The big debate: Erling Haaland’s current form has put him in the conversation as one of the best strikers in the world, but he still has a long way to go to match some of the greatest centre-forwards in football history.
These are things that everyone wants, and they also cost a lot of money. Good strikers are hard to find, but when you get one, you feel like you’ve found gold.
Manchester City certainly feel the same way, given Erling Haaland’s current sensational form. The Norwegian hitman has been arguably the best center forward in world football over the past few seasons and if he can maintain that, there is a very real possibility that he could go down as one of the best center forwards of all time when he retires.
That got me thinking about who is actually the greatest striker of all time. Mirror Football writers tried to answer that question…
read more: Peter Crouch has the perfect reaction to Erling Haaland’s robot celebrationread more: Erling Haaland tells Josep Guardiola he risks angering fantasy football players
Daniel Ohm – Gerd Müller
“But, but, you never saw him play!” I hear you all screaming. However, you only have to look at Gerd Muller’s incredible career to see that he was one of the most prolific strikers of all time.
During his impressive career with Bayern Munich, the German scored 565 goals, won four Bundesliga titles and two European Cups. Müller also scored an eye-popping 68 goals in 62 games for the German national team, and his performances undoubtedly contributed to their winning the 1974 World Cup.
He redefined the role of the center forward and pioneered the role of poacher, which many strikers have since imitated.
Müller’s talent was recognized with numerous individual awards, including the 1970 Ballon d’Or and two European Golden Shoes. If Muller were playing today, he would very likely be ranked among the best forwards in the world, and his name would certainly be included in the hall of fame of all-time greats.
Who do you think is the best striker of all time? Share your opinion in the comments section below
Sam Mead – Ronaldo
Haaland is rightly in the conversation and will be right there when the end of his career comes. After all, he’s still in his mid-20s, so he still has a lot to achieve, but Ronaldo is the best striker of all time. real ronaldo. It is impossible to consider Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as strikers, even if they played for a certain period of time in their careers. The first Ronaldo, affectionately known as ‘R9’, was a striker made in a laboratory. They say the same thing about Haaland. The Brazilian played for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Milan – an incredible career. Barring injury, he might have been the undisputed best striker of all time, but his continued absence from games means the debate continues. However, Ronaldo was simply unplayable at times. His pace, his strength, the way he finishes. He was a bona fide superstar on the biggest stage in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning World Cups. Incredibly, he has never won the Champions League, but that doesn’t take away from the player he was. One need only look back at his hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2003. He received a standing ovation from the home fans. Barça’s iconic solo goal against Compostela left Sir Bobby Robson speechless. His two goals in the World Cup final proved that his place in history was well deserved.
Neil McCleman – Ronaldo
The best striker I’ve ever seen live. The Brazilian was simply sensational, the best player in the world at the beginning of this century. R9, or O Fenomeno, is a player who combines the speed and power of a traditional number 9 at PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid with incredible dribbling ability.
I’ll always remember him being applauded by the Manchester United fans outside the Old Trafford field after scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League. Ronaldo, who scored twice in the 2002 World Cup final, would have won more if he hadn’t suffered a series of knee injuries.
Tom Victor – Ronaldo
The mark of a truly elite striker is his ability to recover from adversity and show his qualities when he is feeling well. And few have done this better than Ronaldo.
The Brazilian really had no use when he burst onto the European scene in the ’90s. He showed a combination of agility, physicality and technique that no one could handle. Then the injury occurred.
For three seasons, knee problems limited Ronaldo to just 24 appearances for the club. That might have been enough for many to consider retirement, but in his case, he was able to come back in pretty much the same condition as before.
He won the World Cup as the top scorer and then had a great season with Real Madrid. His hat-trick against Manchester United in the Champions League will be remembered the longest, but his consistency at the Bernabéu – he scored more than 20 goals in three consecutive seasons and was the only player to score more than 25 in this competition – would have been impressive even without his injury history.
To truly assess Ronaldo’s quality, it is important not to look at the numbers, but rather to watch him play at his best. Without those lost years, we will never know how much he gave us.
James Whaling – Harry Kane
Erling Haaland, an absolute goalscorer, will take some beating before he retires. He’s as calm as anyone I’ve ever seen in front of goal and shows no signs of slowing down.
But being a complete center forward is about more than just putting the ball in the back of the net. Haaland has improved in all aspects of his game and could be in the headlines by the time he retires.
But now Harry Kane is on another level. And I think we have a real argument in the GOAT ranks. The England captain would enter any side in world football in the middle of the park, such is his passing range.
He is an expert at attracting fouls, connecting plays better than any other No. 9 in world football and scoring several goals along the way. He has scored an impressive 22 goals in just 15 games for Bayern Munich so far this season.
Kane may set England an unassailable points total. He is 76 years old, but at this rate it is not impossible for him to reach 100 years old.
Andy Dunn – Ronaldo
As impressive as Alan Shearer’s numbers were, so are Erling Haaland’s, but the statistics show there was plenty of surprising greatness ahead of the name change for Britain’s top flight.
Jimmy Greaves (top with 357 goals), Steve Bloomer, Dixie Dean and Gordon Hodgson all scored more goals than Shearer did in the top flight, and all had higher goals per game rates.
And in terms of greatness, perhaps no individual scoring feat was more important than Dean’s 60 league goals in 39 appearances in the 1927-28 season.
In addition, Dixie continued to run an upscale pub in Chester. But I’ve never seen Dean play, and I’ve never seen Greevsey play live, although he’d probably be the pick of the generation of British football fans before me. And I didn’t see Pele play live.
But I saw Ronaldo play – I saw him score eight goals in the 2002 World Cup. And quite simply, he was electric, thrilling and quintessentially Brazilian, yet possessed all the physical attributes and flair of a traditional striker.
He had his injury issues, he had his issues off the field, but he was a phenomenon. El Fenomeno – the best one I’ve seen.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
