Mario Gomez snubs Cristiano Ronaldo as he names 'best' strikers in the world

Modified Apr 15, 2025 13:55 GMT

Mario Gomez snubs Cristiano Ronaldo when naming best strikers — Mario Gomez names his favorite strikers

Former Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez has snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo while naming the best strikers in the footballing world. Gomez rather opted for football icon Ronaldo Nazario and former Real Madrid frontman Karim Benzema.

In an interview with Relevo, the former Germany international was asked to name his most preferred strikers. He said (via Madrid Xtra):

"Most talented ST’s? There are players like Ronaldo Nazário & Karim Benzema, who are the BEST strikers, who could do everything."

The debate regarding the best striker in the footballing world has been raging for several decades. In his playing days, the now-retired R9 was a menace in attack. He scored 310 goals and registered 75 assists in 482 club games.

Meanwhile, Benzema seems to be a more creative and flexible striker than the Brazilian great. In 852 club career games, the Frenchman has bagged 452 goals and 192 assists.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has netted 791 and provided 242 assists in 1048 official club career games. He has also won the Ballon d'Or award five times. Meanwhile, R9 won two in his playing days while Benzema has one Ballon d’Or to his name.

How has Cristiano Ronaldo performed at Al-Nassr this season?

Al Hilal v Al Nassr - Saudi Pro League - Source: Getty

At age 40, CR7 has continued to make his mark in the footballing world. The Portuguese have also been setting records that could take years to rewrite.

The former Manchester United striker has been impressive for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League (SPL) this season. In 35 games in all competitions, Ronaldo has registered 32 goals and four assists.

His performance hasn't been able to keep Al-Nassr in the title race, though. They are eight points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad, with 57 points from 27 league games. In the Golden Boot race in the SPL, Ronaldo is leading the chart, having scored 23 league goals in 26 appearances.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava