The 10 best strikers of all time name and ranked

Strikers: Every football-loving child wants to grow up to be one, they hog the headlines and they're at the heart of the most important moments in football history.

There have been no shortage of incredible strikers over the years, with some of the very best gracing the Premier League and Champions League this season.

But who are the best strikers of all time?

Taking into consideration goals, trophies won and striker being their primary position (you won't find Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi here), GiveMeSport has ranked the top 10 strikers of all time.

10: Marco Van Basten

If 304 goals in 437 career appearances doesn't tell you how good Marco Van Basten was, then 19 major trophies, three Ballon d'Or awards and one FIFA Best Men's Player Award should.

The Dutchman was prolific for AC Milan and Ajax, and helped his nation end their trophy drought at Euro 1988.

9: Jimmy Greaves

You've probably heard older relatives rattle on about Jimmy Greaves, but yes, he really was that good.

The 1966 World Cup winner did the business with Tottenham and AC Milan, and scored 357 goals in England's top flight. Alan Shearer eat your heart out.

8: Thierry Henry

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Perhaps the suavest player to ever grace the Premier League, watching Thierry Henry play for Arsenal was something bordering on a sensual experience.

All finesse, class and beauty, it's easy to forget that the Frenchman scored 417 goals in 936 career games.

The star of the only undefeated Premier League team. Magnifique.

7: Ronaldo Nazario

Forget the memes, the playground jokes, the other 'Ronaldo': Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima was the real deal.

Between 1996 and 2002 there was no better male striker on the planet, such was the beauty and brutality with which Ronaldo scored goals for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Brazil during that period.

Injury cruelly robbed the Brazilian of a prolonged stint in football's stratosphere, making his 414 goals in 616 games all the more impressive.

6: Alfredo Di Stefano

Football's first true superstar, Alfredo Di Stefano is arguably Real Madrid's greatest ever player - depending on who you ask.

After Real Madrid hijacked his move to Barcelona - you can imagine how that went down in Catalonia - the striker won five European Cups and eight La Liga titles.

In 706 career games he scored 509 goals and won 22 major titles.

5: Eusebio

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317 goals in 301 games for Benfica is a frankly absurd return, not to mention the 623 he scored across a 641-game career.

17 career trophies isn't bad either, though a tournament win with Portugal was the only thing missing from Eusebio's otherwise glittering career.

4: Romario

With 745 goals in 886 games, it's staggering that Romario never won the Ballon d'Or.

The short goal scorer became a legend at PSV Eindhoven, and won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994.

That he didn't spend much of his career at truly elite clubs tends to count against Romario, but we've decided to give him the credit he deserves.

3: Gerd Muller

German legend Gerd Muller is one of the most decorated strikers in history, having won the World Cup and Euros, three European Cups, four Bundesliga's and four German cups.

Bayern Munich's all-time leading goalscorer bagged 568 of his 722 career goals for the club, and was named as top scorer 17 times across five different competitions during his career.

2: Ferenc Puskas

709 goals in 718 games marks Puskas out as an all-time great, as does the shed load of trophies he won with Real Madrid.

Though he led Hungary to Olympic gold in 1952 and won 10 trophies in Madrid, he never won the Ballon d'Or.

1: Pele

There was only ever going to be one striker at number one.

Pele did things with a football nobody has been able to do since, and he did so for the entirety of his 21-year career.

The Brazilian remains the only player to win the World Cup on three separate occasions.

The global outpouring of grief following his death in December 2022 showed just how loved and idolised he was and continues to be.