Why Luis Suarez is the best striker in the world today

Luis Suarez

The Champions League makes its much welcome return this week following its annual winter break, with every team now focused on lifting the esteemed trophy on Saturday 24 May.

Fame, fortune and prestige await the teams lucky enough to advance through the next three rounds unscathed, reaching this year’s final at Benfica’s Estádio da Luz, home of the late Eusébio – a coincidental tribute to one of European football’s greatest.

Many of the tournament’s most successful teams have been built around a midfield packed full of creative and inventive players, positioned ahead of a reliable and sturdy defence. But, while a solid defence can sometimes guarantee safe passage, it’s the players situated at the other end of the pitch who tend to grab the headlines, snatching late winners at historical venues – as Bayern Munich can attest after their late and dramatic collapse to a Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær inspired Manchester United in 1999.

Fifteen years have passed since that night. The aforementioned players, retired. Now the likes of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovi? are the strikers to fear. However, along with those two supremely gifted individuals, there are other talented strikers terrorising opposition defences throughout Europe’s top five leagues, who may lift the trophy in the years ahead.

So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the best striker from their respective nation based on Squawka’s Performance Score, with a few other statistics thrown in for good measure.

Performance Score

Even though he’s only made 17 appearances in La Liga this season, Messi (1,347) is currently the most feared striker in Spain, and the rest of Europe, having achieved the greatest Performance Score – measured by positive on-the-ball actions and where said actions occur on the pitch.

Performance score

The miniscule Argentinian is closely followed by the Premier League’s Luis Suárez (1,252), while Ibrahimovi? (1,080), Carlos Tevez (988) and Max Kruse (807) are ranked first in France, Italy and Germany respectively, yet they all trail Messi by some distance.

Goals Scored

Hard work and assists aside, strikers are predominantly judged on the number of goals they score, and Europe’s leading light in this category is Liverpool’s Suárez. Considering he missed the first five league games through suspension, the Uruguayan has done incredibly well to find the back of the net a staggering 23 times in just 21 appearances.

Goals scored so far

Ibrahimovi? has played three games more, yet the colossal Swede trails Suárez by four goals, with Messi and Tevez positioned in joint third with 13 goals each. And at the back of the pack, with a mediocre eight goals, is Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Kruse. The German international’s proficiency in front of goal may be cause for concern, however the 25-year-old excels in other areas, outlined below.

Chances Created

At the top of the pile, once again, is Suárez, having created 61 chances for the rest of his team-mates to score. The former Ajax striker is proving to be an absolute menace for opposition defences this season by harassing players, scoring, turning provider and just generally asserting his relentless presence on any team he faces.

Chances created so far

In second place is former St. Pauli striker Kruse (58) – currently the most creative player in the Bundesliga – with Ibrahimovi? (48), Tevez (45) and Messi (35) at the lower end of the scale. Barcelona’s flamboyant forward will do well to match his total of 45 from the 2012/13 La Liga campaign (in which he made 32 appearances), due to his extended period on the sidelines this season.

Successful Take-ons

If attempting, and failing, to pass through human barricades constructed in front of goal, the ability to beat an opposing player is a great attribute for any player to have in their arsenal. Sometimes the extra yard of space gained by skipping past a committed defender, followed by a pinpoint cross from the byline, can be essential in unlocking the tightest and deepest of defences.

In this respect, Messi stands head and shoulders above the competition. The 26-year-old has completed an average of 5.7 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, effortlessly twisting and turning his way past players with ankles that seem to rotate 360 degrees.

Successful take-ons

Kruse is also impressive, managing to beat his opposite man four times per match on average, whereas Suárez (2.92) and Tevez (1.96) fall some way behind. At the bottom of the pack is Paris Saint-Germain’s Ibrahimovi? (0.97), who is better known for his aerial dominance and physical strength, than his ability to dribble into space.

Tackles

With the growing trend of teams looking to press further up the pitch, on the front foot, it makes sense for strikers to become well-rounded individuals, encompassing as many positive attributes as possible, including the ability to tackle.

Under Brendan Rodgers, Suárez has make 20 successful tackles in the Premier League this season within a tactical framework centred on quick turnovers and rapid transition from defence to attack.

Tackles

Elsewhere, Tevez has completed 17 tackles for Juventus in Serie A, Messi and Kruse have completed 10 tackles, and Ibrahimovi? has only completed nine tackles in Ligue 1. A low total, but you know what you’re going to get with Ibrahimovi?, and intense work rate and tackling certainly isn’t it.

So there you have it, the best strikers from England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy based on Squawka Performance Score. Exceptional players who, excluding three-time winner Messi and 2007-08 winner Tevez, may one day be fortunate enough to lift the Champions League trophy aloft for their first time.