Europe's top five leagues are blessed with some of the most dangerous forwards in the world, but who are the top ten best finishers on the planet right now? We've attempted to come up with the answer using stats sprinkled with a little opinion.
How did we choose the best strikers right now?
First of all, we've walked the divide between 'striker' and 'forward' pretty precariously, but we've tried to limit this list to genuine strikers. That means the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lionel Messi don't make this list.
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We've used stats like goals scored, goals per game and goals per 90 to quantify each player's contribution, but that doesn't mean whomever has the best stats wins. We've also considered the importance of each player to their sides and their overall contribution, including assists.
All stats come from WhoScored.com and are correct as of the publish date.
Other Articles In This Series:
- Best Goalkeepers In The World Right Now
- Best Right Backs In The World Right Now
- Best Left Backs In The World Right Now
- Best Centre Backs In The World Right Now
- Best Midfielders In The World Right Now
- Best Holding Midfielders In The World Right Now
- Best Attacking Midfielders In The World Right Now
10. Andre Silva
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2020/21 Season Stats:
- 34 appearances
- 30 goals
- 5 assists
- 0.88 goals per game
- 0.94 goals per 90
This season's displays in the Bundesliga have reignited Andre Silva's vision for the back of the net after experiencing a torrid time at AC Milan - scoring just twice inside 25 appearances.
However, the Portuguese hitman has been clinical this season, converting 28 goals and five assists in just 32 league games for Eintracht Frankfurt. Not a bad turnaround, eh?
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Taking his sizzling form into account, the 25-year-old will be, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the hottest strikers in the European market today.
Could he be a shrewd signing for an ambitious Premier League side this summer?
9. Ciro Immobile
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2020/21 Season Stats:
- 47 appearances
- 27 goals
- 8 assists
- 0.57 goals per game
- 0.66 goals per 90
The 2020/21 season has been an average one by Ciro Immobile's recent standards.
He scored 20 goals in the league compared to the Serie A record equalling 36 he scored in 2019/20. Still, those 20 league goals were a third of Lazio's 61 season total goals, showing their dependence on the Italian striker.
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The Italian forward was in strong form throughout the majority of the season, only suffering an eight-game goal drought from mid-February to mid-April.
8. Karim Benzema
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 45 appearances
- 30 goals
- 9 assists
- 0.66 goals per game
- 0.72 goals per 90
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid in 2018 marked the end of an era for Los Blancos.
The club's European dominance was coming to a close, players were leaving and it was time for others in the side to step up.
And that is exactly what Karim Benzema has done following Ronaldo's exit, developing into Madrid's go-to man upfront.
The French forward found the net in the win over Villarreal to bring up his 30th goal of the La Liga campaign. It's his second-best Madridista tally, equalling his 2018/19 numbers and just two shy of 2011/12 when he hit 32 for the season.
His superb performances have seen him earn a recall to the French national team for the Euros in June.
7. Kylian Mbappe
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 58 appearances
- 48 goals
- 11 assists
- 0.83 goals per game
- 1.15 goals per 90
Kylian Mbappe has justified the hype that surrounded him following his breakthrough season at Monaco four years ago.
A ruthless finisher in front of goal, the Frenchman has a coolness to his play that makes it challenging to believe he is only 22.
As well as routinely punishing Ligue 1 defences, Mbappe has also terrorised some of Europe's best backlines in the Champions League with right goals in 10 games.
His speed, clinical nature and dribbling ability ensures that, on his day, he is unplayable. And, while he sometimes plays on the left, the majority of his appearances this year have come through the middle so we feel the 'striker' label applies here.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 55 appearances
- 41 goals
- 5 assists
- 0.75 goals per game
- 1.15 goals per 90
One of the best, if not the best, to have ever graced a football pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo has performed at the highest level for over a decade, featuring as the central figure for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Approaching the end of his glittering career, some predicted a downturn in form for the Portuguese forward at Juventus.
But the 36-year-old has simply carried on doing what he does best: scoring for fun.
He scored 41 goals in 55 games in the 2020/21 season and at a rate of more than one every 90 minutes.
5. Luis Suarez
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 38 appearances
- 21 goals
- 3 assists
- 0.55 goals per game
- 0.63 goals per 90
Barcelona agreed to let Luis Suarez leave the club for free last summer without kicking up too much of a fuss.
Viewed as a striker in decline, the Uruguayan has emphatically responded to those his questioned his ability by firing Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title. There are more prolific players on this list, but none had the impact Suarez had this year.
At 34 years of age, Suarez is showing no signs of being a player who has lost his touch as he continues to mesmerise with his unpredictable nature.
4. Romelu Lukaku
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 53 appearances
- 39 goals
- 12 assists
- 0.71 goals per game
- 0.87 goals per 90
Romelu Lukaku has been the driving force behind Inter Milan's quest for a first Serie A title in 11 years.
The Belgian bagged 23 league goals in his first season in Italy and has surpassed the 20-goal mark once again as he continues to prove his lethal ability. He also provided 12 assists, a number only bettered on this list by Harry Kane's 18.
Lukaku showcased his talent in the Premier League at Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion, Everton and Manchester United and has fully embraced the challenge of operating in a new environment.
3. Erling Haaland
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 52 appearances
- 49 goals
- 9 assists
- 0.94 goals per game
- 1.2 goals per 90
Erling Haaland is, undisputedly, the most in-demand player in world football at the moment.
The Norwegian superstar has been simply sensational in every way and, regardless of the opposition or the competition, he has managed to find the back of the net time after time.
With that said, the 20-year-old has become of the most sought-after strikers in the world since signing for Borussia Dortmund, having taken his game to the next level.
Haaland has his whole future ahead of him and could well become of the greats if he continues to replicate his current numbers.
It's terrifying to think how good Erling Haaland will be when he's 21 years old, let alone 25 or 30.
2. Harry Kane
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 54 appearances
- 30 goals
- 18 assists
- 0.55 goals per game
- 0.67 goals per 90
For a while, we wondered what kind of striker Harry Kane was. He once felt like a throwback, an Alan Shearer-type box-dweller who could hit the ball really hard but not much else, but these days he's much more than that.
The England captain has gradually developed to become a Swiss Army knife of a forward, with a passing range to make the average deep-lying playmaker weep and off-the-ball movement to tear defences apart.
He has 30 goals this season and frankly, Tottenham Hotspur have been propped up by him.
He used to be the best player in the league in the penalty area, but he's pretty close to being the player out of it as well, right now, as his 18 assists prove.
1. Robert Lewandowski
2020/21 Season Stats:
- 47 appearances
- 53 goals
- 9 assists
- 1.28 goals per game
- 1.35 goals per 90
As players enter the latter stages of their playing days, a gradual reduction in contributions is to be expected.
But Robert Lewandowski is an individual who has bucked that trend in a rather significant manner, reaching a level that has propelled him to the top of this list.
The Polish striker netted 55 times in all competitions on Bayern Munich's way to achieving the treble last year and has scored an incredible 53 goals in 47 appearances, including internationals, this season. He's averaging 1.4 goals per 90 minutes. Insane.
Image credits: PA
Topics:ย Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane