When Erling Haaland smashed the record for the quickest player to reach 50 Champions League goals on Wednesday night – just 49 games for the relentless Norwegian – it sparked a debate about where Manchester City’s lethal forward stands in the list of all-time great strikers.
I’ve reported on seven World Cups, eight European Championships and 22 Champions League finals over the last 30 years of watching the best marksmen on the planet.
And even though Haaland is a phenomenal finisher, a player who looks set to break many more records in his career, he still has some way to travel before he can compete with the very best I have seen.
I haven’t included Robert Lewandowski, Hernan Crespo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic on this list, which many will consider both sacrilegious and ignorant, but different attributes in strikers appeal to different people.
We all have our favourite strikers and these are mine:
21. Thomas Muller
Career: 2007-present Country: Germany Clubs: Bayern Munich, Vancouver Whitecaps Career appearances: 890 (club and country) Career goals: 299
I was at Muller’s final game for Bayern Munich, against Borussia Monchengladbach, at the end of last season and I have rarely seen an outpouring of affection for a footballer like it.
Muller was a fantastic goalscorer for his club and for Germany and his intelligence and his instinct for the game, his ability to anticipate the flight of the ball and to make chances for team-mates, elevates him to the ranks of the great forwards.
I was at Thomas Muller’s final game for Bayern Munich, against Borussia Monchengladbach, at the end of last season, and I have rarely seen an outpouring of affection for a footballer like it
20. Erling Haaland
Career: 2015-present Country: Norway Clubs: Bryne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City Career appearances: 378 Career goals: 313
There were times in Haaland’s remarkable first season in the Premier League when I thought he might actually have a chance of breaking Dixie Dean’s English record of 60 league goals in a season.
He finished on 36 in the end, which was still a Premier League record. A pure goalscorer, his appetite for finding the net is frightening. His power and his hunger are astonishing.
He’s only at the start of his career. He may well surpass everyone on this list by the end of it.
Erling Haaland’s only at the start of his career – he may well surpass everyone on this list by the end of it
19. Sergio Aguero
Career: 2003-21 Country: Argentina Clubs: Independiente, Atletico Madrid, Man City, Barcelona Career appearances: 786 Career goals: 426
I once wrote that Charlie Adam would be a better signing for Liverpool than Sergio Aguero would be for Manchester City when they moved in the same 2011 summer window. Whoops.
Aguero was already a goalscoring phenomenon when he arrived in Manchester and his relentless accumulation of goals and the way he adapted to Pep Guardiola’s demands that he become more of a team player have led many to claim he is City’s greatest ever player.
He was certainly the scorer of the most famous goal in City’s history, the late, late winner in the 3-2 victory over QPR in 2012 that brought them their first league title for 44 years.
I once wrote that Charlie Adam would be a better signing for Liverpool than Sergio Aguero would be for Manchester City when they moved in the same 2011 summer window. Whoops
18. Gabriel Batistuta
Career: 1988-2005 Country: Argentina Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Fiorentina, Roma, Inter Milan, Al Arabi Career appearances: 629 Career goals: 353
‘Batigol’ was another striker revered for his panache alongside his talent.
Some also referred to him as ‘The Animal’ because of his tenacity and ability to break free of the shackles of his marker. Powerful in the air, he also had one of the most ferocious shots in the game.
Powerful in the air, Gabriel Batistuta also had one of the most ferocious shots in the game – as Arsenal found to their cost in the Champions League in 1999
17. Michael Owen
Career: 1997-2013 Country: England Clubs: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Stoke City Career appearances: 571 Career goals: 262
The best England game I’ve ever seen? It is probably still the 2-2 draw with Argentina in Saint-Etienne at the 1998 World Cup, which ended in the heartbreak of a penalty shootout but will forever be remembered for Owen’s stunning run and rising drive that nearly burst the Argentina net.
His pace was his greatest attribute, closely followed by his nervelessness in front of goal. He would be higher on this list if injury had not curtailed his effectiveness.
Michael Owen (second right) scores his stunning solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup
16. Mohamed Salah
Career: 2010-present Country: Egypt Clubs: Al Mokawloon, Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma, Liverpool Career appearances: 765 Career goals: 386
Part of the great iconography of Liverpool forwards, his relentless goalscoring has helped him displace brilliant strikers such as Robbie Fowler in this list.
Salah is a modern wonder, a forward who operates from wide on the right and destroys opponents with his pace and his accuracy and his breathtaking dribbling.
It is said that he does not think he gets the credit he deserves. He is right.
It is said that Mohamed Salah does not think he gets the credit he deserves. He is right
15. Didier Drogba
Career: 1998-2018 Country: Ivory Coast Clubs: Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray, Montreal Impact, Phoenix Rising Career appearances: 794 Career goals: 368
A battering ram of a centre forward, a player who could intimidate opponents with his power and outwit them with his speed of thought, he was a driving force for Chelsea and for Ivory Coast.
He saved the best almost for last, too, scoring the brilliant near-post header that brought Chelsea level in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena and then rolling in the winning penalty in the shootout.
Didier Drogba basks in the adulation after winning the Champions League for Chelsea in 2012
14. Alan Shearer
Career: 1988-2006 Country: England Clubs: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle Career appearances: 797 Career goals: 409
He is often described as an old-fashioned centre forward but that should be taken as a compliment.
It means he scored goals with a hammer of a right foot. It means he was brilliant in the air. And it means that he never gave an inch against an opponent.
Some of his team-mates said he was selfish. It did not stop them being in awe of him.
Alan Shearer is often described as an old-fashioned centre forward but that should be taken as a compliment
13. Harry Kane
Career: 2011-present Country: England Clubs: Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City, Leicester City, Bayern Munich Career appearances: 711 Career goals: 465
Kane is underrated and sometimes under-appreciated but the truth is that he is a goalscorer supreme as well as being a forward of exceptional vision.
Kane scores spectacular goals and he scores scruffy goals but he always scores goals.
I was at the Allianz Arena in Munich to see him score his latest two, against Chelsea, on Wednesday night. No striker brings certainty in front of goal but Kane gets close and his second strike against Enzo Maresca’s team was an example of a difficult finish he made look easy.
His England goalscoring record, which he is still adding to relentlessly, will not be broken for a long time.
No striker brings certainty in front of goal but Harry Kane gets close and his second strike against Chelsea on Wednesday was an example of a difficult finish he made look easy
12. Eric Cantona
Career: 1983-1997 Country: France Clubs: Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nimes, Leeds, Man United Career appearances: 484 Career goals: 185
Cantona could never quite perform at his best in the Champions League for Manchester United but his achievements for Leeds United and then Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, and the panache with which he played, made him one of the most influential strikers of the last 30 years.
Cantona was a fine striker and a scorer of great goals but he also had style and attitude and that made him into an icon.
Eric Cantona was a fine striker and a scorer of great goals but he also had style and attitude and that made him into an icon
11. Henrik Larsson
Career: 1989-2013 Country: Sweden Clubs: Hogaborgs, Helsingborgs, Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester United, Raa Career appearances: 884 Career goals: 477
Larsson is often overlooked in lists like this.
I once asked Martin O’Neill, his manager at Celtic, about whether he regretted not managing any world-class players. He looked at me as if I was mad, mentioned Larsson’s name and said I might want to think again.
Larsson was a striker who was all about intelligence and anticipation and awareness as well as finishing.
Arsenal were holding on to an unlikely lead against Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris until Barcelona brought Larsson off the bench. Then everything changed.
Henrik Larsson was a striker who was all about intelligence and anticipation and awareness as well as finishing
10. Wayne Rooney
Career: 2002-21 Country: England Clubs: Everton, Man United, DC United, Derby County Career appearances: 883 Career goals: 366
There was a time at the start of Rooney’s career when it felt as if he was going to be England’s Messi. And for a time, he was.
I can still feel the thrill of seeing him terrorise the France defence at Euro 2004 with that intoxicating mix of raw power and precocious skill and wonderful vision. If he had stayed fit in that tournament, England would have won it. He was that good.
He could hit the ball with the ferocity of Peter Lorimer and he could bend a free-kick with the delicacy of Del Piero. England’s greatest goalscorer until Kane took that mantle.
Wayne Rooney goes vertical to win the Manchester derby in 2011 with a stunning overhead kick
9. Neymar
Career: 2009-present Country: Brazil Clubs: Santos, Barcelona, PSG, Al Hilal Career appearances: 740 Career goals: 445
Neymar suffers in comparison sometimes with Lionel Messi, whose level he aspired to reach but never did.
That does not mean he was not a wonderful striker to watch. There were times at the Brazil World Cup in 2014, before he was kicked out of it, when he was mesmerising.
And his partnership with Messi and Luis Suarez at Barcelona was one of the most fearsome front lines in history.
Neymar was mesmerising at the 2014 World Cup on home soil, before being kicked out of the tournament in the quarter-final against Colombia
8. Thierry Henry
Career: 2011-present Country: France Clubs: Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, New York Red Bulls Career appearances: 917 Career goals: 411
One of the greatest players of the last 30 years in English football, Henry was a striker who killed defenders with kindness.
There was something impossibly suave and distinguished about the way he scored goals. It was never about brute force.
It was about beautifully caressed shots, curling into top corners, balls passed into the net or volleyed in an arc over the goalkeeper.
He redefined the way strikers were viewed in the English game.
Thierry Henry fires in his second goal in Arsenal’s 5-1 rout of Inter Milan at the San Siro in 2003
7. Raul
Career: 1994-2015 Country: Spain Clubs: Real Madrid, Schalke, Al Sadd, New York Cosmos Career appearances: 1,034 Career goals: 432
A theme is going to emerge now of goals scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and my favourite Raul strike is the one he scored there for Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2000.
It was most memorable for Fernando Redondo’s outrageous backheel in the build-up and Raul was left with a simple tap-in.
He was a striker’s striker, a sniffer of chances, a deadly poacher and a supremely elegant finisher.
Raul wheels away after scoring at Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2000
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
Career: 2002-present Country: Portugal Clubs: Sporting Lisbon, Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr Career appearances: 1,287 Career goals: 943
Twinned with Messi in many minds as the greatest of his generation, Ronaldo was an astonishing athlete at the peak of his career, a complete forward, an amazing professional, a striker obsessed with goals, a man whose dedication to his craft has enabled him to achieve such longevity in a career where is still scoring for Portugal and closing in on 1,000 goals.
Of all his great goals, a header for Manchester United against AS Roma in the Stadio Olimpico in 2008 was the one that took my breath away.
Cristiano Ronaldo was an astonishing athlete at the peak of his career, a complete forward and an amazing professional
5. Alessandro Del Piero
Career: 1991-2014 Country: Italy Clubs: Padova, Juventus, Sydney FC, Delhi Dynamos Career appearances: 868 Career goals: 343
When I first started covering the Champions League in the mid-1990s, Del Piero was football’s pin-up boy.
When he cut in from the left flank on to his right foot at the edge of the area, they called it the ‘Zona Del Piero’ because his signature move was to curl the ball into the net from there.
I was at the Stadio delle Alpi to see him hit a wonderful hat-trick that destroyed Monaco in a Champions League tie in 1998.
After that game, I was so impressed with Del Piero’s performance I asked Edgar Davids what it was like to play with him.
Davids’ ego was affronted. ‘What is it like to play with Davids?’ he said.
Alessandro Del Piero curls past Jens Lehmann to seal Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, en route to their fourth global crown
4. Kylian Mbappe
Career: 2015-present Country: France Clubs: Monaco, PSG, Real Madrid Career appearances: 524 Career goals: 384
Mbappe is hitting his stride with Real Madrid now and starting to prove why they were so desperate to sign him for so long.
We talk about what Haaland has achieved at a young age but Mbappe has achieved more. He has won one World Cup final and scored a hat-trick in another.
His pace terrifies defences and he is an ice-cold finisher.
He has inherited Messi’s mantle as the best player in the world.
Kylian Mbappe scores the second goal of his hat-trick on the biggest stage possible – the World Cup final in 2022
3. Kenny Dalglish
Career: 1969-1990 Country: Scotland Clubs: Celtic, Liverpool Career appearances: 955 Career goals: 375
I only reported on Dalglish briefly, right at the end of his career at Liverpool and at that time, he was the most complete forward I had ever seen.
He was a sublime creator as well as a deadly finisher and he did it on the biggest club stage of all.
His delicate finish, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper from a tight angle to score the only goal of the game and win the European Cup for Liverpool against Club Bruges at Wembley in 1978, is a timeless classic and the hallmark of a great goalscorer.
Kenny Dalglish scores the European Cup-winning goal for Liverpool in 1978 at Wembley
2. Lionel Messi
Career: 2004-present Country: Argentina Clubs: Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami Career appearances: 1,122 Career goals: 880
It has been one of the great privileges of my job to follow Messi’s career since the start.
I was spellbound by him since I first saw him play for Barcelona, in a Champions League tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He was 18 and he tortured Asier del Horno to the extent that the left back was sent off.
Lionel Messi is a player everyone feels lucky to see live – and rarely more so than when he took Manchester United apart in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley
It feels as if every time I saw him play since, he has been torturing opponents. He is so much more than a striker but he can kill opponents with his dribbling, his precision and his dead-ball expertise.
The way he destroyed Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final was a highlight but seeing him carry Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup and dragging them over the line in the best match I have ever seen – the final at the Lusail Stadium – was his crowning glory.
I took my son to see him play in Barcelona, just before Christmas 2016, even though my son doesn’t like football. I still wanted him to be able to say he’d seen him. Messi was jaw-slackeningly good in a demolition of Espanyol at the Nou Camp. The next day, we bought a copy of Sport newspaper. There was a picture of Messi on the front page. ‘El Messias,’ the headline said.
1. Ronaldo
Career: 1993-2011 Country: Brazil Clubs: Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Corinthians Career appearances: 616 Career goals: 414
His talent, his pace, his trickery, his audacity and his finishing all took the breath away.
I was at Old Trafford in 2003 when he scored one of the most famous hat-tricks in football history for Real Madrid and was given a standing ovation by Manchester United fans.
Ronaldo suffered heartbreak in 1998 but redeemed himself four years later with the two goals that led Brazil to glory against Germany in Yokohama
He was the definition of unplayable that night. He was so fast and so explosive you could not take your eyes off him for a second.
The first time I saw him play live was at the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Rotterdam 1997 when he was starring for Bobby Robson’s Barcelona against PSG.
He had a quiet game and then won a penalty, scored it and lifted the trophy.
There was a thrill about seeing him play that you only get with the very best and when he came back from the disappointment of cracking under the pressure at the 1998 World Cup to be the top scorer in Brazil’s victorious campaign in 2002, it proved he could excel on the biggest stage.
