in the Bundesliga season, an incredible stat surpassed only by a few names yet to feature on this list.

Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in signing the Belgian striker this transfer window. He is currently valued at €60m (£50.4m).

6

Alexander Isak

Newcastle United & Sweden

Since his arrival in Tyneside, Alexander Isak has consistently proved that he belongs among the very best strikers in world football.

Newcastle United signed the Sweden striker in August 2022 from Real Sociedad on a long-term deal reported to be worth around £60m.

Last season, Isak scored 21 goals in 27 Premier League starts, with 16 of those coming from open play, delivering an average of 0.84 goals per 90 minutes.

It was Isak’s best goalscoring season to date and one he will look to improve on come the start of the new campaign.

5

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting CP & Sweden

Sporting CP were crowned champions of Portugal for the 20th time in May, one day after breezing past Portimonense 3-0.

Viktor Gyokeres scored a stoppage-time clincher that evening to continue a record-breaking goalscoring season, which saw the Sweden striker net 43 goals in all competitions to bag the Portuguese top flight’s Bola de Prata – their equivalent of the Golden Boot.

He finished with the fourth-highest number of goals in world football during the 2023/24 season, behind Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

Gyokeres only joined the Portuguese giants from Coventry City last year, but a big-money move to the Premier League could yet be on the horizon, with Arsenal among those linked with his signature.

4

Lautaro Martinez

Inter & Argentina

Lautaro Martinez has arguably been the world’s most successful striker in the last year.

It was his goal deep in extra-time that sent Argentina fans into bedlam as their nation secured a record-breaking 16th Copa America against Colombia in Miami.

His 24 goals also guided Inter to glory as they recorded their 20th Serie A title just three months prior, as his side finished a remarkable 19 points clear of bitter rivals Milan.

Not much else really needs to be said about why Martinez is one of the best strikers in world football right now. Serie A Golden Boot? Tick. Copa America Golden Boot? Tick. Ballon d’Or frontrunner? Tick.

The 26-year-old is currently valued at over £100m, so any team wanting to lure the forward away from his parent club will ultimately need to break the bank.

3

Harry Kane

Bayern Munich & England

Yes, Harry Kane was most certainly not at his best for England during Euro 2024, but recency bias is one of football’s biggest adversaries.

In his first season playing abroad, Kane scored 44 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich, averaging 1.14 goals per 90 minutes. Notably, 31 of his 36 league goals were from open play, dispelling the ‘penalty merchant’ narrative. He was also the joint-highest Champions League goalscorer alongside PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.

While Bayern Munich failed to win a trophy for the first time in a decade, it’s hard to blame the man who netted 36 Bundesliga goals in 32 starts. When fully fit, Kane is one of football’s deadliest finishers, making his claim to a top-three spot indisputable.

2

Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid & France

During the seven years he spent at PSG, Kylian Mbappe became the club’s record scorer and added a plethora of trophies to a cabinet that is set to explode even further over the next few years.

In July, Mbappe was officially presented as a Real Madrid player in front of 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, having signed a deal with the Spanish giants upon the expiration of his contract in France.

Last season, Mbappe went out on a high, scoring 44 goals in all competitions and securing his sixth Ligue 1 title out of a possible seven with PSG.

He also netted eight goals in the Champions League – a trophy he is destined to win at his new club alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.

Just like Kane, Mbappe didn’t have the most electrifying European Championship, but it is almost a guarantee that it won’t be long before he replicates his club form on the international stage once again.

1

Erling Haaland

Manchester City & Norway

A treble, back-to-back Premier League Golden Boots, 63 goals in two domestic seasons, two Premier League titles, Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same campaign, a Champions League triumph and a European Golden Shoe, too.

What else needs to be said about Erling Haaland to justify his position as the best striker in the world right now? Quite frankly, nothing. But, let us give you some more.

Since joining Manchester City for just over £50m in June 2022 – which now seems like a bargain – Haaland has broken the following records:

• Most goals in a single Premier League season (36)
• First player to score a hat-trick in three consecutive Premier League home games
• Most goals in a single season across all competitions by a Premier League player
• Youngest player to score 20 goals in the Champions League
• Fastest player to score 40 goals in the Champions League
• First player to score nine goals in their first five Premier League games

Is there anyone else who comes close? Here’s to seeing more of the same in 2024/25.