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The last decade (2008 -2018) will go down in history as the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era. Never in the history of football has a timeline been dominated by two players like this.
Before the two of them arrived on the scene, a 25+ season was regarded as the hallmark of the great strikers. The likes of Ronaldo De Lima, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Andriy Shevchenko were regarded as world-class strikers, yet they never came close to the numbers set by the eternal duo.
The strangest part of the story is that both men, Messi and Ronaldo, are not traditional strikers. Both players started out and have played most of their careers as wide men.
However, the coaches most responsible for what both men have become: Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson recognized their goalscoring abilities early on. Both managers then built their teams in ways that allowed Messi and Ronaldo become the goalscoring machines they are today.
However, in the last decade, we have seen a lot of strikers whose exploits have been overshadowed by the former El Clasico duo. Here is a look at 5 of the very best:
#5 Didier Drogba
The Ivorian giant was the total package striker. Powerful yet skilful, big yet possessing amazing technique, Didier Drogba had it all. A late bloomer, he had spent a bit of time at Le Mans and Guingamp before making the move to Olympique Marseille in 2002 for £3.3m. It was at the Velodrome aged 24 that he burst into life.
In the 2003-2004 season, Drogba was on fire scoring 19 goals in Ligue 1 and 11 goals in European competition, leading the team to the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) final.
This prompted Chelsea and Jose Mourinho to pay £24m for him after just one season at Marseille. The Premier League was not ready for what was to follow.
Drogba really came into his own under the Special One and over the next 8 years, became one of the continent's deadliest. His big-game temperament, ability to bully defenders and goalscoring instincts won him many plaudits.
164 goals and 14 trophies later, he left as a Blues legend. His tally of 300 goals in 686 club games across all his clubs tells the story of a truly great striker.
Drogba was also a beast for his national team, The Elephants, as in 83 games, he scored 57 goals becoming the country's all-time leading goleador.
Also see : women's world cup 2019, womens world cup bracket, Womens World Cup Standings
#4 Gonzalo Higuain
A misunderstood genius, the Argentine striker has earned an undeserved reputation as a big-game bottler. This unfortunate tag came about as a result of some glaring misses in cup finals for Argentina.
Take away that unfortunate tag and you are left with a deadly finisher whose record has been phenomenal. Right from his early days, Gonzalo Higuain's predatory finishing, ability to find space and brilliant instincts had marked him out as one to watch.
This made Real Madrid shell out €12m for Pipita (as he is fondly called) in 2007. Despite competing for game time with the likes of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Raul Gonzalez amongst others, he managed a very credible 122 goals in 264 games.
He was sold to Napoli for €40m in 2013 and continued to deliver with 92 goals in 142 matches. He became the 3rd most expensive player in the world when he moved to Juventus for €90m in 2016.
His goal record currently stands at 290 goals in 570 matches, a tally of 1 goal in 2.5 matches. Higuain has also been good for La Albiceleste with 35 goals in 71 matches.
#3 David Villa
El Guaje (The Kid) is a player whose style is difficult to describe but oh-so mesmerizing to watch. As a 4-year-old, he had fractured his right leg and it was thought he would never become a great footballer.
Slight of frame with dreamy eyes, his jet black hair and handsome demeanour weren't his only identifiable features. His goalscoring style; curving the ball beyond the goalkeeper from any angle is one many other players struggle with.
He was pacy and for a short player, was brilliant in the air. David Villa is perhaps one of the most adaptable strikers ever. Over his career, he has played as a lone striker, in a pair or on the flanks. In whichever position he played, he delivered more than his fair share of goals and assists.
For Sporting Gijon, Real Zaragoza, Valencia, FC Barcelona, and New York City, Villa was an ever-present goal threat/assist machine. So far, he has scored 310 goals in 611 games.
However, his best came in Spain's colours. Villa played a leading role in La Furia Roja's World Cup and European Championship wins. In the process, he dethroned Raul Gonzalez and became Spain's all-time leading scorer with 59 goals in 98 games.
#2 Robert Lewandowski
The king of Polish football, Robert Lewandowski is a striker whose name has become synonymous with goals. A very deadly finisher capable of finishing with both feet, Lewandowski has been generally recognized as one of the best strikers in Europe.
Apart from pace, it is difficult to name a quality the giant Pole does not possess. Silky dribbling skills, immaculate control, predatory finishing, and brilliant heading are just some of it.
From being a scrawny lad struggling in Poland, he has grown into becoming one of the world's deadliest strikers in the last decade. From the first club, Znicz Pruszkow, he has scored goals by the bucketload.
Lewandowski's tally of 21 for Znick Prusszkow and 41 in 82 games for Lech Poznan tells the story of a goalscorer supreme. It has only gotten better since he moved to the Bundesliga, scoring 103 in 187 games for Borussia Dortmund.
His record for Bayern Munich currently stands at 173 goals in 219 games. For the Orly (Polish national team), he is the greatest ever goalscorer with 55 goals in 102 games.
#1 Luis Suarez
The biter, the racist, the diver. These are just some of the phrases that have been used to describe the Uruguayan pistol from Salto a.k.a El Pistolero. However, the phrases; world-class, brilliant, unstoppable and other great appellations have also been added to his name.
It goes without saying but as much as he courts controversy with his behaviour, Luis Suarez has been one of the most beautiful sights in football for the last decade. His style of play, which revolves around doing the unexpected, has won admirers from Holland to Spain.
Pacy, strong and very intelligent, he has not just been a great goalscorer; he has also been a scorer of great goals. Despite playing in teams that didn't have quality midfielders, the Uruguayan has scored goals wherever he has been.
He arrived in Europe from his native Uruguay to play for the Dutch side, FC Groningen. His displays for the minnows convinced Ajax to pay €7.5m for him in 2007. Suarez scored goals by the hatful for the Amsterdam giants; 111 goals in 159 games.
After stints in England with Liverpool and since joining Barca for £64.98m in 2014, his tally currently reads 372 goals in 549 club games.
Suarez has also been super deadly for his national team; La Celeste with 55 goals in 106 games.
