The most valuable player on a pitch is a striker, and nowadays, being a world-class centre-forward is more than just scoring goals.
Starting the press without the ball and linking up play are also two important attributes, but more often than not, a striker is judged by their goal to game ratio.
Currently, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane are viewed as some of the best strikers in world football.
Here is a list of 20 of the most iconic centre-forwards football has ever seen, factoring in longevity and consistency at the highest level, while also looking at their personal accolades and honours they have won.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both excluded from the list due to playing more games as wingers.
20 Hristo Stoichkov
An all-rounded forward and the greatest Bulgarian player in history, Hristo Stoichkov kicks off the countdown.
The powerful left-footed striker was famously signed by Johan Cruyff at Barcelona when he was at the top of his game and made the Catalan giants even better.
Stoichkov won five La Liga titles at the Nou Camp and collected the Ballon d’Or in 1994 after picking up the 1994 World Cup Golden Boot.
19 Kenny Dalglish
Arguably Liverpool’s greatest ever player, Kenny Dalglish wasn’t just a goalscorer and could run games of a football as a centre-forward.
‘King Kenny’ starred in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring more than 200 goals and winning 24 trophies during an iconic career.
18 Gabriel Batistuta
Argentine powerhouse Gabriel Batistuta was a goalscoring machine in the 1990s for Fiorentina, outscoring every other Serie A player in that decade.
Named by Pele in the FIFA 100 list in 2004, Batistuta was known for his aerial ability and physical presence, but when he had the ball at his feet, he was an excellent dribbler and clinical in front of goal and had an unbelievable World Cup record.
17 Harry Kane
Harry Kane is one of the most clinical strikers around, and he’s been finding the back of the net on a regular basis for Tottenham, Bayern Munich and England since 2014.
In fact, Kane has scored 17 or more league goals in 12 successive seasons, and his goalscoring record is remarkable. Now England’s all-time top scorer, Kane may not have the trophies to match his individual brilliance, but he is more than just a goalscorer with an incredible passing range.
16 Karim Benzema
One of the most underrated strikers in recent times, Karim Benzema often hasn’t got the plaudits he’s deserved after starring at Real Madrid for 14 years.
Finally lifting the Ballon d’Or in 2022, Benzema has won 33 honours during his career and scored more than 350 goals during his time at the Bernabeu.
Whether it be in the air or with the ball at his feet, the Frenchman was a nuisance for centre-backs and was often overshadowed by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
15 Jimmy Greaves
Part of the England side that won the 1966 World Cup, Jimmy Greaves was nominated for the Ballon d’Or on six occasions in the 1960s and starred for Chelsea and Tottenham during his career.
A Spurs legend with two FA Cup triumphs, Greaves also won Serie A with AC Milan. He finished his career as the highest scorer in England’s first tier of football with 357 goals, highlighting how much of a prolific goalscorer he was.
14 Alan Shearer
The Premier League has been regarded as the best league in the world over time, so Alan Shearer, the divisions all-time top scorer, had to be in the list.
The Englishman netted 260 times in the English top flight for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, winning the title once.
Long range strikes, in the air or from the spot, Shearer could score any type of goal and came third in the 1996 Ballon d’Or.
13 Luis Suarez
Despite plenty of controversies during his career, Luis Suarez’s footballing ability at his peak for Ajax, Liverpool and Barcelona was incredible.
The Uruguayan has scored goals on a consistent basis for 20 years now and was named the IFFHS World’s Best Goalscorer in 2010, 2014 and 2016.
Suarez has proven he can score all across the world and his 2013/2014 season with Liverpool is arguably one of the best individual seasons the Premier League has ever seen.
12 Wayne Rooney
One of four English strikers on the list, Wayne Rooney is Man Utd’s all-time leading goalscorer and had every attribute an iconic centre-forward required. From physicality to pace and world-class technical ability, Rooney scored 253 times for the Red Devils and netted 53 times for England.
Dropping deeper in midfield throughout his career, Rooney was unstoppable in his prime as a striker, winning 16 major honours.
11 Josef Bican
Josef Bican represented both Austria and Czechoslovakia on the international stage and was one of the most prolific forwards during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
Capable with finishing with ease with either foot, Bican scored more than 800 goals during his career despite making just over 600 appearances.
A ridiculous goal to game ratio, Bican has rightly gone down as a Slavia Prague legend.
