International football has seen some teams dominate at the world stage more than others. European powerhouses Germany, Italy, England, Netherlands and Spain and the South American giants Brazil and Argentina, who went on to win multiple World Cups and Continental titles, have a common recipe for success.
All these Champions had world class strikers who netted some brilliant goals to take the team across the finishing line. Strikers are the weapon in a team’s arsenal and more often than not decide the fate of a game. The World Cup has seen some formidable attacking line-ups who have cut through the defences of the opponents and turned games in their side's favour.
Football legends like Gerd Muller, Gary Lineker, Paolo Rossi, Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose have shown their clinical striking abilities to win the Golden Shoe award at World Cups and spearhead their team’s successful title campaign.
So, let us have a look at international football teams which have possessed lethal strikers all through the course of their football history.
Note: I have considered only those nations that have produced a string of world-class strikers who have served their country for at least a decade and scored 20 or more international goals.
Honorable Mentions
Hungary - Ferenc Puskas, Poland - Robert Lewandowski
Denmark - Poul Nielsen, Jon Dahl Tomasson Sweden - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson
Ireland - Robbie Keane Wales - Gareth Bale Czech Rep - Jan Koller
Belgium - Romelu Lukaku Croatia - Davor Suker, Mario Mandzukic
Bulgaria Dimitar Berbatov Bosnia - Edin Džeko, Ukraine - Andriy Shevchenko
Africa
Cameroon - Samuel Eto’o, Ivory Coast - Didier Drogba, Zambia - Godfrey Chitalu
North and South America
USA - Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Mexico - Javier Hernandez
Chile - Alexis Sánchez, Columbia - Radamel Falcao
Asia
Iran - Ali Daei, India - Sunil Chhetri, Kuwait - Bashar Abdullah, South Korea - Cha Bum Kun, Japan - Kunishige Kamamoto, Australia - Tim Cahill
#10 Uruguay
South American giants Uruguay are one of the most successful teams in football history. Uruguay have been blessed with some world class strikers who have proved their prowess at previous World Cup and Copa America competitions.
In the early 2000s, Diego Forlan was their goal poacher. Forlan ended up winning the Golden Ball award at the 2010 World Cup where Uruguay finished a creditable fourth.
In the last decade, Uruguay have been served by the deadly strike duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Both Suarez and Cavani have been in splendid goalscoring form for the ‘Sky Blues’ at major tournaments.
Leading Goal Scorers for Uruguay
Luis Suarez - 53
Edinson Cavani - 45
Diego Forlan - 36
Angel Romano - 28
Oscar Miguez - 27
Sebastien Abreu – 26
#9 Portugal
Portugal have come out of the shadows of the European giants and created a place of their own in world football. Portugal emerged as a major force after the 2004 European Championships where they finished runners-up behind Greece.
In the 90s, Portugal's footballing renaissance was spearheaded by Luis Figo, who was an inspirational character. An attacking midfielder, Figo spearheaded a strong Portuguese team that had some world class strikers like Nuno Gomes, Heider Postiga, Simao and Pauleta. Towards the turn of the millennium, Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as Portugal's greatest player. Ronaldo has replicated his stellar club form and been a prolific goal scorer for his national team. ‘CR7’ has smashed all records to become Portugal's leading goal scorer.
Ronaldo led Portugal to their maiden European title in 2016 and helped them qualify for the 2018 World Cup at Russia. In his glittering career, Ronaldo has found good support from fellow attackers Nani and Ricardo Quaresma.
Portugal's first global star Eusebio was hailed as the best striker of his generation. Eusebio showed his class in the 1966 World Cup where he helped his nation reach the semi-finals.
Leading Goal Scorers for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo - 85
Pauleta - 47
Eusébio - 41
Luís Figo - 32
Nuno Gomes - 29
Hélder Postiga - 27
Rui Costa - 26
Nani - 24
João Pinto - 23
Nené - 22
Simão - 22
#8 Italy
Four-time world champions Italy, who are famed for their defensive style of play, have produced some clinical strikers in their footballing history.
Giuseppe Meazza was one of the best strikers during the 30s and 40s. His goal-scoring prowess helped Italy win the World Cup in 1934. The Italians had quality strikers in Luigi Riva and Silvio Piola, who were considered the best forwards of their generation.
Italy won the 1982 World Cup on the back of some stunning goals by ace forward Paolo Rossi.
The 90s saw a Golden period in Italian football as they produced a plethora of strikers. Salvatore Schillaci won the Golden Shoe in the 1990 World Cup with his 6 goals and the 'Divine Ponytail' Roberto Baggio got a bagful of goals in the 1994 World Cup. At the turn of the century, Christian Vieri, Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero were the prolific goal scorers for the ‘Azzurri’ at major tournaments.
In recent years, Italy have had Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino, Antonio Di Natale, Antonio Cassano and Lorenzo Insigne who have scored goals for the national team at major competitions.
Leading Goal Scorers for Italy
Luigi Riva 35
Giuseppe Meazza 33
Silvio Piola 30
Roberto Baggio 27
Alessandro Del Piero 27
Adolfo Baloncieri 25
Filippo Inzaghi 25
Alessandro Altobelli 25
Christian Vieri 23
Francesco Graziani 23
#7 Spain
Spain's journey from underachievers to world beaters has been quite the success story in world football. Spain always had the talent but never quite delivered at the big stage. With the turn of the century all that changed as they had a galaxy of superstars playing in the same era. The 'Tika-Taka' style of football worked wonders and Spain clinched their much-awaited maiden World Cup title in 2010.
Spain’s success at major tournaments has been largely credited to their creative midfield play and attacking prowess up front.
Spain had some lethal strikers who scored some breath-taking goals to make them a force to reckon with. In the 90s, Spain had lethal strikers in Raul and Fernando Morientes who formed the backbone of their forward line.
David Villa is Spain's most successful striker, netting 59 international goals. Villa formed a successful partnership with fellow striker Fernando Torres. Villa is Spain's top goalscorer at World Cup with nine goals. Spain's never-ending supply of creative midfielders has always been an integral part of their attacking plans. The likes of Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Isco and Koke have scored some spectacular goals for the national team.
The current Spanish attack comprising of Diego Costa, Iago Aspas and Pedro have all been successful at the international stage.
Leading goal scorers for Spain
1 David Villa 59
2 Raúl 44
3 Fernando Torres 38
4 David Silva 35
5 Fernando Hierro 29
6 Fernando Morientes 27
7 Emilio Butragueño 26
8 Alfredo Di Stéfano 23
9 Julio Salinas 22
10 Míchel 21
#6 France
France have been one of the dominant football nations from Europe. The French have tasted World Cup glory, lifting the title in 1998 and reaching the finals in 2006. The French reached their zenith under the leadership of midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane.
Thierry Henry has been France’s most successful striker on the world stage. Henry was instrumental in France's successful campaigns at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 European Nations Cup. He ended as their leading goal scorer with 51 goals. France also produced a plethora of quality strikers in Youri Djorkaeff, David Trezeguet and Sebastien Wiltord.
Michel Platini was Les Blues’ most gifted player. The versatile forward led them to victory in the 1984 Euro Cup. For most of the 80s, Platini had good company up front from Jean-Pierre Papin.
Meanwhile, the likes of Eric Cantona, David Ginola and Nicolas Anelka showed flashes of brilliance on the world stage. The enigmatic striker Karim Benzema proved his goal scoring ability at the 2012 Euro Nations Cups and 2014 FIFA World Cup.
France currently have a lethal strike force with clinical strikers in Antoine Greizmann and Olivier Giroud. Both the strikers have been superlative form, netting goals aplenty in their World Cup qualification campaign. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe is emerging as one of the finest strikers in world football.
Leading goal scorers for France
1 Thierry Henry 51
2 Michel Platini 41
3 David Trezeguet 34
4 Olivier Giroud and Zinedine Zidane 31
6 Just Fontaine and Jean-Pierre Papin 30
8 Youri Djorkaeff 28
9 Karim Benzema 27
10 Sylvain Wiltord 26
11 Antoine Griezmann 23
12 Jean Nicolas 21
14 Paul Nicolas and Eric Cantona 20
#5 England
England have had their share of world-class strikers who have produced quality goals for them at the international level. Sir Bobby Charlton, who was the hero of the 1966 World Cup triumph, had a brilliant strike rate, netting many goals for his country. Charlton formed a potent attacking duo with Bryan Robson.
In the 70s, the English had Gary Lineker who was a goal-scoring machine in the international arena. Linekar proved his mettle by winning the Golden Boot award in the 1986 World Cup.
Alan Shearer became the Three Lions' target man, scoring spectacular goals all through the 90s. The fast and pacy Michael Owen took the world by storm, scoring some sensational goals for England at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups.
Wayne Rooney was England’s talismanic striker with a penchant for scoring stunning goals. Rooney broke all goalscoring records to become England’s highest goal scorer with 53 goals. Meanwhile, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Danny Welbeck made handy contributions in the English jersey.
The in-form striker Harry Kane is currently spearheading England’s attack at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He has good support from Jamie Vardy and Raheem Sterling.
Leading Goal Scorers for England
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Nat Lofthouse 33
Alan Shearer 30
Tom Finney 30
#4 Netherlands
The Netherlands have been a powerhouse in world football. The Dutch have made it to three World Cup finals and won the European Nations Cup in 1988. Netherlands are credited for reinventing the style in which international football was played through Johan Cryuff's ‘Total Football model.
Netherlands were at the peak of their powers in the 70s. They had some really talented attacking players in Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Johnny Rep. Marco Van Basten’s rich goalscoring form helped them clinch the 1988 European Cup. Frank Richard, Ruud Gullit and Ronald Koeman formed a star-studded team in the 80s.
In the 90s, Netherlands had Patrick Kluivert, Denis Bergkamp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who all were potent strikers. With the turn of the millennium, Ruud Van Nistelrooy formed a deadly strike duo with Robin Van Persie. The Dutch also had Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Dirk Kuyt who netted quite a few goals for the Oranje. In addition, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder were the chief architects in creating goals for the Dutch at major championships.
Leading Goal Scorers for Netherlands
1. Robin van Persie 50
2. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 42
3. Patrick Kluivert 40
4. Dennis Bergkamp 37
5. Arjen Robben 37
6. Faas Wilkes 35
7. Ruud van Nistelrooy 35
8. Abe Lenstra 33
9. Johan Cruyff 33
10. Wesley Sneijder 31
#3 Argentina
South American powerhouses Argentina have been one of the most successful football teams with two World Cup triumphs. Much like their continental rivals Brazil, Argentina have enthralled fans with their exciting brand of football at major tournaments.
The Blue and Whites have had two of the world's best ever players in Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Maradona’s exploits in the 1986 World Cup helped the nation win their second World Cup title. However, it was Mario Kempes who led the scoring charts in Argentina's maiden World Cup triumph in 1978. In the early 90s, Maradona formed a potent attack line up with Claudio Caniggia and Gabriel Batistuta.
Gabriel Batistuta became a prolific goal scorer all through the 90s. ‘Batigoal’ found the back of net ten times at World Cups and also scored many goals in Argentina's Copa America campaigns. Strikers like Javier Saviola, Diego Milito and Carlos Tevez acted as a good support cast. Hernan Crespo was another prolific striker who served the Argentines with great distinction.
With the turn of the millennium, Lionel Messi staked his claim as the best striker in world football. The immensely gifted Messi has scored some breath-taking goals for his country and taken them to the finals of three major tournaments.
The Argentina attack comprising Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero is one of the most lethal strike forces in world football. Meanwhile, Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi are considered among the finest strikers in world football at the moment.
Leading goal scorers for Argentina
Lionel Messi 65
Gabriel Batistuta 56
Sergio Aguero 39
Hernan Crespo 35
Diego Maradona 34
Gonzalo Higuan 31
Luis Artime 24
Daniel Passarela 23
Mario Kempes 20
#2 Germany
Germany have been Europe’s most successful football team in the world arena. The European powerhouses have been the most consistent performer at FIFA World Cups. With four World Cup titles, they are joint second with Italy for the most number of titles.
Germany’s football may not seem very artistic but it is fluent and very effective. The Germans play football in a very methodical manner and their style is as efficient as their heavy engineering. The Germans are known to combine well as a team whenever they turnout at major competitions. The Germans play an attacking style of football building attack from the flanks and are very good at counter-attacking.
The Germans have been blessed with some world class strikers all through their footballing history. Germany had a goal-scoring machine in the legendary striker Gerd Muller who scored goals at an exceptional strike rate. The ‘Bomber’ was the highest goal scorer in the 1970 World Cup. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was their standout striker in the 80s.
In the 90s, they had talismanic strikers in Rudi Voller and Jurgen Klinsmann who were prolific goal scorers at major tournaments. Besides Klinsmann, Germany had Oliver Bierhoff, Kevin Kuranyi and Ulf Kristen.
The turn of the millennium saw Miroslav Klose taking centre stage and scoring goals at four successive World Cups. Klose became the highest ever scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 16 goals. Klose had a good support cast in Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Lucas Podolski and André Schürrle all of whom proved their mettle by striking goals consistently.
The Germans always had attacking midfielders with an eye for goal. The likes of Lothar Matthaus, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Ballack, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos and Mario Goetze have all created many goals for the German strikers and found the back of the net themselves
Leading Goalscorers for Germany
Miroslav Klose 71
Gerd Muller 68
Lucas Podolski 49
Jurgen Klinsmann 47
Rudi Voller 47
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 45
Uwe Seller 43
Michael Ballack 42
Thomas Muller 38
Oliver Bierhoff 37
Fritz Walter 34
Klaus Fischer 32
Mario Gomez 31
Andreas Möller 31
Ulf Kristen 21
#1 Brazil
When you talk about international soccer, Brazil comes straight to your mind. The South American giants have been the undisputed kings of world football, clinching the coveted World Cup trophy a record five times. Football seems to run in the blood of the soccer-crazy nation and Brazilians play the Beautiful game with a certain flair and panache.
The ‘Samba Boys’ are technically gifted with amazing dribbling skills and ball control. One of the biggest factors for Brazil's stupendous footballing success has been a line of world-class strikers who have consistently scored goals at major tournaments.
Brazil produced arguably the greatest footballer in Pele. The ‘Black Diamond’ was a wizard with his dazzling skills and produced some moments of magic in the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups. Pele played in the golden generation when Brazil had a world-beating team with stars like Tostao, Vava and Garrincha.
The 1982 Brazilian team of Zico, Socrates and Eder are hailed as the best team to have not won the World Cup. In the 90s, the attacking duo of Romario and Bebeto formed Brazil’s deadly strike force. In the mid and late 90s, they had a prolific goal poacher in Ronaldo. Ronaldo formed a lethal trio with fellow striker Rivaldo and attacking midfielder Ronaldinho. They also had Kaka who could score some blinders from midfield.
The likes of Robinho, Adriano and Luís Fabiano carried on the legacy to the next generation. In recent years, Neymar Jr has been one of the best strikers in the world. Neymar has found the net consistently and been part of Brazil’s success. Meanwhile, Fred and Hulk have also been among the goals for Brazil.
Leading goal-scorers for Brazil
Pele 77
Ronaldo 62
Neymar 58
Romario 55
Zico 48
Bebeto 39
Rivaldo 35
Jairzinho 33
Ronaldinho 33
Ademir 32
Tostao 32
Zizinho 30
Robinho 29
Careca 29
Luis Fabiano 25
Adriano 25
Rivellino 25
