In soccer, the primary job of any forward is to score goals.
That being said, truly great forwards do more than just find the back of the net. They do so with aplomb and when it matters most.
They also know how to dribble past opposition players with silky skills, and, though sometimes difficult, when to tee up their teammates instead of trying to take the headlines.
Here, Sports Illustrated has ranked the 50 best forwards in soccer history.
We've positioned each player based on a combination of number of career goals, longevity, honors won, big game performances, and, most importantly, all-round soccer ability.
The players included on this list either do, or did, play as a traditional striker, or second striker, at some point in their career. We've excluded wingers such as Mohamed Salah and George Best.
50. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy was the sort of striker that needed just one chance to score.
The Dutch forward averaged a goal every 128 minutes in the Premier League during his time at Manchester United, scoring 95 in just five seasons before moving to Real Madrid.
In Spain, he boasted an equally impressive record, netting 64 goals in 96 games, winning LaLiga twice and the Spanish Super Cup.
49. Hernán Crespo
Hernán Crespo scored an impressive 307 goals for club and country during his career, most of which came during his time in Italy with Parma, Lazio, and Inter Milan.
Had it not been for a series of injuries and a disappointing spell in England with Chelsea, that total would probably have been higher.
48. Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao is nicknamed "El Tigre" (The Tiger) because of his ferocious finishing abilities.
Superb in the air and boasting a cannon of a right cleat, the 38-year-old has scored almost 350 goals for club and country across successful spells in Argentina, Portugal, Spain, and France.
The less said about his time in England with Chelsea and Manchester United, however, the better.
47. Arsenio Erico
Arsenio Erico is the all-time top goalscorer in the Argentine first division with 295 goals, all of which were scored for Club Atlético Independiente.
Nicknamed the "Red Jumper" because of his ability to hang in the air and head the ball, in 1932, the Paraguay striker was offered a tidy sum of money to lead Argentina out at the World Cup.
He turned it down, however, and because Paraguay didn't play in a major international tournament during his career, it means he's the only player on this list to have never played a competitive international game.
46. Andriy Shevchenko
Before his failed spell at Chelsea (you're probably starting to see a pattern here), Andriy Shevchenko was one of European soccer's most revered strikers.
During his seven seasons in Italy with AC Milan between 1999 and 2006, the Ukraine international scored 173 goals in 296 games, winning both Serie A and the Champions League.
He remains the Rossoneri's second highest all time goalscorer, behind Gunnar Nordahl.
45. Silvio Piola
Italian soccer legend Silvio Piola has two soccer stadiums named after him in his home country, which makes sense given that he scored 339 goals there between 1929 and 1954.
Piola also scored a brace in the 1938 FIFA World Cup final to help Italy beat Hungary 4-2.
44. Hugo Sánchez
A quick glance at Hugo Sánchez's goalscoring statistics is enough to explain why he makes this list.
The Mexican striker scored no less than 513 goals during his career, including 208 in 282 games for Real Madrid between 1985 and 1992.
Despite having retired almost three decades ago, he remains LaLiga's fifth highest scorer ever.
43. Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño was the standout star in a homegrown Real Madrid side that dominated Spanish football in the second half of the 1980s, winning five consecutive LaLiga titles.
Nicknamed "El Buitre" (The Vulture) due to his ability to snatch up chances, Butragueño scored 170 goals during 12 seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.
42. Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o was the face of African football in the noughties, during which time he enjoyed successful spells with Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan.
He won the Champions League with both of the latter, and finished his career in 2019 with 421 goals for club and country.
41. Erling Haaland
Since bursting onto the scene with RB Salzburg in 2019, Erling Haaland has broken record, after record, after record.
At just 24 years old, he's already the Premier League's single-season record scorer, having hit 36 in 38 games during 2022–23, while he's also the fastest and youngest player to ever score 40 Champions League goals.
To date, he's hit 300 goals for club and country.
Keep going at the rate he is, and the Norwegian will one day find himself much higher up this list.
40. Harry Kane
Harry Kane is as clinical as they come in front of goal.
Both Tottenham Hotspur's and England's all-time top scorer, he's scored well over 400 career goals, including 64 in just 63 for new club Bayern Munich, whom he joined in the summer of 2023.
The only thing that holds him back from being higher on this list is the fact that he's never won a trophy.
39. George Weah
Before he became the President of Liberia in 2018, George Weah was actually one of world soccer's most lauded forwards.
A physical specimen with ballerina's feet, he racked up 193 career goals in spells with AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Marseille.
He also remains the only African player to ever win the Ballon d'Or, having scooped world soccer's most esteemed individual prize in 1995.
38. Paolo Rossi
Mainly due to injuries and a infamous ban for match fixing, Paolo Rossi's peak was relatively short.
When fit and not serving time on the sidelines, however, the Italian was a force to be reckoned with.
Agile, elegant, and prolific in front of goal, his finest hour came at the 1982 World Cup, where he scored six goals, including a hat-trick against Brazil and one in the final against West Germany, as Italy lifted the trophy.
37. Robin van Persie
Has there ever been a soccer player who could volley a ball as well as Robin van Persie? We'd argue not.
Just watch his superb strike for Manchester United against Aston Villa in 2013. Or his wonder goal for Arsenal against Charlton Athletic in 2006.
The list goes on.
36. Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer wasn't always pretty to watch, but was he effective.
Capable of scoring with both feet and his head, as well both in the penalty box and from range, the Englishman is the Premier League's all time top scorer with 260 goals.
It's a quite astonishing total that doesn't look like it will be matched anytime soon.
35. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé may not have enjoyed a great start to life at Real Madrid, but there's no denying his quality.
One of modern soccer's best goalscorers, the Frenchman, despite being just 25 years old, has already scored well over 300 goals for club and country, including 256 goals in seven seasons at Paris Saint-Germain.
He's also a World Cup winner.
On his day, he's nigh impossible to stop thanks to his Bolt-esque pace and superb ball control.
34. Rivaldo
Rivaldo sits on the pantheon of Brazilian greats.
Known for his wiry strength, penchant for acrobatic goals, and, on occasion, play acting, the former FC Barcelona star scored over 400 goals during his career, and won almost all there is to win in world soccer including the World Cup, the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
33. Jimmy Greaves
A Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur legend (not many players can say that), Jimmy Greaves scored a combined 344 goals in the English top flight for the two London clubs between 1957 and 1970.
He also won the World Cup with England in 1966, but was famously robbed of a place in the final by injury. Fortunately for the Three Lions, his replacement, Geoff Hurst, scored a hat-trick.
32. Alessandro Del Piero
Whether playing as a striker, second striker, attacking midfielder, or even a right-winger, Alessandro Del Piero was always a threat.
Blessed with incredibly technical ability, lovely feet, and a scorching right cleat, the Italian scored 343 goals during his career, most of which were for Juventus between 1993 and 2012.
31. Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin won league titles with Marseille, Milan, and Bayern Munich during a career that saw him score almost 400 goals.
The Frenchman was also awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1991, pipping Red Star Belgrade duo Dejan Savicevic and Darko Pancev to the prize.
30. Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba was the ultimate big game forward.
During his time at Chelsea, the Ivorian scored nine goals in nine finals, including three winners in FA Cup finals and a crucial equalizer against Bayern Munich in the final of the 2012 Champions League as the Blues lifted the trophy for the first time ever.
Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique previously called Drogba "one of the best strikers I have seen," and he knows a thing or two.
29. Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler, who scored well over 500 goals during his career, is the holder of a number of impressive World Cup records.
The former West Germany forward was the first player ever to appear in 20 World Cup matches, the first score at four World Cups, and the first player to score at least two goals at four World Cups.
For all his trying, however, he was never able to win it, finishing second in 1966 and third in 1970.
28. Zlatan Ibrahimović
One of soccer's true mavericks, Zlatan Ibrahimović's highlight reel is truly something to behold.
From karate kicks to back heels, to bicycle kicks to net-busting volleys, the Swede has scored every type of goal imaginable, and lots of them, too.
In nearly 1,000 games for club and country, he found the net 573 times.
27. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge did it all and won it all as a Bayern Munich player.
During his 10 seasons at the Allianz Arena, the German forward scored 217 goals, lifting the Bundesliga title, German Cup and European Cup twice each.
For West Germany, he almost won it all too.
Though he lifted the European Championship in 1980, he twice fell short at the final hurdle at the World Cup, coming out on the losing end in both the 1982 and 1986 finals.
26. Gabriel Batistuta
Nothing tickles the fancy of a true soccer fan than the sight of the great Gabriel Batistuta in a purple Fiorentina kit.
Known as "Batigol," he scored 203 goals in 331 games for the Italian side between 1991 and 2000, as well as 33 more in a brief spell at AS Roma as he helped them lift the Serie A title in 2001.
Batistuta also netted 56 goals in 78 appearances for Argentina. A return that makes him country's second top scorer of all time behind only Lionel Messi.
25. Raúl
Raúl is Real Madrid through and through.
Born in Madrid, he's the club's record appearance holder with 741, as well its second all time top scorer with 323 goals. He's now the manager of Real's reserve team.
Hala Madrid, as they say.
24. Karim Benzema
Like Raul, Karim Benzema is a bona fide Real Madrid legend.
The Frenchman is the club's fifth most-capped player of all time, having made 648 appearances for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2023.
He's also their second top scorer ever with 354 goals, a total bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Did we mention that during his time at Madrid he also won four LaLiga titles, five Champions Leagues and the Ballon d'Or?
23. David Villa
David Villa scored 382 club goals during a stellar career which saw him enjoy spells with FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and MLS outfit New York City FC.
His most notable achievements, however, were for his country.
Villa's is Spain's record goalscorer hit 59 goals in 98 games, and finished top scorer at the 2008 European Championships and 2010 World Cup, both of which La Roja won.
22. Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is often criminally overlooked when people talk about the greatest Premier League players of all time. But that's exactly what he was.
A five-time title winner, Rooney scored 253 goals in all competitions for Manchester United between 2004 and 2017 making him the club's record goalscorer.
The Englishman was far more than just a goal getter, however. He also worked harder than anyone on the pitch and was revered for his passion, even if it did boil over from time to time.
21. Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov was one of, if not the, best striker in world soccer in the late 1980s and early '90s.
During his last three seasons at CSKA Sofia and his first spell at FC Barcelona, the Bulgarian racked up 210 goals in just 332 games.
In 1994, after scoring six goals to help Bulgaria reach the semifinals of the World Cup, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or.
20. Antoine Griezmann
Given his tendency to do silly Fortnite dances when he scores, it's sometimes easy to forget that Antoine Griezmann is a serious baller.
Across spells with Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid, he's scored an impressive 274 goals, while he's also notched 44 for France.
Perhaps most impressively, however, is that, unlike some on this list, he's equally as good at teeing up his teammates.
To date, he boasts over 150 career assists.
19. Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero, who retired in 2021, was a defender's nightmare thanks to his short, stocky build, low center of gravity, and sharp movement in-and-around the penalty box.
He was also pretty good at scoring goals.
In fact, he scored 426 of them during his career, 260 of which were for Manchester City. Most famously, he scored the dramatic late goal that won City its first-ever Premier League title in 2012.
A statue of Agüero celebrating that iconic goal now stands outside City's stadium.
18. Gunnar Nordahl
Goals, goals, and more goals would be a quick and accurate way to surmise Gunnar Nordahl's career.
The Swede scored exactly 500 of them during his career, including 221 for AC Milan, a figure which is yet to be beaten.
17. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski scored an astonishing 447 goals in just 562 games during his time in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
As is ever the case for anyone who scores tons of goals in the Bundesliga, however, the question always remained: "Can he do it in a bigger league?"
The answer is yes.
Since moving to FC Barcelona in 2022, the prolific Pole has continued to find the net an astounding rate, scoring 81 times in 115 games.
16. Luis Suárez
Alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, Luis Suárez can lay claim to being part of the most feared and fruitful attacking trio in soccer history.
From the start of the 2014/15 season to the end of 2016/17, the three scored a combined total of 363 goals, 121 of which came courtesy of the Uruguayan.
Add those goals to the 393 others he's scored outside of those three seasons, and Suárez stands tall as one of soccer's greatest-ever goal getters, whether alone or with his buddies.
15. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish wasn't particularly athletic. He wasn't fast, strong, nor did he run around the pitch like a mad man.
What he was, however, was a genius.
Supremely skillful with a brilliant footballing brain, the Scotsman was the crown jewel in a Liverpool side that dominated European soccer in the late 1970s and '80s, winning six league titles and three European Cups.
14. Josef Bican
Given he retired from professional soccer in 1957, you'd be forgiven for not knowing who Josef Bican is.
Don't worry, we'll fill you in.
An Austrian-Czechoslovakian forward who spent most of his career with Slavia Prague, Bican was known for his poise, power, and, most of all, his considerable pace.
He was reported to have been able to run the 100m in just 10.8 seconds.
Bican scored goals in similarly quick fashion, netting 809 in only 526 career games.
13. Marco van Basten
One of Dutch soccer's greatest-ever players, Marco van Basten scored 307 goals, and won three Ballon d'Ors, four Serie A titles, and two European Cups during a glittering career that was cut short at just 28 by injury.
Had that not happened, it's scary to think what he might have gone on to achieve.
12. Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is widely regarded as the Premier League's best-ever player, and rightly so.
A joy to watch, the Arsenal legend was lightening fast, insanely skillful, and had an eye for goal that was second-to-none scoring 226 goals in 370 games for the Gunners.
His trademark finish of opening his right cleat and placing the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal is the stuff of English top flight folklore.
11. Romário
Romário once claimed to be "twice" as good as both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
While, of course, wrong, the Brazilian really was some player during his heyday.
One of the most lethal finishers of all time, Romário officially hit 756 goals during his career, though he claims it was actually more than 1,000.
10. Alfredo Di Stéfano
Instead of telling you just how good Alfredo Di Stéfano was, we'll let George Best do it instead.
"The most complete player I ever saw," Best once said of the Real Madrid legend.
"It seemed to me could do absolutely everything," he explained. "He could score goals, he could defend, he was good in the air, with both feet, exciting to watch."
Scoring goals was Di Stefano's speciality. He scored 509 in a career that saw him win eight LaLiga titles, five European Cups and two Ballon d'Ors.
9. Eusébio
Born in Mozambique but molded in the Portuguese city of Lisbon, Eusébio is both an African and European soccer icon.
Over the course of his career, most of which he spent with Benfica, the "Black Pearl" scored 638 goals in 614 games, won the European Cup, fired Portugal to a third-place finished at the World Cup and lifted the Ballon d'Or.
When he died in 2014, Portugal went into three days of mourning.
"For us, for you, Eusébio is one of the greatest footballers in the history of football, especially for people from our generation and older than us," Portuguese manager José Mourinho said at the time.
"He's at this level: Eusébio, Charlton, Pelé," he added.
8. Ferenc Puskás
In the 1940s and 50s, Ferenc Puskás, known as "The Galloping Major" because of his rank in the Hungarian army, ripped up the top flight in his home country to the tune of 358 goals in just 350 games for Budapest Honved.
At 31, he moved to Real Madrid and proved that age is just a number, scoring another 242 times over the next eight years.
He ended his career having won three European Cups, five LaLiga titles and an Olympic Gold medal.
The FIFA Puskás Award, which is awarded to the soccer player judged to have scored the best goal of the year, is also named after him.
7. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller scored 565 goals in just 607 games for Bayern Munich between 1965 and 1979, which perfectly demonstrates explains why he was nicknamed "Der Bomber."
No less than 66 of those goals came in one season in 1972–73, which, unsurprisingly, remains the a club record.
Müller also scored 68 goals in 62 international appearances for West Germany, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final.
A German soccer legend.
6. Pelé
Pele died in 2022 as the greatest goalscorer in soccer history.
Whether he really was, or how many goals he scored exactly, is up for debate, but his legacy remains unmatched.
Soccer's first global superstar, Pele's samba style and flair revolutionized the sport, transfixing spectators and mesmerizing defenders across the globe.
Because of his rags to riches story, he was also a symbol of Brazilian emancipation, and he remains the only player in soccer history to have ever won three World Cups.
"He's the pioneer. He's Elvis. He's Neil Armstrong. He's the first to do it," David Tryhorn, the co-director of "Pele," a Netflix documentary about the star's life and career, once said.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
It's hard, if not impossible, to argue that there has ever been a soccer player as good at simply putting the ball in the net than Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese icon is the sport's highest scorer of all time, having found the net over 900 times for club and country, including on 450 occasions for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2017.
Whether scoring with his head, right foot or left foot, Ronaldo could, and can still, do it all.
4. Ronaldo
Ronaldo was simply unstoppable at his peak.
Known for his blistering pace, dazzling feet, and second-to-none finishing (including his trademark dribbling rounding the goalkeeper), the Brazilian legend managed 352 club goals across spells in the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.
He also scored 62 goals for Brazil, including 15 at World Cups, lifting the trophy twice.
3. Johan Cruyff
No player has had as big of an impact on soccer as its played on the pitch than Johan Cruyff.
As a player, and later as a coach, he introduced the world to the art of Total Football: A tactical system that centered around the creation of space through players moving freely between positions.
Later refined, and arguably perfected, by Pep Guardiola, the philosophy is now a staple of the game for team's all over the world, from Brighton to FC Barcelona.
Legacy aside, Cruyff was a great forward, too. A three-time Ballon d'Or winner, he scored 433 goals during his impressive playing career, mostly for Ajax and Barca.
2. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona didn't just kick the ball, he caressed it, keeping it so close to his feet at all times that it was near impossible for the opposition to take it from him.
That supernatural ball control was best showcased while playing for Argentina against England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, when he dribbled past five outfield players and the goalkeeper before slotting the ball into an empty net.
La Albiceleste went on to win the tournament and the strike was later voted as the "Goal of the Century."
A true soccer genius, Maradona walked (or in this case, dribbled) so Lionel Messi could run.
1. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is not only the greatest forward in soccer history, he's the sport's best-ever player.
The magical Argentine did things with the ball that mere mortals could only dream of during his 17 seasons with FC Barcelona, often dribbling past hoards of defenders like they weren't even there before finding the net. Something he did a record 672 times for the Catalan club.
An eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, he's won no less than 43 major team honors during his career, most notably the 2022 World Cup, where he scored twice in the final as Argentina lifted the trophy for the first time since his idol Maradona did in 1986.
In the words of the great Ray Hudson: "They tell me that all men are equal in God's eyes, this player makes you seriously think about those words."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 50 Best Soccer Forwards of All Time: Ranked.
