'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Miroslav Klose
You'd expect a more widely known striker to be heading the goalscoring chart at the World Cups. But it's German striker Miroslav Klose who has been the most prolific striker on football's biggest stage. Klose wasn't even a known entity until he made his debut for Germany at the age of 24.
After making his professional debut at Kaiserslautern at the age of 20, which is a little later than usual for players who go on to accomplish big things, Klose earned a reputation for being a reliable goalscorer although he was not known for being prolific.
It was at the age of 27 at Werder Bremen that Klose finally had a prolific campaign as he scored 31 goals in one season. Things worked out late for Klose on most fronts. He secured the biggest move of his career at the age of 29. He won two Bundesliga titles during his four-year stint at Bayern Munich.
Klose didn't stop there. He moved to Lazio at the age of 37, he had a league campaign where he scored 13 goals and provided six assists in the Serie A. Klose also scored his final goals for the German international side in the 2014 World Cup.
#2 Didier Drogba
At the age of 26, when Didier Drogba secured a move to Chelsea, no one could have predicted the amount of popularity he'd go on to enjoy. One of modern day football's cult heroes, Didier Drogba, made an instant impact at Chelsea after being roped in by Jose Mourinho.
He became one of Chelsea's all-time great goalscorers and is even now regarded as one of the best foreign players to have plied their trade in England. The Ivorian, in fact, enjoyed his most prolific goalscoring season in 2009/10 where he netted 29 times in the Premier League in 32 appearances in addition to providing 10 assists.
Drogba was 32 going on 33 at the time. In the 2010/11 season, Drogba scored 11 goals and provided a whopping 13 assists in the Premier League.
#1 Jamie Vardy - Leicester City
The King of Leicester, Jamie Vardy, has had a remarkable rags-to-riches story but it's a tale worth retelling. Vardy started playing non-league football for Stocksbridge Park Steels by the age of 16. The Englishman signed his first professional contract seven years later for Halifax Town.
In 2012, Jamie Vardy turned 25 and was still playing non-league football at Fleetwood Town. In the summer of 2012, Jamie Vardy secured a move to EFL Championship side Leicester City who were trying to qualify for the Premier League. Two seasons later, Vardy made it to the Premier League with the Foxes.
From there, Jamie Vardy went absolutely berserk at the age of 28, scoring 24 goals and providing six assists as Leicester City did the unthinkable and won the Premier League title much to the delight of the footballing world.
Somehow Vardy has kept it up six years down the line. Vardy has scored 13 goals and laid out eight assists in 28 appearances in the Premier League this season. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2019/20 season after scoring 23 goals.
Vardy is one of the best strikers in the Premier League and has been incredibly consistent for at least six years now. And he is 34-years-old right now. What a player!
