Theres more than a month to go for the World Cup but the euphoria has already started. Every player dreams of winning the Cup in his homeland and this year the Brazilians will be looking to do just that. The Samba continent has had many heroic strikers over the years in the form of Pele, Romario and Ronaldinho but who will lead the line this year? Here is a list of 5 strikers who can fire Brazil to glory.
#5 Leandro
The youngster has hit the ground running since his move to Palmeiras and even scored a goal on his national debut against Bolivia. Leandro has made just 1 appearance for Brazil so far but has some amazing skills and could become one of the team’s breakout stars. Legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo was an unknown when he was selected for the 1994 World Cup but performed so well that he earned a transfer to Eredivise club PSV there is no reason why Leandro cannot follow his footsteps and earn a transfer to a better club after his performance in the World Cup.
#4 Luis Fabiano
The striker has a lethal eye for goal and was voted the highest scoring Brazilian of the 21st Century by IFFHS but has surprisingly appeared just twice for his country since the 2010 World Cup. Fabiano has found the back of the net 28 times in 45 appearances for the national team but has been frozen out due to his poor disciplinary record. Nevertheless Fabiano has been continued scoring for Sao Paolo and has a record of 48 goals in 87 appearances which is impressive. The 33-year-old is in the twilight of his career and should be given a chance to go out with a bang in the World Cup.
#3 Hulk
The powerful Brazilian is more of a winger but can be used as a forward too. Hulk scored twice for Brazil in a gap of three days against Honduras and Chile back in November and has been extremely prolific for Zenit St Petersberg scoring 20 goals and assisting 13 in 30 appearances. The 27-year-olds presence of the field will be extremely important for Brazil in the upcoming competition. Hulk can earn a transfer to one of Europe’s elite clubs if he produces his Zenit form in the World Cup.
#2 Fred
The striker hasn’t played for a big club since 2009 but that hasn’t affected his scoring form for his country. The 30-year-old has been capped just 31 times for Brazil since 2005 but has netted 16 goals which is a good ratio. Fred performed brilliantly during the FIFA Confederations Cup and was the joint top scorer of the tournament which won him the Silver Shoe. The scored braces against Italy and Spain and even managed to net against Uruguay which shows that he can be relied upon in the big games. Luiz Felipe Scolari will have an excellent strike partner for Neymar if he decides to start Fred in the World Cup.
#1 Neymar
The entire population of Brazil is banking on this man to win them the World Cup. Neymar isn’t a true blue striker and hasn’t really hit the ground running with Barcelona but his goals to games ratio for Brazil is no joke. The youngster has netter 30 goals in 47 appearances for Brazil including a hat-trick against South Africa this year and is waiting to be unleashed against the opposition in the World Cup. The 22-year-old scored against big teams like Japan, Mexico, Italy and Spain in the Confederations Cup and will most likely replicate his performance this year. It won’t be a surprise if Neymar walks away with the Golden Boot.
