This World Cup belongs to the centre forwards, a throwback to an era when the most feared players on the pitch wore No. 9 or No. 10 and goals flowed freely.
This World Cup has also highlighted how rare truly prolific goalscorers have become. Since the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, when Gerd Müller scored 10 goals for West Germany, only two players have managed to score more than seven goals in a single edition. Ronaldo Nazario, one of the great centre forwards in history, amassed eight goals in 2002 to inspire Brazil to lift the trophy, and Kylian Mbappé matched the tally in 2022, though France fell short in the final against Argentina.
