Top 5 most valuable strikers in the world right now

In football, strikers have always been the most known and the most valuable players. Mostly, strikers have gone on to win many individual accolades like the Ballon d'Or. Teams have found match-winning players in strikers and have often been built around a star striker.

Over the past decade, we have seen two strikers dominate the game. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have gone on to win the Ballon d'Or five times each. They have been a delight to watch and have come up with many match-winning performances. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have been so dependent on Ronaldo and Messi that their teams have been built around them. They have had a say in which players the clubs should buy in the transfer window.

However, both of these players are now ageing and with new young talented forwards coming into the game, it is important to look at the 5 most valuable forwards in the world right now.

Disclaimer: All the market values have been taken from www.transfermarkt.com. Please also note that this list only includes Centre forwards and second strikers. No wingers are included in this list.

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#5 Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku (100 Million Euros)

Position: Centre-Forward

At #5, we have a tie between Ronaldo and Lukaku with both being valued at €100 million.

The Real Madrid star man recently completed a move to Juventus in the range of about 100 million euros that shook the world. It was hard for Real Madrid fans to believe that their star man had gone. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was instrumental in Real Madrid’s European dominance (they won the Champions League 3 times in a row). Ronaldo came up with some brilliant goals at crucial times that helped Real Madrid win some close matches. Amongst the best was his hat-trick against the German club Vfl Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals of the 2015-16 Champions League that helped overcome a first leg 2-0 deficit.

In the La Liga, in the 2017-18 season, Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 25 appearances. He created a total of 41 chances, had a shot accuracy of 56% and pass accuracy of 81%. Indeed, what makes Ronaldo so valuable is his clinical finishing which includes both long shots and headers.

Having signed a four- year contract with Juventus, it is unlikely that Ronaldo will go on to play for any other major European club. Yet, at 33, he still has a lot to offer and even a market value of 100 million euros may perhaps be less for him.

Romelu Lukaku will be pivotal to Manchester United's title challenge next season

The other player tied at number 5, Romelu Lukaku had a good first season with Manchester United. In a total of 33 appearances for Manchester United in the EPL, he scored 14 goals and created 28 chances. He had a shot accuracy of 62% and pass accuracy of 69%.

Being only 25 years old, Lukaku still hasn't reached his full potential. There could be an increase in his market value in the future if he can improve his performances.

#4 Paulo Dybala (110 Million Euros)

Dybala played for only a total of 22 minutes for Argentina at the World Cup.

Position: Second Striker

Can you imagine that the fourth most valuable forward in the world played only 22 minutes at the World Cup? Paulo Dybala by many has been called as the next Lionel Messi. That just goes on to tell you how good this lad actually is. In the 2018-19 season, it will be rather exciting to see how Dybala lines up with Ronaldo. Well, certainly Dybala has been one of the luckiest players on the planet in the sense that he is one of the few players who will go on to play with both Messi and Ronaldo.

Dybala has been one of the central figures for Juventus over the past few years. He has been the backbone of the team and a key player for their success. In the 2017-18 season, he scored a total of 21 goals in 29 matches in the league. Moreover, Dybala created a total of 46 chances. He had a shot accuracy of 57% and a pass accuracy of 88%. Dybala is known for his dribbling, long shots, finishing and is also a free kick specialist.

At 24, he is one of the most exciting prospects in world football right now and surely, he still hasn’t reached his full potential.

#3 Antoine Griezmann (120 Million Euros)

Griezmann celebrates winning the World Cup with France.

Position: Centre-Forward

The Frenchmen was one of the best players at the World Cup and played an important role in France winning the world cup after two decades. Just before the start of the world cup, he was also in the news for a potential transfer to Barcelona. However, he has decided to stay at Atletico Madrid for at least one more season.

He had a good 2017-18, yet one which could have been better. In a total of 30 appearances in the La Liga, he scored a total of 19 goals and created 41 chances for his team. He had a good a shot accuracy of 65% and pass accuracy of 78%. What makes Griezmann different from other forwards is that he puts in a tremendous work-rate and also comes back to defend the ball for his team.

Well, Griezmann is certainly capable of winning individual accolades and may be one of the contenders for the Ballon d'Or in the future. If he continues to perform the way he has been, he could be the main transfer target for many of the big clubs across Europe.

#2 Harry Kane (150 Million Euros)

Harry Kane was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring 6 goals for England

Position: Centre-Forward

Surprise! Did anyone expect Harry Kane to be at number 2 over the likes of players like Ronaldo and Griezmann? The Tottenham man and England captain has seen a big jump in his value after some Steller performances with spurs and with England at the World Cup (Harry Kane won the Golden Boot at the World cup scoring 6 goals for England).

Well, Kane is the kind of striker who will not create many chances for you but will certainly score many goals. He is more of a box player and is very good at finishing chances and scoring goals from headers. Last season in the EPL, he scored a total of 29 goals from 36 matches. He created only 29 chances, had a shot accuracy of 57% and pass accuracy of 70%.

Kane has a long way to go in order to become the legend of the game but is certainly taking steps in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how many more seasons he will play with Tottenham.

#1 Lionel Messi (180 Million Euros)

Even after many years, Messi continues to be the most valuable striker in World football.

Position: Second Striker

Well, no surprises here. Arguably the best player to have ever played football, Lionel Messi tops the chart with a market value of €180 Million. The footballing legend has won the Ballon d'Or 5 times till now.

In a total of 32 matches in the La Liga, Messi scored 29 goals. He arguably has the best stats on this list, having created 77 chances and scoring the joint highest goals. He had a shot accuracy of 62% and pass accuracy of 81%

While Messi’s critics may go on to criticize him for never being able to win the world cup, there is no denying that he is a legend of the game and even after so many years, continues to be the most valuable striker in the world.