Despite all the modern innovations and tactics in football, the ultimate objective on the pitch still remains putting the ball in the back of the net. Prolific goalscorers are even more relevant than ever, hence, the most successful teams tend to have the best strikers in the world.
While several teams now try to spread the goalscoring burden across the team, strikers are still the primary scoring threat.
In this article, FootballOrbit brings you the top 10 best strikers in the world in 2024.
1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
A prolific goalscorer with strong link-up play, Harry Kane is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation.
He is both Tottenham Hotspur’s and England’s all-time highest goalscorer, as well as being the 2nd-highest goalscorer in Premier League history.
Following his extraordinary exploits with Tottenham in the Premier League, Kane’s move to Bayern Munich last summer has seen him dominate the Bundesliga. He’s sending records tumbling in Germany!
Although, he is renowned for his clinical finishing and prolific goalscoring ability as an out-and-out striker, Harry also posesses vision, technique, link-up play, and passing ability; which enables him to drop deep, bring his teammates into play, and create chances for them.
Therefore, he’s also capable of playing in a more creative role as a false 9 or even as a number 10.
This season across all competitions, Harry Kane has registered 39 goals and 12 assists in 38 matches.
2. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
For some, Kylian Mbappe is not a pure striker. The versatile forward can play as a winger, capable of playing on either flank, due to his ability with both feet.
But he’s a striker due to the fact that he often plays through the middle as his team’s main striker due to his composure, clinical finishing, and eye for goal.
Furthermore, he can be unplayable sometimes due to his explosive acceleration, agility, quick feet, first touch, link-up play and creativity when in possession of the ball.
In 2023/24 so far, Mbappe has 39 goals and 9 assists in 41 games!!!
3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Since joining Man City, Erling Haaland has revitalised the traditional number 9 role in the Premier League, scoring loads of goals.
The Norwegian was integral as City won an historic continental treble in his debut campaign; his 52 goals across all competitions was the most ever for a Premier League player. He also broke the record for the most EPL goals scored by a player in a single season, with 36.
Deservedly, Haaland was named the league’s Young Player and Player of the Season, becoming the first player to win both awards in the same year.
This season has seen him tone down a little bit due to injury that saw him miss nearly two months of action.
Nevertheless, he has added the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to his trophy cabinet.
Moreso, the 23-year-old became the fastest ever player to achieve 50 Premier League goal involvements (goals & assists); with just 39 appearances in the competition — eclipsing Andy Cole’s previous record by four matches.
Also, he became the fastest player to score 50 Premier League goals with just 48 appearances, comfortably beating the previous record of 65 matches by Andy Cole.
In February 2024, Haaland scored the sole goal of a home win over Brentford, joining Harry Kane as the only two players to have scored against every Premier League team they had faced.
So far, Erling Haaland has scored 30 goals and provided 6 assists in 37 matches across all competitions.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Al-Nassr in January 2023 resulted in increased popularity both domestically and internationally of the Saudi Pro League.
Several European players such as Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, N’Golo Kanté, Rúben Neves, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Neymar moved to Saudi last summer, crediting Ronaldo as one of the main factors for making the move.
At the grand age of 39, CR7 scored 54 goals in all competitions for Al-Nassr and Portugal, making him the outright top scorer in 2023.
So far this season, Cristiano Ronaldo boasts of 36 goals and 12 assists in 37 matches.
5. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Lautaro Martinez is popular for his work rate, positioning inside the box, link play and finishing.
He began the 2023/24 season once again without his strike partner Romelu Lukaku, whose loan spell from Chelsea came to an end.
That, coupled with being the team’s captain, has not fazed Martínez; who has quickly formed another formidable partnership with Marcus Thuram that has got Inter Milan on the verge of winning the Serie A title.
In September 2023, after replacing Alexis Sánchez in the 55th minute of Inter’s 4-0 win against Salernitana, Martínez became the first player in Serie A history to score 4 goals as a substitute.
In February 2024, he scored twice in a 4-0 away league win against Lecce, the first goal was his 100th Serie A goal and the second was his 22nd league goal of the season (with only 23 games played).
Across all competitions so far, Lautaro Martinez has scored 26 goals and provided 6 assists in 39 matches.
6. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Victor Osimhen is known for his explosive pace, strong aerial ability, strength and athleticism as well as elite finishing in front of goal.
His speed and agility make him a constant threat to opposition defenses, allowing him to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.
Last season, the Nigerian was Serie A’s top scorer with 26 goals, a record-high for an African player, as he helped Napoli win a first Serie A title for 33 years.
Subsequently, he won the league’s Best Striker award and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year.
He was named the African Footballer of the Year at the 2023 CAF Awards, the first Nigerian to receive this honour since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
Furthermore, Osimhen finished 8th in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking, becoming the first Nigerian to make the top ten of the prestigious award.
Team form, indiscipline and injuries have hampered his progress in 2023/24, but he still has 14 goals and 4 assists in 26 games to his name so far.
In February 2024, Osimhen scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 away win over Sassuolo, thus becoming the third player to score at least ten goals in Serie A in four consecutive seasons at Napoli, following Diego Maradona and Attila Sallustro.
Moreso, he’s is currently the highest scoring African player in the history of Serie A.
The 25-year-old led Nigeria to the AFCON 2023 final, where they lost to hosts, Ivory Coast.
7. Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid)
After playing across Europe, Alvaro Morata has found a new lease of life at Atletico Madrid.
A versatile and well-rounded forward, Morata is capable of playing as the main striker, wide on the wing, or linking up play between the lines. He has formed a devastating attacking partnership with another very versatile forward in Antoine Griezmann this season.
Alvaro is renowned for his heading ability and positional sense. He equally has pace, energy, physicality and work-rate on the pitch.
Morata has so far notched 20 goals and laid down 3 assists in 42 fixtures across all competitions.
8. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
This season so far, Ollie Watkins has the most combined Premier League goals and assists, 28 (18 goals, 10 assists). Mohamed Salah comes closest with 26.
The Aston Villa striker is third across Europe’s top five leagues as regards that same statistic — only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have more combined goals and assists.
Moreover, Watkins has the joint most assists in the Premier League alongside Kieran Trippier and Pascal Gross with 10. He’s second in goals (18), only one behind Haaland (19). That means Watkins is averaging 0.90 goals or assists every game!!!
Furthermore, no striker has more touches in the opponent’s penalty area than Watkins (154) in the Premier League this season.
Watkins’ ability to run in behind and stretch defences has been a valuable asset for Aston Villa in 2023/24.
Ollie Watkins has so far registered 25 goals and 10 assists in 44 games.
9. Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon)
After failing to breakthrough at Brighton, Viktor Gyokeres joined Sporting Lisbon last summer on a club-record transfer fee of €20 million (plus €4 million in bonuses) from Coventry City.
He has been a revelation in Portugal this season….and has become one of the most sought after strikers in the world.
The Swedish is very powerful, fast and uses his strength to secure possession when under pressure. Despite his physique, he is noted for his pace, stamina and finishing.
Gyokeres is not just a goal scoring striker, though. In January, he provided four assists in a 5-1 league victory at home to Estoril.
This season across all competitions, Viktor Gyokeres currently has 36 goals and 15 assists in 43 games.
10. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski joined Barcelona in 2022 and won the Supercopa de Espana, La Liga title and the Pichichi Trophy in his debut season.
Furthermore, he set the joint-record for most top scorer awards in Europe’s top five leagues (8), alongside Lionel Messi; and the record for the most consecutive (6).
Due to Barca’s collective struggles, coupled with age, Lewa hasn’t been at full gear this campaign. But his remarkable ability occasionally shines through.
He reached 100 UEFA Champions League goals in 2023/24, becoming only the third player to reach such a milestone after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Moreso, Lewandowski became the oldest player (at 35 years and 29 days) to score for Barcelona in the Champions League — surpassing Gerard Pique’s previous record.
In September, he scored a brace against Celta Vigo to become the best scorer in first 50 matches for the club in 21st century (35 goals) — surpassing the record previously held by Samuel Eto’o
Robert Lewandowski so far has scored 20 goals and provided 9 assists in 41 games across all competitions.
11. Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Darwin Nunez arrived at Liverpool as a club-record signing, but his first season on Merseyside proved to be a hit-and-miss one. He scored 15 goals and laid on four assists in 42 appearances.
With the departure of Roberto Firmino last summer, Nunez had more responsibilities on his young shoulders. But the 24-year-old has proven capable, first inheriting the number 9 jersey and subsequently improving his performances.
He became the first Premier League player this season to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
Also, he became the first player in 2023/24 across Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures for both non-penalty goals and also assists in all competitions.
In March, the Uruguayan scored a header in a 0-1 victory against Nottingham Forest. His goal, timed at 98 minutes and 35 seconds, was Liverpool’s latest winning goal in a Premier League game since records began in 2006/07.
Despite his shortcomings, Darwin Nunez is one of the best strikers in the world in 2024. He so far has 18 goals and 13 assists in 46 games.
12. Serhou Guirassy (VfB Stuttgart)
Sensationally, Serhou Guirassy began the 2023/24 campaign by scoring eight goals with EXACTLY eight shots on target in his first four Bundesliga games!!! — a feat never before achieved by any player in his club’s history.
The striker later made it 10 goals in the first 5 matches, including his first Bundesliga hat-trick which came against Mainz, to equal a previous record set by Robert Lewandowski in 2020/21.
Furthermore, Guirassy also set the Bundesliga record for most goals by a player in the first seven matches of a season by scoring a hat-trick within 15 minutes in a 3-1 win against Wolfsburg. This took his record to 13 goals, overtaking Robert Lewandowski’s record of 11 in both 2019/20 and 2020/21.
The Guinean is an opportunistic goalscorer, who despite his physicality has developed into a bona fide penalty box predator, converting his goals with unerring accuracy.
Although a central striker by trade, Guirassy’s willingness to shift out wide to receive possession is a real boon for his Stuttgart teammates. In doing so, he drags opposition central defenders out of position whilst opening the space for teammates to work their own magic.
Serhou Guirassy at the moment has scored 26 goals and provided 2 assists in 24 matches.
13. Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
After remarkably moving from second-bottom in the Bundesliga to a 6th-place finish and a run to the Europa League semifinals last season, Bayer Leverkusen have gone a notch higher this season and are on course to win a fairytale treble.
One of the major reasons for Xabi Alonso’s men success is young Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface — who is renowned for his pace, strength, dribbling ability, finishing and work ethics.
Boniface is an all-round striker who is good with both feet and skilled with clever movement, decent dribbling, blistering speed and acceleration, whilst his aerial ability is yet another weapon in his arsenal.
Victor Boniface has so far registered 17 goals and 9 assists in 26 matches.
14. Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord)
Feyenoord won the Dutch Eredivisie last season, with a certain Santiago Gimenez scoring 15 goals in 32 matches — including the second goal in a 3-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles that secured the league title.
In August 2023, the Mexican extended his contract with Feyenoord for one year and has backed it up with sensational displays.
With 31 goals for the year 2023, the 22-year-old striker set a record for the number of goals scored in the Eredivisie in a calendar year — surpassing previous record holder Luis Suárez who scored 30 goals in 2009.
Santiago Gimenez has scored 24 goals and provided 6 assists in 38 games so far.
15. Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Dusan Vlahovic is a devastating finisher in the penalty area. He uses swift movements to create channels for his team to create chances within the final third.
Vlahovic’s best asset is his incredible strength in holding the ball up. Despite Juventus’ overall struggles, the Serbian striker can hold his head high.
Dusan Vlahovic has recorded 16 goals and laid on 3 assists in 29 games across all competitions so far this season.
Honourable Mentions
¶. Loïs Openda (RB Leipzig)
¶. Artem Dovbyk (Girona)
¶. Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
¶. Julian Alvarez (Manchester City).
