What kind of footballers have countries struggled to produce in recent years?

“If you look across Europe and the world of football, then South America is the only continent to develop strikers today,” said Arsene Wenger in 2014. “At least 80 per cent come from South America.”The Arsenal manager has a valid point. A quick glance at the best strikers in the world today shows the majority come from Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Wenger’s reasoning was that in this day and age, European academies do not teach you to fight for the ball compared to learning football on the streets where one jostles with bigger players for possession. Instead, they focus on honing your technique on the ball, with the physical aspects of the game deemed secondary. Keeping that in mind, we look at various countries and the type of players they have failed to produce in recent years.

#1 Germany - Strikers

Will Germany have another striker like Miroslav Klose?

When Miroslav Klose broke the record for most goals scored in World Cup history, we were witnessing Germany’s last great striker in action. With 16 goals spread across four World Cups, then 36-year-old Klose retired from international football on a high after winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Lukas Podolski started brightly as a youngster back in the 2006 World Cup but faded away soon after, never achieving the same consistency after Die Mannschaft moved away from the traditional 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1. He has not done anything of note for the national side since 2011, barely scoring one goal a year.

Mario Gomez came and went before he could establish himself as a top striker. Two incredible seasons with Bayern Munich also saw him in the Germany squad that finished runners-up in Euro 2012, after which injuries have seen his career decline.

Then there is the case of Thomas Muller, who could also break Klose’s record in the 2018 World Cup (he is six goals away). But it is hard to categorize Muller as an out-and-out striker. The 26-year-old German is more of an advanced attacking midfielder who loves to find space and wreak havoc – be it inside the box or on the wing.

Germany have a number of quality wide forwards to fall back on. But strikers are now a rare breed in Germany where nurturing players with an eye on developing their individual skills on the ball is prioritised.

#2 England - No.10s

Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney – the last of the English no.10s?

For the past decade, England’s midfield conundrum has involved two of their star midfielders jostling for a spot in the centre – Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. In truth, neither of them were capable of playing together behind the strikers. They were ideally suited to playing alongside a creative midfielder – and they had that in Paul Scholes.

But in Euro 2004, Sven-Goran Eriksson did not want to sacrifice either Lampard or Gerrard and both were deployed in the centre with Scholes shunted out wide to the left. England were duly eliminated in the first knockout round and Scholes would soon retire from international football.

Wayne Rooney thrived as a supporting striker in his early years, especially at Manchester United. Between 2009 and 2012, he was almost unstoppable. But of late, he has been moved to midfield on many occasions. While not as prolific when deployed in a deeper role, he still managed to create an impact with his incisive passing and vision.

However, Roy Hodgson messed up in the 2014 World Cup deploying him first as a left winger, then an attacking midfielder and finally as a forward in the three games England played. The Three Lions went winless and were knocked out in the group stage itself. Gerrard and Lampard have since retired, opening up the midfield slots for the younger generation.

Rooney has since moved back to a forward position and rediscovered his goalscoring touch, even breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s record for most goals scored for England as they finished the Euro qualifiers with a perfect record. Behind him, the likes of Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley are yet to prove themselves and it will be up to Hodgson to decide who plays in the hole behind the striker on a consistent basis.

#3 Spain - Strikers

David Villa and Fernando Torres were key to Spain’s success between 2008 and 2012

When Spain arrived in Euro 2008, they had a fantastic squad on paper. Perennial underachievers on the international arena at the time, La Furia Roja were led by Fernando Torres and David Villa up front – 55 goals between them for Valencia and Liverpool that season. They did not disappoint. Villa would finish as top scorer while Torres scored the all-important goal in a 1-0 win over Germany in the final.

But as teams gradually switched formations from 4-4-2 to the norm that was a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, a lot of shuffling saw only one of the two strikers starting up front, Villa usually deployed on the left during the 2010 World Cup.

By Euro 2012, Spain had completely moved away from direct football to tiki-taka. Villa’s broken leg saw him miss out while Torres was sidelined in favour of the infamous ‘4-6-0 formation’ which had six midfielders with Cesc Fabregas deployed up front.

Ever since, neither Villa nor Torres were able to get back into the starting lineup. When the 2014 World Cup squad was announced, Brazil-born Diego Costa was the man picked to lead the line. But Costa was never a good fit and the defending champions were thrashed 5-1 by Netherlands before losing 0-2 to Chile.

Torres and Villa scored in the final game – a dead rubber – Villa’s last for Spain. In truth, the football was free-flowing in that game, like the Spain of old, even though it was an inferior opponent.

Costa has so far scored only one goal for Spain – against lowly Luxembourg. Alvaro Morata shows promise on the club level but is untested in internationals while Paco Alcacer and Nolito are barely given a chance.

Will there be another Torres or Villa? Or even a Raul? It is highly doubtful.

#4 Argentina - Goalkeepers

Sergio Romero is Argentina’s #1 goalkeeper and he was a free agent last summer

The South American side has never beem short of players in attack. From having world class talents such as Diego Maradona to Gabriel Batistuta to Lionel Messi, they have always had enough firepower to give opponents nightmares. But at the back, especially between the sticks, they have been suspect. Goalkeepers haven’t been Argentina’s strong suit for a while now.

While most top teams have had goalkeepers who play for the team for years on end, La Albiceleste have never had that kind of consistency. While many thought they finally did find a slight degree of consistency with Sergio Romero, he isn’t exactly on the same level as the top goalkeepers such as Manuel Neuer or David De Gea. Indeed, the Spanish goalkeeper has even usurped his spot in the Manchester United lineup after it was confirmed he would be staying.

With the country’s best goalkeeper warming the bench, just a month after he was signed on a free transfer, tells you the dearth of goalkeeping talent. In spite of Argentina reaching the final of the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa America, he was easily upstaged by his Latin American counterparts Keylor Navas and Claudio Bravo.

Although a good shotstopper adept at making quick-reaction saves, Romero has poor distribution and is hardly the commanding presence in the box in spite of his 6’3” frame.

The only other notable Argentine goalkeepers plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues are Willy Caballero, who warms the bench at Manchester City and German Lux (Deportivo La Coruna). Argentina’s backup goalkeepers in the squad are Nahuel Guzman and Agustin Marchesin, neither of whom have played regularly and play their club football in Mexico’s Liga MX.

#5 Portugal - Strikers

Eusebio – one of the greatest strikers in history

While one of Portugal’s greatest players was a striker, he played at a time when Portugal barely qualified for international tournaments. The one and only Eusebio was a legend for both club (Benfica) and country. The one time Portugal qualified for the World Cup in 1966, he topped the goalscoring charts with 9 goals as the Iberian side finished third. Imagine what his tally could have been had Portugal qualified for more World Cups?

Of late, it is wingers and midfielders who have shared the limelight. Luis Figo has transfered the torch to Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal never having a quality striker up front. Their last best bet was Pauleta, who scored regularly for the Portuguese side between 2001 and 2005.

Pauleta was the country’s top goalscorer before Ronaldo beat his tally and he has since broken the 50-goal barrier. He was also PSG’s highest goalscorer before Zlatan Ibrahimovic overtook him this season.

Portugal have tried others up front. Helder Postiga spent more time on the sidelines injured than on the pitch while Nuno Gomes failed to replace Pauleta as the primary striker with Carlos Queiroz prefering to play Hugo Almeida instead. Nowadays, with the lack of quality strikers, even Ronaldo has been played up front at times.

#6 Netherlands - Centre-backs

Frank de Boer and Jaap Stam – two of Netherlands’ best defenders in the last decade till their retirement in 2004

The Netherlands are yet another side who have never unlocked their potential on the international arena. They have finished runners-up at the World Cup three times, thereby earning the undesirable tag of football’s eternal bridesmaids.

While Total Football had its roots in Holland, it is safe to say that today’s Dutch players are nowhere close to the talents that graced the stage in yesteryears. Their inability to qualify for Euro 2016 signalled a new low.

The Oranje have never been short of players in midfield and attack. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie will attest to that.

But at the back, they have sorely lacked a leader to marshall the back-line, especially in central defence. Greats such as Jaap Stam and Frank de Boer ended their careers in 2004 after getting knocked out in the Euro semi-final. The two stalwarts at the back had a combined experience of 179 games for the national team.

In contrast, their last World Cup squad saw the likes of Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi and Stefan de Vrij (barely 100 matches between them) alternate between 4-man and 3-man defences as Louis van Gaal rang in the changes. They are not exactly world-class defenders, even by a long shot.

#7 Brazil - Strikers

Il Fenomeno – Ronaldo Nazario

Judging by this list, it seems like strikers, especially target men, are becoming a dying breed. Brazil is one country that has failed to produces strikers since the great Ronaldo Nazario’s international career came to a halt soon after the 2006 World Cup. With 15 goals in World Cups, Ronaldo was the record holder until Miroslav Klose broke the record in 2014.

Ever since, the Selecao have failed to find a striker to lead the side. Luis Fabiano came and went, having only two good years – 2008 and 2009 – neither of which saw Brazil play any major international tournament. Robinho was a false dawn and more of a support striker than one who could play up top.

By the time the 2014 World Cup arrived on home soil, their main striker was 31-year-old Fred who only performed for the national team during the Confederations Cup in 2013 – the warm-up tournament that is a prelude to the World Cup held a year before the main tournament. It was only Neymar’s remarkable performances that saw Brazil reach the semi-final before an injury saw his campaign end and Brazil get decimated 7-1 by Germany.

Hulk is seen as a powerful striker who could break the norm but he is more comfortable as a wide forward at Zenit St. Petersburg. Leandro Damiao was a huge success in the 2012 Olympics, top scoring with 6 goals as Brazil won the silver medal. But he has since declined and is now a free agent after struggling in the Brzilian league with both Internacional and Santos.

28-year-old Luiz Adriano is seen as a powerful striker who could do the job up front, especially with aerial duels in spite of sub-6-foot height, but he has barely had enough chances and is yet to open his account for Brazil.

Will there ever be another Ronaldo?