World Best Striker: In what looks to be a crucial few months for some of football’s most prolific strikers, Kylian Mbappe has decided to stay at Paris St-Germain.
Despite widespread anticipation that he would leave the Ligue 1 champions, the Frenchman turned down the chance to join compatriot and Ballon d’Or favorite Karim Benzema at Real Madrid.
Manchester City have already struck a deal to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, while Robert Lewandowski of Poland has stated his desire to leave German champions Bayern Munich.
Last summer, England captain Harry Kane was the subject of transfer speculation as Tottenham spurned down offers from Premier League rivals City. Will he, however, stay this summer?
Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent one season at Manchester United, could also be on the move.
Before asking you to vote for the best striker in the world, we take a closer look at each player. We’ve only included pure strikers in our list, so stars like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Lionel Messi aren’t featured.
World Best Striker: Stats in 2021/2022 Season
| Kylian Mbappe | Erling Haaland | Robert Lewandowski | Harry Kane | Karim Benzema | Cristiano Ronaldo | |
| Games played | 35 | 24 | 34 | 36 | 32 | 31 |
| Minutes played | 3034 | 1914 | 2951 | 3142 | 2596 | 2489 |
| Goals | 28 | 22 | 35 | 16 | 27 | 18 |
| Minutes per goal | 108.4 | 87.0 | 84.3 | 196.4 | 96.14 | 138.28 |
| Goals (penalties) | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| Hat-tricks | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Assists | 17 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 3 |
Karim Benzema
Few would have put Benzema on a shortlist for ‘greatest striker in the world’ just a few seasons ago, but Ronaldo’s exit from Real Madrid in 2018 helped propel the Frenchman to the top of the game.
The 34-year-old is the Champions League’s top scorer this season, with 15 goals to help Real Madrid reach Saturday’s final against Liverpool, including hat-tricks against Chelsea and PSG in the knockout rounds.
In Real Madrid’s La Liga-winning season, he scored 27 goals in just 32 games, his highest output since joining the club in 2009, bringing his total for the club to 323.
At the Bernabeu, Benzema spent years in Ronaldo’s shadow. He was once primarily a creator for others, but he has now established himself as Real’s main man – and one of Europe’s most clinical strikers.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City have been looking for a replacement for Sergio Aguero, their all-time leading scorer, and they believe Haaland, 21, is that player.
Since joining Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020, the Norway international has scored 86 goals in 89 matches, making him one of the top young talents in the world.
Haaland, who is also being chased by Real Madrid, might be the missing piece in City’s quest to win their first Champions League trophy. After all, with an average of 64 minutes between goals, he has the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the competition’s history.
Harry Kane
Last summer, Kane’s Tottenham career appeared to be finished as Manchester City made a significant bid for him, and the striker himself expressed an interest in leaving.
Spurs held tight, and Kane has 16 Premier League goals and eight assists, putting them on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League.
The 28-year-old has 182 Premier League goals, four short of Alan Shearer’s 260 and four short of Wayne Rooney’s England all-time scoring record of 53 goals.
Spurs manager Antonio Conte will be anxious to keep Kane, but the movement of some of his forward competitors could provide another problem for him.
Robert Lewandowski
After revealing his desire to leave Bayern Munich, the Polish striker’s next destination is uncertain.
The 33-year-contract old’s expires in June, and he has already stated that he would not sign a new one, prompting interest in his services.
Lewandowski, a two-time Fifa Player of the Year, has admirers at several Premier League clubs, as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Since joining Bayern in 2014, he has scored 344 goals in 374 games, making him the club’s second-highest scorer behind Gerd Muller.
With 43 goals in 34 games last season, he eclipsed Muller’s long-standing record for most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year.
This season, he has 50 goals in 46 games across all competitions.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has decided to sign a new three-year contract with PSG rather than join Real on a free transfer this summer, and fans of the Ligue 1 champions can understand their delight.
With 28 goals and 17 assists, the former Monaco striker helped his side reclaim the league crown, leading the rankings in all categories. For the fourth consecutive season, he was the top scorer in Ligue 1.
The 23-year-old has three Ligue 1 player of the year awards and was named young player of the tournament in 2018 after helping France win the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United had a forgettable season, but there can be few complaints about Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring abilities after rejoining the club last summer.
With 18 goals, the 37-year-old is the third-highest scorer in the Premier League and also scored several crucial goals during United’s Champions League campaign.
It’s unclear where the Portuguese will play next season, but no one can deny his finishing ability.
In the last 16 seasons, he has scored 20 or more goals in all competitions, 60 career hat-tricks, five Ballon d’Or medals, and 813 career goals.
