With diversification of goalscoring in modern football, strikers are no longer merely tasked with putting the ball in the back of the net. The best strikers in the world are now expected to press, link up play, assist goals, amongst other things.
Furthermore, to ease the burden of goalscoring on the strikers — as well as overwhelm teams that defend deeply — other attackers on the pitch are equally saddled with the responsibility of scoring goals.
Some strikers have remained consistently good in all areas of play and have become irreplaceable in their respective teams.
In this article, FootballOrbit brings you the top 10 best strikers in the world in 2023.
1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Last summer, Manchester City activated Erling Haaland’s €60 million (£51.2 million) release clause to bring him to the Premier League.
The Norwegian hit the ground running immediately and continued doing what he’s known for — scoring goals for fun.
His seamlessly fitted into Pep Guardiola’s side, making mockery of those who doubted if he could adapt to the English Premier League.
Currently, he has 26 goals in just 28 league matches.
The 22-year-old has netted a mammoth 42 goals and provided 5 assists in 37 games in all competitions so far.
Furthermore, Haaland has broken City’s record for most goals scored in a single season — previously held by Tommy Johnson who scored 38 goals in the 1928/29 season.
The striker has equally broken several Premier League records, including becoming the quickest individual to score 2, 3 and 4 hat-tricks, as well as becoming the first player in the league’s history to score hat-tricks in three consecutive home games.
2. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
In one of the winning moves of the 2022/23 summer transfer window, PSG convinced Kylian Mbappe to sign a new contract after his contract expired — preventing him from joining Real Madrid on a free transfer.
As usual, Mbappe continued his impressive rise as one of the best strikers in the world.
He surpassed Edinson Cavani’s 200 goals to become PSG’s all-time top scorer.
Furthermore, he was sensational at the 2022 FIFA World, helping France reach the final, where he scored an historic hat-trick.
He was the topscorer in Qatar and made the Team of the Tournament.
Kylian Mbappe has made 38 appearances in all competitions for PSG this season, scoring 31 goals and providing 8 assists.
3. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski won the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award in 2020 and 2021.
After establishing himself as one of the best players of his generation in the German Bundesliga, the Polish striker joined Barcelona last summer.
The 34-year-old continued from where he stopped at Bayern Munich.
In September 2022, Lewandowski scored a hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen to become the first player in history to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick for three different clubs (Dortmund, Bayern & Barca).
That same month, he scored his 6th league goal of the season in his 6th league match for Barcelona, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring 5 goals in 5 consecutive La Liga games.
He has already scored 25 goals as well as providing 6 assists in 33 games in all competitions.
Robert Lewandowski scored the second goal in the 2023 Supercopa de Espana final as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-1, winning his first trophy at Barca.
4. Harry Kane (Tottenham)
A prolific goalscorer with strong link up play, Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in the world.
He is both Tottenham Hotspur’s and England’s all-time highest goalscorer, as well as being the 3rd-highest Premier League all-time goalscorer.
Amidst his club’s struggles in 2022/23, Kane set the record of most goals scored for a single Premier League club.
The striker has 23 goals and 4 assists in 39 outings for Spurs in all competitions this term.
5. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid in 2018, the goalscoring burden fell on Karim Benzema……and he gleefully embraced it.
He took his game to a whole new level, leading Madrid to several titles and won the Ballon d’Or in October 2022.
With the departure of Marcelo last summer, Benzema was appointed as captain — being the most senior member of the squad.
In the 2022 UEFA Super Cup final, Benzema scored his 324th goal for Real, overtaking Raúl as the club’s all-time 2nd-highest goalscorer.
Meanwhile, the French striker is also the club’s all-time top assist provider.
He has won 24 trophies with Real Madrid, including 4 La Liga, 2 Copa del Rey and 5 UEFA Champions League titles.
Although he has not been at his best this season, the 35-year-old has 19 goals and 5 assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this season.
6. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Victor Osimhen has exploded into life in 2022/23, becoming an integral part of Napoli’s fearsome attack.
The Nigerian striker’s athleticism and relentlessness when running in behind causes lots of problems for opposition defenders; and he is also very good in the air.
He became the first ever player in the history of Napoli (in the 3-point era) to score in 7 consecutive Serie A games.
In addition, Osimhen has scored 25 goals and provided 5 assists in just 29 matches in all competitions this season.
He has firmly established himself as one of the best strikers in the world in 2023.
Napoli are leading Serie A with 18 points and have reached the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
7. Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
A talented and versatile forward, Gabriel Jesus is capable of playing in several attacking positions.
His pace, technique, dribbling, creativity, finishing, movement, and work ethic made him important at Manchester City — where he won 4 Premier League titles, 3 EFL Cups and the FA Cup.
In July 2022, the Brazilian joined Arsenal in a deal worth £45 million. He quickly transformed Mikel Arteta’s side and made them title contenders.
An unfortunate injury rule him out for several months but he is now back in action, a major boost to Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations.
Before his injury, Gabriel Jesus had scored 5 goals and provided 6 assists in the Premier League.
8. Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
After scoring 26 goals in 28 games in the Portuguese league last season, Liverpool made Darwin Nunez their club-record signing.
Although the Uruguayan initially struggled to adapt to the Premier League, he has now established himself as an important player for Jurgen Klopp.
The striker has 14 goals and 4 assists in 33 matches in all competitions in 2022/23.
9. Jonathan David (Lille)
Jonathan David is able to find gaps in the defence and attack these areas with his pace. He is renowned for his high top speeds.
The Canadian striker is also able to play short passes and combine with teammates in attack.
He has boosted his profile as one of the best strikers in the world this season, scoring 21 goals as well laying 4 assists in 30 games in all competitions.
10. Dusan Vlahović (Juventus)
After winning a league title and two Serbian Cups with Partizan Belgrade, Dusan Vlahović joined Fiorentina in 2018.
He scored 21 league goals in 2020/21 and was named Serie A Best Young Player.
The Serbian continued his impressive goalscoring form in the first half of 2021/22, convincing Juventus to sign him in January 2022 for a reported fee of €70 million.
Amid Juventus’ woes on and off the pitch in 2022/23, Vlahović also had a difficult start to the new season. He suffered multiple hamstring injuries, which limited his game time.
However, he still shows that he is among the best strikers in the world whenever fit. He has netted 11 goals and provided 4 in 28 games this season.
Honourable Mentions
¶Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
¶Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
¶Ivan Toney (Brentford)
¶Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
¶Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
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