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Football games are won by scoring goals, and there are no players better suited to find the back of the net than the center-forwards.
When a striker is scoring goals week in and week out, he becomes a fan favorite. However, the moment a rough patch hits him, he faces the wrath of fans and pundits alike.
The role of strikers has evolved in the 21st century
In modern football, strikers are not only expected to score goals. Given the fast-paced nature of the game, they are sometimes also required to be providers.
Thierry Henry was a prolific goalscorer and assist-provider in the Premier League. He holds the record for the most assists in a single Premier League campaign (20 alongside Kevin De Bruyne). The Frenchman achieved the feat while playing for Arsenal in the 2002-03 season.
While we all know about the renowned strikers in Europe's top leagues, some players do not get their fair share of credit. The contributions of some great goalscorers often go unnoticed in the competitive world of football.
On that note, here we take a look at the five most underrated strikers of the 21st century.
Honorable mentions - Aritz Aduriz, Ciro Immobile, Jonas, Miroslav Klose, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
#5 Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe is one of the greatest players to have failed to win the Premier League title. He has represented Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth in the English top flight.
The Englishman spent 18 seasons in the Premier League and is the ninth-highest goalscorer in the history of the competition (162 goals). He never managed to win the top-scorer award at the end of the campaign. However, he did score 10 or more goals in eight campaigns.
After winning the Scottish Premiership with Rangers last season, he returned to Sunderland in January. He will be hoping to score a few goals in League Two with his old employers.
#4 Antonio Di Natale
Antonio Di Natale earned a reputation as a prolific goalscorer during his spell with Udinese. He is one of the many late-blooming strikers of the 21st century.
The Italian began his career in Serie B with Empoli. After a couple of loan spells in the third division, he left Empoli in 2004 for Udinese.
In northeastern Italy, he would go on to establish himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Serie A. He reached double-digit figures in nine consecutive seasons between 2006-07 and 2014-15.
While he did not win any major trophies with club or country, Di Natale did earn a lot of praise for his goalscoring exploits.
Besides winning Serie A's top scorer award in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns, he also won the Coppa Italia top scorer award in the 2014-15 season.
#3 Pauleta
Pauleta might not be a household name for fans outside France. However, he made a name for himself with his goalscoring prowess at Paris Saint-Germain in the first decade of the 21st century.
It's possible that his lack of popularity is due to his five-season association with the Parisians between 2003 and 2008 when the club were not as well-known.
Pauleta won La Liga with Deportivo La Coruna in the 1999-2000 campaign, which would be the first and only league title of his career.
He also scored the winning goal in the 2004 edition of the Coupe de France final, leading PSG to their first silverware of the 21st century.
The Portuguese striker held the title of being the national team's top scorer until Cristiano Ronaldo overtook him.
#2 Edin Dzeko
Edin Dzeko could not establish himself at Manchester City, with Sergio Aguero enjoying time as the club's first-choice striker.
He joined the club in the January transfer window of 2010-11, six months after finishing as top scorer in the 2009-10 Bundesliga season with Wolfsburg.
Dzeko scored more than 10 goals for Manchester City in three seasons, but it was at Roma that he regained his goalscoring form. He scored 29 goals in his first full season at the club, finishing as the Serie A top scorer for the 2016-17 campaign.
The Bosnian striker is now with Inter Milan and has scored nine goals in his debut season with the club. Given his solid performances in front of goal, the striker might be able to lift his first league title since City's Premier League triumph in the 2013-14 campaign.
#1 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud is one of those strikers who have generated memorable performances but have failed to hold down a starting position consistently.
The Frenchman won the first title of his career with Montpellier in the 2011-12 Ligue 1 campaign, during which he scored 21 goals. His performances that season earned him a move to Arsenal.
Giroud reached double-digit figures in goals in each of his full seasons at the London-based club while also winning six trophies.
While he could not hit double-digit figures at Chelsea, he ended up winning the top-scorer award in the Europa League 2018-19 campaign (11 goals). The Blues won the competition that season, and the victory saw the striker win the first European silverware of his career.
Despite being a second-choice striker at Stamford Bridge, he found a place in France's national team. He won the FIFA World Cup with the team in 2018, though he failed to score a goal.
Giroud has gotten off to a good start at his new club, AC Milan. He has scored 10 goals and provided two assists in 22 appearances for the side across all competitions so far this season.
If he can help the club to their first league title since 2011, Giroud might be able to get the recognition he deserves at the age of 35.
