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With more and more teams opting to go after dynamic forwards who can do a little bit of everything, out-and-out strikers seem to be a dying breed in Europe. There are plenty of world-class wingers and wide forwards these days who are primary goalscorers for their respective teams.
For example, Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah shared the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2021-22 season. Neither of the two players are strikers in the purest sense. They're both wide forwards with an eye for goal. We're also starting to see fewer traditional number nines.
But for now, there are a raft of world-class strikers in the world and some of them did an exceptional job in the 2021-22 season. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best strikers in Europe last term.
#5 Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Darwin Nunez has joined Liverpool from Benfica this summer for an initial sum of £67.5 million. The Uruguayan striker turned heads with his elite marksmanship for Benfica last term. The 22-year-old is a quick, tall and aggressive centre-forward who will fit right into Liverpool's system thanks to his tenacity and work-rate.
He scored 34 goals and provided four assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for Benfica in the 2021-22 season. He scored a goal every 83 minutes for the Portuguese outfit last term. This was only bettered by Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland.
Nunez pips Haaland to a place on this list because the latter missed a chunk of the 2021-22 season due to various injury issues.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
It's quite ironic that Cristiano Ronaldo was viewed as the 'problem' at Manchester United for a short while last term. He silenced his critics in characteristic fashion, scoring two Premier League hat-tricks for the Red Devils in the 2021-22 season.
Ronaldo was also crowned the 'Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year' in his first season back at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils last term. What makes this impressive is that he was playing in an extremely dysfunctional Manchester United side. Ronaldo produced multiple rescue acts for his side in the Champions League as well.
Despite turning 37, he continues to be one of the sharpest strikers in Europe. The Portuguese legend is expected to have an even better campaign next season.
#3 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe was extensively deployed as a centre-forward for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season. The French forward is the crown prince of football and is one of the most lethal attackers in the world. He is a treat to watch on the pitch thanks to his blistering pace and sheer technical ability.
Mbappe scored 39 goals and provided 26 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for PSG last term. The 23-year-old's finishing has improved massively and he continues to rack up extraordinary numbers for both club and country.
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski is the most prolific goalscorer across Europe's top five leagues right now. He won the European Golden Shoe for a second successive year this term. Lewandowski is 33 now but has been in the form of his life over the past two seasons.
The Poland international scored a total of 50 goals and provided seven assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich last term. His movement is top-notch and his finishing is simply exemplary.
Lewandowski would have been gutted to have been kicked out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-final stage by Villarreal. The Bayern Munich striker had scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 13 appearances in Europe's elite competition up until their elimination.
#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema cemented his status as one of the greatest strikers of the modern era in the 2021-22 season. He was the driving force behind Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League triumphs this term and came up clutch multiple times over the course of the campaign.
Benzema scored a 17-minute hat-trick in the second leg of Real Madrid's Round of 16 Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain. This helped them beat the Parisians 3-2 on aggregate. The Frenchman followed this up with a hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Benzema then scored the winner for Real Madrid in the second leg against the Blues. The 34-year-old also bagged a brace against Manchester City in the first leg of Real Madrid's semi-final tie. He would then go on to bag an assist and score the winning goal in the second leg against Pep Guardiola's side.
He kept delivering the goods when his team needed him most and that's why Benzema is at the top of this list. The Real Madrid striker scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for his club in the 2021-22 season.
