The best 14 strikers in world football right now – ranked
The category for being the 'best' in your position has never been tighter in modern football. This remains the case for those at the top of the pitch, who are signed to largely do one thing: put the ball in the back of the net.
FootballFanCast has ranked the best strikers in world football right now. This list is based on statistics compiled from Transfermarkt and FBref for the 2023/24 season and the international tournaments that followed.
We have also accounted for trophies won in the last year and the impact those individuals had on their respective clubs. Just to make it completely clear, names such as Vinicius Junior and Mohamed Salah are natural wingers rather than strikers; therefore, they are not featured on this list.
Rank
Player
Club
23/24 goals
23/24 assists
Erling Haaland
Man City
45
6
Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid
52
21
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
52
13
Lautaro Martinez
Inter
35
8
Viktor Gyokeres
Sporting CP
46
15
Alexander Isak
Newcastle
27
2
Lois Openda
RB Leipzig
28
7
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
29
13
Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund
31
3
Artem Dovbyk
Girona
29
11
Alvaro Morata
Milan
28
6
Victor Boniface
Bayer Leverkusen
22
11
Victor Osimhen
Napoli
21
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr
51
16
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1 ByLuke Randall Sep 4, 2024 14 Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr & Portugal
It would be very harsh not to give some credit to a 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for Al-Nassr last season.
Although the opposition he faces on a regular basis is far from comparable to those in the bigger leagues, at the end of the day, Ronaldo is still doing what he is there to do in Saudi Arabia – score goals.
However, the recent dip in domestic standard for the Portugal captain, plus his disappointing Euro 2024 performances, makes it hard to place him any higher among the current elite strikers in modern football.
Al-Nassr
Portugal
Appearances
45
12
Goals
44
7
Assists
13
3
Goals per game
0.89
Trophies
Saudi Pro League Golden Boot
Al-Nassr Player of the Year
Saudi Pro League Player of the Month x5
13 Victor Osimhen Napoli & Nigeria
Napoli’s 10th-place finish in Serie A last season makes it hard to justify a higher placing for a player like Victor Osimhen, who would’ve entered this list with ease had it been written a season prior.
The Nigerian bagged 17 goals in all competitions last season for the Partenopei, averaging only 0.6 goals per 90 minutes in the Italian top flight.
Osimhen did reach the Africa Cup of Nations final – which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast – but the No 9 for club and country only scored one goal at the tournament, in the first group stage game against Equatorial Guinea.
Napoli
Nigeria
Appearances
32
9
Goals
17
4
Assists
4
3
Goals per game
0.51
Trophies
African Footballer of the Year
12 Alvaro Morata Milan & Spain
Although not renowned for his goalscoring prowess in recent years, it would feel wrong not to mention Alvaro Morata’s name in this list based on his Euro 2024 performances alone.
The 31-year-old captained his Spain side to their fourth European Championship in July – a record among all other European nations – clinching the trophy in Berlin after a 2-1 victory over England.
Morata scored 15 goals in 21 La Liga starts for Atletico Madrid last season, and displayed the characteristics of not only a great leader, but a resilient striker at the Euros.
His form saw Serie A giants Milan secure his services for the 2024/25 season, moving for around £11m.
Atletico Madrid
Spain
Appearances
48
17
Goals
21
7
Assists
5
1
Goals per game
0.43
Trophies
Euro 2024
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ByStephan Georgiou Jul 16, 2024 11 Victor Boniface Bayer Leverkusen & Nigeria
A back-to-back Victor appearance, and certainly not the last to feature on this list.
There would be no room to debate including Victor Boniface in the top 10 had he played the full season for first-time Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen last campaign.
Boniface scored 14 goals in 18 starts for Xabi Alonso’s side, but missed the crucial end-of-season run-in from January to April 2024, meaning he missed the Africa Cup of Nations, too.
Boniface is only 23, so there is no reason why he can’t overcome his injuries and have an even better 2024/25 campaign.
Bayer Leverkusen
Nigeria
Appearances
34
6
Goals
21
1
Assists
10
1
Goals per game
0.55
Trophies
Bundesliga
DFB-Pokal
Bundesliga Rookie of the Season
Bundesliga Player of the Month
Bundesliga Rookie of the Month x4
10 Artem Dovbyk Girona & Ukraine
After emerging through the ranks in his home country at SC Dnipro-1, Artem Dovbyk cemented his name in the La Liga history books during his debut season at Girona, scoring 24 goals in 32 starts.
Dovbyk was at the forefront of bringing Champions League football to Girona for the first time, as he finished as top goalscorer in La Liga with his side placing third, just four points behind Barcelona.
Although Ukraine finished bottom of their group on the same amount of points as Slovakia, Belgium and Romania, Dovbyk also showed promising spells of quality on the biggest international stage at Euro 2024.
Girona
Ukraine
Appearances
41
13
Goals
25
4
Assists
10
1
Goals per game
0.54
Trophies
La Liga Pichichi Trophy
La Liga Player of the Month
9 Serhou Guirassy Borussia Dortmund & Guinea
Serhou Guirassy burst onto the scene with 30 goals in 30 games across all competitions for Stuttgart last season.
The Guinea forward averaged 1.14 club goals per 90 minutes – the joint-highest figure on this list – during an incredible Bundesliga campaign which saw his side finish a point ahead of Bayern Munich in second.
Earlier this summer, Borussia Dortmund reached a full agreement with Stuttgart to sign their star striker at the beginning of the transfer window, but the move was put in jeopardy after the player failed his medical.
The move to the Westfalenstadion was eventually completed, with Dortmund paying the release clause of around £15m in the forward's contract.
Stuttgart
Guinea
Appearances
30
11
Goals
30
1
Assists
3
0
Goals per game
0.76
Trophies
Bundesliga Player of the Month x2
8 Ollie Watkins Aston Villa & England
Ollie Watkins arguably had his best professional football season during 2023/24, contributing 32 goals and assists in 37 Premier League starts for Aston Villa.
His superb, late winner against the Netherlands in Dortmund also secured England a place in a second successive European Championship final.
The best thing about Watkins’ 19-goal haul in the Premier League last season was the fact none of them came from the penalty spot, displaying his consistency and clinical nature up front.
Valued at €65m (£54.6m) by Transfermarkt, Watkins will be aiming to hit the ground running again in Villa’s opening game of the new season away to West Ham.
Aston Villa
England
Appearances
53
8
Goals
27
2
Assists
13
0
Goals per game
0.48
Trophies
Aston Villa Players' Player of the Season
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1 ByLuke Randall Jun 16, 2024 7 Lois Openda RB Leipzig & Belgium
Speaking of hitting the ground running, that’s precisely what Lois Openda managed in his first Bundesliga season at RB Leipzig.
Openda signed for the German giants for a club-record fee of €43m (£36.07m) in July 2023 after just one year with French club Lens.
Fast-forward 12 months, and the 24-year-old had bagged 28 goals in all competitions for Leipzig, including four in the Champions League.
Openda averaged 19.7 non-penalty expected goals in the Bundesliga season, an incredible stat surpassed only by a few names yet to feature on this list.
Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in signing the Belgian striker this transfer window. He is currently valued at €60m (£50.4m).
RB Leipzig
Belgium
Appearances
45
11
Goals
28
0
Assists
7
0
Goals per game
0.5
Trophies
None
6 Alexander Isak Newcastle United & Sweden
Since his arrival in Tyneside, Alexander Isak has consistently proved that he belongs among the very best strikers in world football.
Newcastle United signed the Sweden striker in August 2022 from Real Sociedad on a long-term deal reported to be worth around £60m.
Last season, Isak scored 21 goals in 27 Premier League starts, with 16 of those coming from open play, delivering an average of 0.84 goals per 90 minutes.
It was Isak’s best goalscoring season to date and one he will look to improve on come the start of the new campaign.
Newcastle
Sweden
Appearances
40
7
Goals
25
2
Assists
2
0
Goals per game
0.57
Trophies
None
5 Viktor Gyokeres Sporting CP & Sweden
Sporting CP were crowned champions of Portugal for the 20th time in May, one day after breezing past Portimonense 3-0.
Viktor Gyokeres scored a stoppage-time clincher that evening to continue a record-breaking goalscoring season, which saw the Sweden striker net 43 goals in all competitions to bag the Portuguese top flight's Bola de Prata – their equivalent of the Golden Boot.
He finished with the fourth-highest number of goals in world football during the 2023/24 season, behind Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
Gyokeres only joined the Portuguese giants from Coventry City last year, but a big-money move to the Premier League could yet be on the horizon, with Arsenal among those linked with his signature.
Sporting CP
Sweden
Appearances
50
7
Goals
43
3
Assists
15
0
Goals per game
0.81
Trophies
Primeira Liga
Primeira Liga Bola de Prata
Primeira Liga Player of the Month x5