The category for being the 'best' in your position has never been tighter in modern football. This remains the case for those at the top of the pitch, who are signed to largely do one thing: put the ball in the back of the net.
FootballFanCast has ranked the best strikers in world football right now. This list is based on statistics compiled from Transfermarkt and FBref for the 2023/24 season and the international tournaments that followed.
We have also accounted for trophies won in the last year and the impact those individuals had on their respective clubs. Just to make it completely clear, names such as Vinicius Junior and Mohamed Salah are natural wingers rather than strikers; therefore, they are not featured on this list.
Rank
Player
Club
23/24 goals
23/24 assists
Erling Haaland
Man City
45
6
Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid
52
21
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
52
13
Lautaro Martinez
Inter
35
8
Viktor Gyokeres
Sporting CP
46
15
Alexander Isak
Newcastle
27
2
Lois Openda
RB Leipzig
28
7
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
29
13
Serhou Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund
31
3
Artem Dovbyk
Girona
29
11
Alvaro Morata
Milan
28
6
Victor Boniface
Bayer Leverkusen
22
11
Victor Osimhen
Napoli
21
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr
51
16
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1 ByLuke RandallJun 16, 2024 7 Lois Openda RB Leipzig & Belgium
Speaking of hitting the ground running, that’s precisely what Lois Openda managed in his first Bundesliga season at RB Leipzig.
Openda signed for the German giants for a club-record fee of €43m (£36.07m) in July 2023 after just one year with French club Lens.
Fast-forward 12 months, and the 24-year-old had bagged 28 goals in all competitions for Leipzig, including four in the Champions League.
Openda averaged 19.7 non-penalty expected goals in the Bundesliga season, an incredible stat surpassed only by a few names yet to feature on this list.
Tottenham Hotspur are said to be interested in signing the Belgian striker this transfer window. He is currently valued at €60m (£50.4m).
RB Leipzig
Belgium
Appearances
45
11
Goals
28
0
Assists
7
0
Goals per game
0.5
Trophies
None
6 Alexander Isak Newcastle United & Sweden
Since his arrival in Tyneside, Alexander Isak has consistently proved that he belongs among the very best strikers in world football.
Newcastle United signed the Sweden striker in August 2022 from Real Sociedad on a long-term deal reported to be worth around £60m.
Last season, Isak scored 21 goals in 27 Premier League starts, with 16 of those coming from open play, delivering an average of 0.84 goals per 90 minutes.
It was Isak’s best goalscoring season to date and one he will look to improve on come the start of the new campaign.
Newcastle
Sweden
Appearances
40
7
Goals
25
2
Assists
2
0
Goals per game
0.57
Trophies
None
5 Viktor Gyokeres Sporting CP & Sweden
Sporting CP were crowned champions of Portugal for the 20th time in May, one day after breezing past Portimonense 3-0.
Viktor Gyokeres scored a stoppage-time clincher that evening to continue a record-breaking goalscoring season, which saw the Sweden striker net 43 goals in all competitions to bag the Portuguese top flight's Bola de Prata – their equivalent of the Golden Boot.
He finished with the fourth-highest number of goals in world football during the 2023/24 season, behind Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
Gyokeres only joined the Portuguese giants from Coventry City last year, but a big-money move to the Premier League could yet be on the horizon, with Arsenal among those linked with his signature.
Sporting CP
Sweden
Appearances
50
7
Goals
43
3
Assists
15
0
Goals per game
0.81
Trophies
Primeira Liga
Primeira Liga Bola de Prata
Primeira Liga Player of the Month x5