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Records keep tumbling in the Champions League every time you change the channel to have a look.
Come to the Brugge vs PSG match and you would have seen Kylian Mbappe break the record for being the youngest goal scorer to score 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League (a record previously held by Lionel Messi).
Switch to the game at Athens and you'd have seen Robert Lewandowski climb one step closer to the pantheon of all-time great strikers by overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy to become the fifth highest goal scorer of all time in the UEFA Champions League.
While we are on the topic of goal scorers, what is it that makes an elite striker? Goals, assists, moments of magic? The answer is a little bit of everything if you ask just about anyone out there.
Elite strikers are really rare as a species. More often than not, the list of elite strikers doesn't refresh itself from year to the next. You'd be forgiven if you had to think really hard to find a new name to displace anyone who made the list last year.
With the impending Ballon d'Or award in the weeks to come, there is reason to discuss who could end up on the list of elite strikers this year. And while many would flinch at the omission of a few of their favorites from the list (read: Messi and Mbappe), it is important to bear in mind that we are looking at players who have continuously played as out-and-out strikers rather than as wide forwards.
This list consists of players who have not only maintained a high level of competence while leading the line over the past few years, but are continuing to do so in that exact same position. The list considers pure statistics as well as overall ability, along with performances for both club and country.
Without further ado then, here are the top 5 strikers in the world right now.
#5 Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a player who hasn't really received his due over the years considering he has chosen to play for clubs that are not really elite clubs at the European stage anymore.
Coming to life in the Jurgen Klopp era at Borussia Dortmund, Aubameyang plundered 40 goals in 45 games for them in the 2016-17 season. He has maintained a superb scoring rate since, scoring at least 20 goals in every season.
However, it is his move to Arsenal that is really getting him some attention as one of the game's better strikers.
The joint winner of the EPL Golden boot last season, in a league that boasts players like Sergio Aguero, Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling and Sadio Mane amongst others, goes a long way in justifying his ability. That's even more so considering he plays for a team that finished outside of the Champions League qualification spots last season.
Aubameyang's burst of acceleration, lovely touch on the ball and no-nonsense yet deft finishing have earned him enough plaudits to help him make this list. Even this season, he has scored 8 goals in 11 appearances for Arsenal, albeit again for a side that is struggling - which makes his returns all the more awe-inspiring.
Also check out: Champions league top scorers EPL table Champions League table
#4 Sergio Aguero
Segio Aguero has scored 166 goals in his last 226 appearances at club level. And he has 10 goals in 10 games for his club at the moment.
The 31-year old Manchester City star has numbers comparable to most in this league of extraordinary strikers. But what sets him slightly apart is that he has frequently been criticized for almost never having a clean streak of games without getting injured.
Aguero has a turn of pace that could ruin defenders' careers. He has the ability to finish from the acutest angles and from positions most people wouldn't dare to try anything from. He has an impeccable tactical understanding of his position. Moreover, he has Pep Guardiola in awe of him.
Aguero hasn't replicated his club form for his country, and that leaves him a little lower on this list. But saying he isn't one of the best strikers on the planet at the moment would be a crime.
#3 Harry Kane
Harry Kane receives a lot of unnecessary criticism, for reasons best known to those who do the criticizing. The Englishman was once called a one-season wonder, and he went on to endure further brickbats for his rather theatrical ways of going to ground.
When that didn't work, he was accused of not being part of a team that has won anything. However, his numbers speak for themselves.
Since 2014 the Tottenham Hotspur star has scored 127 goals in 174 appearances for club and country. To put things into perspective, Lewandowski has scored 151 in 165 games in the same time frame.
And it isn't just the numbers. Kane has become crucial to the England national team set-up, and was a major contributor to their World Cup campaign which has largely heralded as a success. To set things straight, he ran away with the Golden Boot.
Kane had a huge role to play in Spurs' surge to the UEFA Champions League final last year. And refusing to rest on his laurels, he has smashed in 18 goals in 24 games already this season.
The epitome of the ideal English centre forward, Kane deserves to be on this list whichever way you look at it. His achievements are all the more noteworthy considering he doesn't play for the best teams at either club or country level.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenom; there are no two ways about it. His goal-scoring exploits are clear for everyone to see; there is no point even mentioning statistics or records when it comes to the legend.
Ronaldo's adventure in Italy is creating its own moments as the striker has managed to largely replicate the form which turned him into a Real Madrid legend. That is all the more amazing because he is 34 years old now.
If you ask the Portuguese forward, he would say age is just a number. And he continues to show that he can play at the highest level for years to come.
He would be topping this list if it wasn't for Lewandowski's mad scoring rate this season. Ronaldo has 5 in 10 games for Juventus this season, having plundered 28 goals in 43 games for them last season.
The man continues to amaze and awe us, and long may his stay in this list continue.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
151 goals in 165 games since the beginning of 2014-2015, four consecutive 40-goal seasons for Bayern Munich, and 21 goals in 17 appearances THIS season. And can you believe it, the guy is 31 years old.
If we took Bayern out of those last two sentences you'd actually struggle to figure out if we're talking about Robert Lewandowski or Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. It wouldn't be wrong to call Lewandowski the best striker in the world at the moment, considering all his fellow strikers are struggling to keep pace with his scoring rate this season.
The Polish striker has been on an absolutely incredible journey since bursting into the limelight in Jurgen Klopp's all-action Borussia Dortmund side. A figure of consistency, Lewandowski has everything a proper striker would thrive on: an amazing first touch, a blistering turn of pace, a strong physical presence and a hawkish eye for goal.
