'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Fairly or unfairly, the players in football who receive the most attention and plaudits in any team are the forwards. Getting the ball in the back of the net is one of the most difficult things to do in football, but these 10 forwards have cemented their legacy in the game by scoring a bucketload of goals from all kinds of different situations and angles.
These forwards have given football fans all over the world an immense amount of joy thanks to their skills, attacking play and goals. There have been plenty of amazing attacking players in football's illustrious history and to pick just 10 of them is no easy task. Without much ado, let us take a look at the 10 greatest forwards of all time:
#10 Gerd Muller
Gerd Muller quite simply put is the most lethal finisher in football history. The German was not one to show fancy footwork or waste his time doing some eye-catching stepovers. What he did do was score goals and he scored every time he played.
Trending
Muller’s statistics are truly astonishing. He has scored an amazing 711 goals for club and country and he even held the record for the most goals in a calendar year before it was broken by Lionel Messi.
A true Bayern Munich legend, Muller won multiple Bundesliga titles and an astonishing 3 European cups as well with the German giants. He also won the World Cup and European Championships with West Germany winning the Golden Boot in both the tournaments.
Blessed with an astonishing burst of speed and incredible finishing skills, Muller is undoubtedly one of the greatest German players of all time.
Famous football author David Winner best epitomised Muller’s game when he said:
“He never fitted the conventional idea of a great footballer, but he had lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts. His short legs gave him a strangely low centre of gravity, so he could turn quickly and with perfect balance in spaces and at speeds that would cause other players to fall over. He also had a knack of scoring in unlikely situations."
#9 Ferenc Puskas
Blessed with a thunderous left foot and superb finishing skills, Ferenc Puskas is easily one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He was the lynchpin of the all-conquering “Magical Magyars” and led the Hungary team to unprecedented success which included a second place finish in the 1954 World Cup.
Puskas first created a name for himself in his hometown club of Budapest Honaved where he spent 12 long years. During the second half of his career, Puskas formed a deadly combination with the great Alfredo Di Stefano during his stint at Real Madrid as the duo tore up defences and guided Los Blancos to five straight league titles and three European Cups.
The legendary Hungarian striker was La Liga’s top scorer for 4 seasons in a row. His phenomenal goal scoring prowess can be seen from the fact that he scored an astonishing 616 goals in 620 appearances for his club sides. He is also Hungary's record scorer having scored 84 times in 85 appearances.
Puskas' impact on the game can perhaps be best summed up by Alfredo Di Stefano's quotes after the Hungarian's death in 2006.
“The man was a supertalent. I have lost a friend and quality player. That’s how Puskas was as a person and a football player. He was one of the greatest players of all time but life, my friend, when you least expect, it comes to an end.”
If you have some time, sit back and watch the genius of Ferenc Puskas. You will not regret it.
#8 Alfredo Di Stefano
Undoubtedly the player who redefined Real Madrid’s legacy as one of the greatest club teams in the world, Alfredo Di Stefano is arguably the most important Real Madrid player of all time.
Almost having signed for Barcelona in 1953, Di Stefano soon became a Madrid legend and his goalscoring exploits helped Los Blancos win an unprecedented 5 European championships in a row. Capable of playing as a striker, second striker or even as an attacking midfielder, Di Stefano was a versatile player capable of impacting the game and scoring incredible goals from any position.
Two-time winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959, the 'Blond Arrow' scored an incredible 308 goals in 396 appearances and won an amazing amount of trophies during his time at Real Madrid.
8 La Liga titles, 5 European Cups, 1 Copa Del Rey and 1 Intercontinental cup won during Di Stefano’s time at Madrid show what a huge impact the Argentine had. Di Stefano's standing and legacy at Real Madrid can be seen in Francisco Gento's quotes about him:
“Alfredo was the first Galactico. In fact, he was worth three of them put together.”
#7 Johan Cruyff
The man who created a whole new philosophy of ‘total football’, Johan Cruyff is rightly considered by many to be one of the most important people in football's history. Cruyff redefined the way the game was played and won the Ballon d'Or award an incredible 3 times (1971,1973,1974) during his stellar career.
Playing as a centre-forward and advanced playmaker for the legendary Ajax side of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Cruyff with his brilliant passing, dribbling skills, and finishing ability soon captured the attention of football fans all over the world. A complete player, Cruyff could set up teammates and score stunning goals with equal ease.
In the summer of 1973, FC Barcelona came calling for the “Flying Dutchman” and signed him for a then world record transfer fee of $2 million. His arrival at Barcelona helped the Catalan giants put behind their arch-rivals Real Madrid as they thrashed them 5-0 at the Bernabeu and claimed a first La Liga title in 14 years.
A true visionary and pioneer of the game, Cruyff was also part of probably the greatest ever football team to never win the World Cup when the incredibly entertaining and skilled Netherlands side finished runner-up to West Germany in 1974.
Finally calling time on his incredible career in 1984, where he improbably guided Feyenoord to the League title, Cruyff was a true legend of the game who stayed at the very top level for an incredible 20 years.
Johan Cruyff's style and the grace he brought to the game can be best summarised by this incredible quote by the great man himself:
"Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you, that is the greatest gift."
#6 Garrincha
Winner of two World Cups and considered to be one of the most talented players ever, Garrincha was an iconic number 7 for both Brazil and his club side Botafogo. From 1953-1965, Garrincha entertained the Brazilian public with his skills, tricks. and flicks often bringing sheer joy to the people by the unique way in which he played football.
Widely regarded as the best dribbler in the history of football, Garrincha mainly played as a right-winger. In the 1962 World Cup, Garrincha in the absence of Pele led Brazil to glory and he was the best player in the tournament receiving the World Cup Golden Ball for the player of the tournament, the Golden Boot as leading goalscorer, and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team.
Adored by the Brazilian public, the legendary winger was considered to be even better than Pele by some people. Garrincha's career was unfortunately cut short by alcoholism and injuries. If he had continued at the same level for a longer period of time, the Brazilian winger might have been number 1 on this list instead of number 5.
Eduardo Galeano a famous Uruguayan writer best captured what Garrincha meant to the masses:
"In the entire history of football, no one made more people happy. When he was out there, the pitch was a circus ring, the ball a tamed animal, the match a party invitation. Garrincha nurtured his pet, the ball, and together they created such mischief that people almost died laughing. He jumped over it, it gambolled around him, hid itself away, skipped off and made him run after it. And on the way, his opponents ran into each other."
Fun Fact: Brazil never lost a match when Garrincha and Pele played together.
#5 Ronaldo
Considered to be one of the greatest strikers of all time, Ronaldo was an absolute phenomenon at his peak. A three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and two-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo at his peak was known for his devastating turn of pace, acceleration, quick dribbling and clinical finishing skills.
When a player plays for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan and still has no haters, you know that he is something special. Ronaldo, also popularly known as 'O Fenomeno' (The Phenomenon), is probably the most complete striker to ever play the game.
Although Ronaldo is mainly remembered for his heroics in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup, he also had a phenomenal club career playing especially well at Barcelona.
In fact, former Atletico Madrid and Manchester United star Quinton Fortune even said that Ronaldo was the greatest player he has ever seen:
"He was physical perfection, and he seemed like a mythical figure. I love [Lionel] Messi, I played many times with Cristiano [Ronaldo] and I adore him, Neymar is outstanding, Ronaldinho was exceptional—but if you put all of them together, you might get what Ronaldo was that season (1996-97 at Barcelona)."
The Brazilian superstar could have gone on to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game, but, he suffered two cruel knee injuries in 1999 and 2000 which reduced his pace greatly.
However, even after those two injuries he returned and inspired Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title showing incredible mental grit, determination and willingness to win. Rob Smyth of the Guardian beautifully described Ronaldo's career:
"There were two Ronaldos: the one that returned after long-term injury in 2002 was a great goalscorer, but the 1990s version was a great everything. At his fearsome peak for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan he was arguably the most dangerous striker the world has ever seen."
Ronaldo on his day was quite simply unstoppable.
#4 Lionel Messi
Barcelona have enjoyed an unprecedented era of success since 2008 and the player who has been the most important and integral part of that success has been Lionel Messi. Having played as a false 9, striker, winger and even as a playmaker, Messi has always delivered when Barcelona have needed him the most.
Blessed with incredible dribbling skills, technical ability, and finishing skills, the Argentine superstar has won every trophy there is to win in club football. He has even won the prestigious Ballon d'Or trophy an incredible 5 times (joint highest with Cristiano Ronaldo) and has continued performing at an extremely high level even this season.
Messi's standing in the game can be seen by these incredible comments by legendary manager Arsene Wenger:
"Messi is the best player in the world by some distance. He's like a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make."
While it almost seems criminal to rank a person as outrageously good as Messi at only number 4, his failures with Argentina are the only reason why he is not higher up on the list.
However, Messi will be determined to prove all the doubters wrong in Russia 2018 and it will come as no surprise if the little magician puts in a stellar performance and guides Argentina to the big prize this summer.
Lionel Messi might well be number 1 on this list by the time he decides to hang up his boots. What a player he is!
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
To be compared to Lionel Messi is no easy task. To compete with him and match him blow for blow and even surpass him on certain occasions is nothing short of miraculous. Cristiano Ronaldo might be considered arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed and overconfident, but the one thing Cristiano Ronaldo undoubtedly is - a winner.
At an age (33) where most football superstars think about winding up their careers, Ronaldo has maintained his incredibly high standards and was even crowned the Ballon d'Or winner in 2017. Having already scored 42 goals in what is supposedly a bad season, the Real Madrid 'number 7' now stands on the cusp of winning an incredible 3 Champions League titles in a row.
While Ronaldo has evolved his game from being a winger to more of a striker, there is no doubting his efficiency and match-winning abilities for Real Madrid and Portugal. With Ronaldo in peak shape and raring to break every goalscoring record on the planet, it will come as no surprise to anyone if the 33-year-old manages to win his 6th Ballon d'Or title this year.
Ronaldo's brilliance can be seen from this great quote by Pele:
"I admire [Ronaldo], if I had to set up a national team he would be my first pick."
#2 Diego Maradona
Supremely talented, skilled, and a magician with his feet, Diego Maradona could do things with a football which ordinary mortals could not even do with their hands. Not afraid of bending the rules if it suited him, El Diego always played to win and he was undoubtedly the star of Argentina's famous World Cup triumph in 1986.
Primarily playing as an advanced playmaker or a second striker, Maradona roamed freely on the pitch, terrorising opposition defenders and scoring beautiful goals singlehandedly. A man who is almost a god in his home country of Argentina, Maradona at his peak was quite simply impossible to defend against.
While the legendary Argentine's exploits with his national team are famous, the magical playmaker also had a telling club career most notably at Napoli where he dragged the Naples side to two historic Serie A titles with his brilliant playmaking and goalscoring.
More than a few people even consider Maradona to be the greatest player of all time. In fact, Maradona even topped the list of FourFourTwo 100 greatest players list in 2017. When asked for the reason, Andrew Murray replied:
"Pelé scored more goals. Lionel Messi has won more trophies. Both have lived more stable lives than the overweight former cocaine addict who tops this list, whose relationship with football became increasingly strained the longer his career continued. If you’ve seen Diego Maradona with a football at his feet, you’ll understand."
The impact of Maradona had on the game cannot be explained, it has to be seen to be believed.
#1 Pele
When you think of World Cups, the first name that comes to mind is: Pele. When you think of beautiful football, the first name that comes to mind is: Pele. When you think of Brazil dominating world football, the first name that comes to mind is: Pele.
A footballer like no other, Pele reserved his best for the biggest stage in World football, the World Cup. Pele first burst onto the scene in 1958 as a young teenager and he absolutely took the tournament by storm, putting in some spellbinding performances right through the tournament. In 1958, Pele became the youngest player to score in a World Cup final when Brazil beat Sweden 5-2. Pele scored at the tender age of 17 and the record still stands to this date.
The 1962 World Cup was also won by Brazil, but Pele got injured after a couple of matches. The 1970 World Cup cemented Pele’s place as one of the greatest footballers of all time. The legendary Brazil squad consisting of himself, Rivellino, Carlos Alberto and Tostao completely annihilated opponents with their “Joga Bonito” style of play with Pele leading from the front.
Burgnich, who marked Pelé during the final, was quoted saying "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong"
While Pele's exploits with Brazil are well known, he also had an extremely successful club career both at Santos and New York Cosmos. Winner of multiple trophies at Santos, Pele scored over 600 goals for the Brazilian club before finally winding down his career in America.
Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira following the loss to Santos in 1962, had this to say about Pele:
"I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us."
Winner of 3 World Cups and having a career at the very top level for more than 20 years (1956-1977), Pele for his ability, longevity, and performances in big matches is ranked as the greatest forward of all time.
