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The essence of football is scoring more goals than the opponent. The team that manages to do so is the winner. No matter how the opponent played” - Raymond Verheijn.
There is a reason why strikers have a special place in the sport's folklore. Most of the greatest players in the game are strikers who have been prolific goalscorers and garnered more attention and plaudits than players in any other position.
The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Gerd Muller, Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Eusebio - some of the most decorated players in the game- posted some absolutely ridiculous numbers for club and country.
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Ten most prolific goalscorers in the game at the moment
Among the current crop of players as well, there are some who have plundered goals aplenty for club and country. On that note, let us have a look at the ten most prolific active goalscorers in the game.
#10 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - 400 goals
A prominent member of the 'second golden generation' of the Netherlands, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is still going strong at the age of 37 after returning for a second spell with Ajax in 2017.
Nicknamed 'The Hunter' for his predatory instincts, Huntelaar has had a decorated career with eight clubs in four different leagues. He has picked up numerous trophies while scoring 358 times, with Ajax (151) and Schalke (126) being the two chief beneficiaries of his exploits in club football.
The former Real Madrid man has also been a prolific scorer for the Oranje, scoring 42 times before announcing his retirement from international football in 2016.
#9 Edinson Cavani - 403 goals
Edinson Cavani signed for Manchester United recently, his fifth club in a fourth different league, which makes him somewhat of a journeyman player. While he's yet to make his debut for his new side, the Uruguayan already has an outstanding club record.
Cavani is a well-rounded striker who is adept in scoring with both his head and his feet. He's scored 353 goals in club football, with 200 of them coming for PSG where El Matador enjoyed the most success.
The former PSG player has also scored 51 goals from 116 appearances for Uruguay, with only his strike partner Luis Suarez scoring more for the two-time world champions.
At 33, Cavani still has a few more years left at the top. So the Red Devils fans will hope to see goals galore from the prolific striker at Old Trafford.
#8 Sergio Aguero - 419 goals
Strikers don't come any deadlier than Sergio Aguero who has been a prolific goalscorer since making his professional debut at just 15.
Almost two decades later, the Argentine hitman remains one of the most prolific strikers of his generation, having scored 419 times for club and country during a stellar career.
Yet, history will most likely remember his exploits with Manchester City more than anything else. He has netted over 250 goals for the Premier League outfit since arriving at the Etihad in 2011 and has played a key role during the club's trophy-laden years.
#7 Sebastian Abreu - 430 goals
Age is no bar for some players. For Sebastian Abreu, age is only a number as the striker is still active at the seemingly ripe old age of 43 and scoring goals aplenty!
One of the most travelled players in the game's history, the ex-Uruguayan international has played for 25 clubs in 11 countries during his professional career, scoring 404 goals.
Some of his most memorable stints came at San Lorenzo, Tecos, Cruz Azul and Botafogo where he almost averaged a goal every game.
Abreu, who has scored 17 goals for Uruguay, was a part of the Celeste squad that lifted the 2011 Copa America on home soil.
#6 Ali Ashfaq - 451 goals
Another forward plying his trade outside Europe, Ali Ashfaq shot to fame after coming second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 'world's best top goal scorer' list of the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) in 2013.
Widely hailed as one of the greatest Asian players to have played the game, the 35-year old is more renowned for his goalscoring exploits with his national side, for whom he has netted 53 times.
Ashfaq is the all-time top-scorer for the Maldives. He is the first Maldivian to score a double hat-trick in an international fixture, the first Maldivian to score a hat-trick in the Asia Cup and the most prolific Maldivian scorer in the competition's history.
Due to his lethal finishing skills, impressive dribbling ability and set-piece prowess, the player has drawn attention from European outfits such as Benfica, Porto and Bursaspor. But he rejected all such offers and opted to remain in Asia, scoring 398 goals in club football, which is another record by a Maldivian.
#5 Luis Suarez - 482 goals
His powers might be on the wane in recent times, but not too long ago, Luis Suarez used to send shivers down the spines of the meanest defences in the game.
The burly Uruguayan might have bats in his belfry; he's been at the heart of several controversies in the past, but few could hold a candle to him in his prime.
He has scored 30+ goals in a season on numerous occasions, with his best return being the 59 he scored for Barcelona during the 2015-16 season. Suarez scored 40 league goals that season to win his third and latest Golden Boot.
With 482 goals for club and country, he is on course to join an exclusive group of players who've scored more than 500 goals for club and country. Suarez has already got off the mark with his new club Atletico Madrid this season.
#4 Robert Lewandowski - 504 goals
You won't find a striker who is in better form than Robert Lewandowski right now. The Polish assassin continues to plunder goals at a phenomenal rate. Earlier in the season, he surpassed the elusive 500-goal mark for club and country.
A deadly finisher with great positional sense and tremendous proficiency with both feet, Lewandowski is widely hailed as the most complete number 9 in the game at the moment.
With 241 of his goals coming in the Bundesliga alone, Lewandowski is the competition's most prolific scorer after only Gerd Muller and Klaus Fischer as he has firmly established himself as one of the greatest to have ever graced the German top flight.
Overall, the Bayern Munich ace has scored 441 times in club football, picking up 22 trophies along the way, a tally that includes the continental 'treble' that he won last season. His prolific form has also spilled over onto the international stage; with 63 goals, Lewandowski is Poland's all-time top scorer.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 550 goals
One of the most successful journeymen in history, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left an indelible mark wherever he has played, netting over 500 goals in an illustrious career spanning over two decades.
The Swedish ace belongs to the rare bracket of footballers who've played in four of Europe's top five leagues, while also testing the waters in other top flights such as the Dutch Eredivisie, the MLS and the Swedish league where he made his professional debut.
Ibrahimovich has played for nine different club sides and has lifted 31 trophies. His most prolific stint in club football came at Paris Saint-Germain where he became the club's top-scorer for a while before he was usurped by Edinson Cavani.
#2 Lionel Messi - 706 goals
While the GOAT debate continues to rage on, there's no denying that Lionel Messi is the one of the greatest 'one-club man' of all time. He was on the verge of leaving Barcelona this summer before he opted to stay on and see out the final year of his contract at the club.
With 34 titles and 635 goals for the Blaugrana, La Pulga is the most decorated player and the most prolific in the club's history by a proverbial country mile. The next best scorer for Barcelona is Cesar Rodriguez who has 403 goals fewer than Messi!
Messi has also scored 71 goals for Argentina and is their all-time top-scorer too. The Argentine, who is still only 33, could score plenty more for club and country before he hangs up his boots.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 742 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo's unquenching thirst for goals sees him at the top of the pile among all active players and in third place in the all-time goalscorers list in the history of the game. Only Pele (757) and Joseph Bican (805) have scored more goals than the Portugal captain.
After a humble beginning at Sporting CP, the Portuguese ace evolved into a global star at Manchester United before etching his name as one of the sport's finest while at Real Madrid. Now at Juventus, Ronaldo continues to rule the roost even at the age of 35.
In international football too, Ronaldo has scored goals galore. The second player in history to score 100 international goals has won two titles - the European championship and the UEFA Nations League - with Portugal.
Ronaldo (101) trails only Ali Daei (109) in the all-time top scorers list in international football.
