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The hype around Harry Kane in the last few weeks has been overblown and a tad nauseating, to say the least.
While there are a lot of good strikers currently playing, football purists will always fondly remember the period between 1995-2005 (a couple of years before the Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo madness began) as a Golden Age for strikers.
All around the world and in various European leagues, world-class strikers abounded and given the high level of defending at that point (this was the era of catenaccio and world-class defenders were also abundant), you had to be truly exceptional as a striker to get 20+ goals a season.
#10 Filippo Inzaghi
The predator to end all predators, Super Pippo wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea due to his lack of a discernable skill.
What he lacked in technical skill, he more than made up for with an uncanny sense of positioning and a never say die attitude that saw him plunder 288 goals in 623 club games for such teams like Juventus and AC Milan winning three Serie A titles and 2 UEFA Champions League titles among his many wins.
Despite his retirement 12 years ago, Pippa is still the fourth highest goalscorer in UEFA Champions League history with 70 goals, a phenomenal record for a player who was unjustly criticized and labelled as not being good enough for the highest level.
#9 Hernan Crespo
With his flying mane, supreme movement, top class finishing, Crespo was seen as the taller, finer version of another all-time Argentine favourite; Claudio “Son of The Wind” Cannigia.
Crespo had a glittering career in Argentina and Italy while his performances with Chelsea in England were very good but due to his longing for the sunnier climes, he never really settled off the pitch.
He scored 271 goals in 608 games for a variety of clubs among which are River Plate, Parma, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Chelsea.
Crespo had an incredible record for the Albiceleste (Argentine national team), scoring an astonishing 35 goals in 64 appearances in an era that closely mirrors the current Argentine set up (lots of talented players but a disjointed national team).
#8 Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Ruud, as he was simply known, was a force of nature combining fearsome pace and power with intelligent movement and, of course, an unerring finishing ability.
Derided by certain football purists as a great scorer of goals and nothing more, Ruud confounded his critics with his technique, power, and ability to always make the right decisions.
Rightfully nicknamed as the new Van Basten on his emergence from Heerenveen, Van Nistelrooy blew everyone away following his move to PSV and followed it up with a fantastic run at European giants Manchester United and Real Madrid.
249 goals in 449 club games tell its own story; they are the statistics of a truly exceptional striker and his record of 35 goals in 70 games for Oranje (one in two games) is incomparable.
#7 George Weah
The Black Diamond, Weah was one of the many top forwards that emerged from the AS Monaco stables in this Golden Age (Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Victor Ikpeba among others).
A deceptively fast goal monger who combined power & physicality with technique and intelligence, “King George” as he was fondly called was a shining inspiration for footballers from Africa and was the first player from outside Europe and South America to win the Ballon d’Or award and FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Rightly regarded as one of the precursors to the phenomenon of the multi-functional modern striker, his ability to influence the game even without scoring by his assists, work rate and creation of space for others to score, Weah was as unselfish as he was prolific.
His record of 193 goals in 411 club appearances and 22 in 60 games for the Lone Stars of Liberia are indicative of his quality.
#6 David Trezeguet
A truly gifted finisher, it is something of a surprise that Trezegol is not mentioned more when it comes to great strikers who have made their mark in European football at the highest level.
A great scorer of goals rather than a scorer of great goals, Trezeguet’s statistics belie the effectiveness of a player who at his peak guaranteed goals in whatever shape, form or manner was needed.
With 273 goals in 557 games, Re David (King David as he was known among the Juventini) is best remembered for the golden goal that gave France victory at the Euro 2000 final against Italy.
Renowned for his aerial ability, top class poacher’s instinct, ability to capitalize on defensive slip-ups and all-around effectiveness, Trezegol’s rep surely deserves more recognition than it has gotten.
#5 Gabriel Batistuta
The very definition of the term “lethal finisher”, Batigol or El Ángel Gabriel (The Angel Gabriel) as he was fondly called was one of the most recognizable strikers of this Golden Age and was super popular among fans of the game.
Quick and hard working with a shot guaranteed to tear nets and break bones, Batigol’s long flowing mane of glorious hair was not the only feature that stood him out a pantheon of great strikers.
His long and illustrious career at Fiorentina earned him the lifetime gratitude of the Florence faithful who built a statue in his honour.
A staggering 271 goals in 507 games is an enduring testament to his greatness. For a long time, his record as Argentina’s all-time top goalscorer (54 goals in 77 caps) stood before being broken by Lionel Messi (who else) in 2016.
#4 Andriy Shevchenko
The brilliant one, the genius, the speedster, these and many more labels are applicable to the awesome nature of Andriy Shevchenko, the striker and one of the most gifted players of the Golden Age.
Possessing the versatility of playing either through the wings, in a pair or as a sole striker down the middle, Sheva excelled at all these roles everywhere he played except for his spell at Chelsea under a Jose Mourinho who was unwilling to change the team’s shape to accommodate the gifted Ukrainian.
Strong, fast and capable of hitting the ball accurately with both feet, Andriy’s best years were in the black and red of AC Milan where he is fondly remembered till today.
An incredible haul of 346 goals in 716 matches is a testament to the brilliance of this generational talent. His record for the Ukrainian national team is also exceptional; 48 goals in 111 appearances.
#3 Raúl González Blanco
El Capitan himself, Raúl has been often misunderstood by some football fans (read unintelligent fans) who believed that he wasn't especially good at anything.
This is so far from the truth as to be laughable, Raúl was one of the greatest ever strikers to ever come out of Spain and Europe.
His style of play; harrying defenders, running the channels, finding space where none seems to exist and an innate ability to find the back of the net almost at will coupled with a vision and intelligence that is rare these days mark him out as one of the best in the Golden Age.
The greatest Number 7 in the history of Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo will have a say in this when his Real Madrid career ends) embodied everything that was good about Real Madrid and won more medals than every other person on this list.
His records for goals for both Real Madrid & Spain may have been eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo and David Villa respectively but his legacy remains undiminished.
He scored 404 goals in 940 club matches and got 44 goals in 102 caps for La Furia Roja.
#2 Thierry Henry
Very similar in style to Shevchenko, the image of a fleet-footed, gazelle-like genius jumping over challenges, pirouetting away from opponents and making scoring look like the world’s easiest job is one that Arsenal fans constantly have wet dreams over.
Quite unlike some of the other strikers on the list, Henry was not just a great goalscorer, he was also a scorer of great goals as evinced by his repertoire of goals which include mazy run and finish goals, screamers from outside the box, poacher’s finishes as well as brilliance from set-pieces.
One of a very select few who have won all major competitions at both club and national level, Thierry’s career was exceedingly brilliant in anticipation and delivery.
An incredible haul of 284 goals in 541 games for the clubs he played for (AS Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona among others), his tally for Les Bleus was just as impressive, netting 51 times in 123 appearances.
#1 Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
O Fenômeno (The Phenomenon) is a player that transcends eras, timelines, and ages.
Such was the timeless essence of this once in a lifetime player who but for injuries should have been included in the pantheon of the greatest players of all time (Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cryuff, Alfredo di Stefano).
With feet that kept defenders confused at all times, dribbling skills that mesmerized and wowed both supporters and opponents, a goal-scoring technique unrivalled for its excellence and an all-round attitude that bewitched the entire world, the original Ronaldo was, without doubt, the king of a truly golden era populated by world-class strikers.
The list of clubs this great played for reads like a who-is-who of footballing royalty (PSV Eindhoven, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan) and despite his short stay at some of these clubs, such were his contributions that he is regularly mentioned among their greatest ever players.
Despite the dastardly injuries he suffered, Il Fenomeno was so awesome that a lot of playing/dribbling styles; the elastico or snakebite, the nutmeg, the stepover became synonymous with him.
A mind-blowing record of 247 goals in just 343 club appearances tells the story of an all-time great who could have done so much more. His record for Brazil is just as scary; 62 goals in 98 games.
