'%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)
Shirt numbers have evolved from mere labels to become markers of specific characteristics. Numbers have now come to denote specific roles on the field and the #9 typifies the role of the striker.
A #9 is the one who leads the attack, the fox in the box who is on call to pop at the right place at the right time and put the finishing touches on an attack. Number 9s are usually good at beating defenders and bamboozling goalkeepers.
The role of the no.9 has evolved as well with them contributing more creatively or acting as the axis in a front 3. Let's take a look at 9 players who currently aces it when it comes to being a no. 9.
9 best number 9s in the world
#9 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez, at 33-years-old, is walking into the twilight of his career but he continues to be a formidable goal getter. The Uruguayan has served Barcelona incredibly well and though his powers have waned with age, he is still a pretty cool customer in front of goal.
Suarez is a number 9 who loves to get involved in the build-up play as well. His passing is top-notch and links up well with the rest of the team as well. Suarez scored 21 goals and notched up 10 assists from 37 games across all competitions this term.
#8 Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino is unlike the other number 9s on the list. The Liverpool man does not need to shoulder the responsibility of bagging goals week in and week out as he gets to share that with 2 of the best forwards in the Premier League, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
In fact, Firmino's role in Jurgen Klopp's system requires him to work as an enabler to Salah and Mane. Firmino tracks back more than any other forward on the list and he constantly rallies and bullies midfielders and defenders affording them no peace of mind.
Firmino scored just 9 goals in the Premier League this season and though that is quite low even by his own standards, he made up for it by racking up 8 assists as well. There's more to Firmino's game than numbers and the fact that he has played every single Premier League game in Liverpool's title winning campaign speaks for itself.
#7 Luis Muriel
Luis Muriel is another number 9 whose presence on the list is justified by unusual numbers. After joining Atalanta last summer, Muriel played deputy to Duvan Zapata but still stacked up numbers that could compete with the best number 9s in the world.
Luis Muriel scored 18 goals for Atalanta as they ended a pleasant Serie A campaign securing the 3rd position on the table. But what's interesting to note is that the Atalanta baller only started 10 games. He came off the bench on 24 occasions.
He scored 11 of those goals after coming on as a substitute. Muriel is a good dribber and likes to shoot from distance as well. He is also a good free-kick taker.
#6 Danny Ings
Danny Ings has been an absolute beast in front of goal in the Premier League for Southampton. Despite finishing 11th on the table, the Saints were one of the best teams in the league following the restart and their eye-catching attacking football flourished owing to Ings' prolific streak in front of goal.
Football fans who have followed the Prem will be happy to see Ings' resurgence after he suffered two back to back injury blows during his time at Liverpool that saw him miss 2 seasons.
However, Ings has proven his quality this term and finished the season as the 2nd highest top scorer in the league tied with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and just one goal short of leader Jamie Vardy.
#5 Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial has been one of the most improved players under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After finding himself on the margins under Mourinho, Martial is truly showing signs of becoming the player he was expected to go on and become after he went on tear it up in the Premier League as a teenager.
Now Martial is adjusting to his more favoured central role and has grabbed the opportunity to win back his no.9 shirt with both hands. Martial and Rashford have struck a deadly combo for Manchester United. He has also linked up excellently with the young Mason Greenwood.
Martial's excellent close control and one touch passing creates nightmares for defences and he has scored 23 goals and racked up 6 assists across all competitions this season. If he hadn't missed 6 games due to injury at the beginning of the season, Martial would have definitely been a golden boot contender.
#4 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku has certainly been one of Inter Milan's best acquisitions in the recent past. The former Manchester United man has put his excellent technique and physicality to great use and enjoyed a wonderful goalscoring form this term.
Lukaku's time at Manchester United can't be counted as a failure but Jose Mourinho failed to get the best out of him and he wasn't a good fit for the style of play that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now endorsing at Old Trafford.
Lukaku won't mind eitherway though as he has truly come to his own once again at Inter Milan under the tutelage of Antonio Conte. Lukaku has scored 30 goals from 47 games across all competitions in the 2019-20 season and has 5 assists to his name.
#3 Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy's rise from a non-league striker to Premier League champion to Golden Boot winner for Leicester City is nothing short of a fairytale.
Vardy has been excellent for the Foxes throughout the campaign and though a dip in form following the Covid break saw them miss out on a spot in the Champions League, they can look back on the season with pride.
Vardy won the Premier League golden boot, scoring 23 goals from 35 appearances. He also racked up 5 assists as well. At 33-years-old, Vardy continues to be one of the fastest strikers in Europe and is the last person in that talented Leicester lineup that defenders want running at them.
#2 Karim Benzema
Despite being a divisive figure at times, Karim Benzema has continued to serve the club well and at the age of 32, he has proven that he has still got what it takes to go shoulder to shoulder with some of the very best in the business and continues to deliver in clutch situations.
Benzema is another number 9 who has been excellent at more fronts than one. His tally of 10 assists in all competitions in addition to the 26 goals he has scored speaks volumes of his talents as an attacker. These are the qualities that has kept him as the henchman at Real Madrid for more than a decade now.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Here's the man who most people think got robbed because they decided to cancel the Ballon d'Or award this time due to the Covid pandemic. Robert Lewandowski has been absolutely unstoppable this season and has been scoring goals at an unbelievable rate.
From 43 appearances across all competitions this season, Robert Lewandowski has scored a whopping 52 goals. That's more than a goal a game. Lewa is undoubtedly the best striker in the world right now and looks like he will continue to be for a while despite being 31 years of age.
Lewandowski is any manager's dream enforcer. He hardly ever botches it in front of goal, is deadly with the ball at his feet and is strong in the air as well. He tops this list by a country mile.
