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For a football fan, there are three things that are certain in life - death, taxes and a world-class striker at Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club has an amazing scouting network and that’s what has helped them replace a plethora of outgoing superstars over the years.
Their current strikers include Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa which itself is a testament to the quality of strikers they’ve had over the years.
Some of the notable strikers to have played for Atletico in the 21st century have gone on to play for the likes of Juventus, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
It was a strenuous task to rank the top 10 strikers to have played for Atletico Madrid in the 21st century, but after careful deliberation, we’ve managed to do so.
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#10. Kevin Gameiro
Kevin Gameiro started his La Liga career with Sevilla after joining them in 2013 from PSG. The French striker spent three seasons with Sevilla scoring 39 goals in 92 games while also winning a hat-trick of Europa League titles.
He joined Atletico in 2016 for a reported €32 million rising to €40 million with add-ons. At the Madrid club, he was not able to hold down a regular starting role but still managed to score 19 goals in 56 games in his two seasons at the club.
On 18 February 2017, he scored the fastest La Liga hat-trick in over 22 years coming on a substitute against Sporting de Gijón in an eventual 4-1 victory.
This summer, Gameiro joined La Liga side Valencia for €16 million. With Atletico, he won the Europa League in 2018 and it was the fourth Europa League title of his career.
#9. Mario Mandzukic
Mario Mandzukic joined Atletico Madrid in 2014 as a replacement for the outgoing David Villa. The Croatian striker came to Atletico after a two-year spell with Bayern Munich during which he scored 48 goals in 88 games while also helping them win the treble in 2012/13.
Mandzukic was only at Atletico Madrid for one season and finished that season with 20 goals in 43 games across all competitions. Although his goal return was nearly one goal in every two games, he played his role as the support striker to perfection.
When he joined Atletico, they were runners-up in the Champions League in 2014 and when he left Atletico, he joined Juventus who were runners-up in the Champions League.
Mandzukic has been at Juventus since and has gone on to win seven trophies in three seasons with the club. In addition, he also helped Croatia reach the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
#8. David Villa
Atletico Madrid was David Villa’s last club in Spain. He started his club career with Sporting Gijon before going on to play for Real Zaragoza, Valencia and Barcelona.
Before Villa joined Atletico, he had already won a plethora of trophies at club level with Barcelona, Valencia and Real Zaragoza as well as the Euro and World Cup with Spain.
The Spaniard cost Atletico just €5.1 million from Barcelona. In his only season, he scored 15 goals in 47 games across all competitions of which 13 were in the league. He helped the club win their first league title since 1996 and also ended the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Villa left Atletico Madrid to join New York City FC and he has so far scored 74 goals in 113 games for the MLS club. In the process, he also became only the fifth active footballer to score over 500 career goals.
#7. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
The Dutch striker is renowned for his spell with Chelsea in the Premier League but before his stint with Chelsea, he spent one season with Atletico Madrid.
Hasselbaink spent two seasons with Leeds between 1997 and 1999 during which he scored 42 goals in 87 games before joining Atletico Madrid for £10m.
During his only season with Atletico, he scored an incredible 33 goals in 43 games. The highlight of his time with the club was scoring a brace against Real Madrid in the local derby to help the club win their first derby in nine years.
He ended the season as the joint second highest goalscorer in the league and his tally was only three goals fewer than topscorer Salva Ballesta. He also helped them reach the final of the Copa del Rey but they failed to avoid relegation and as a result, the Dutchman joined Chelsea in the summer.
Hasselbaink’s best career spell was with the Blues as he scored 88 goals in 177 games across four seasons while also winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2000/01.
#6. Sergio Aguero
Atletico Madrid was Sergio Aguero’s first club in Europe. He joined them from Independiente in 2006 and went on to spend five seasons with the club before joining Manchester City.
During his five year stint with Atletico Madrid, Aguero scored 101 goals in 234 games for the club and he was still only 23-years-old when he left the club.
At Atletico, he played alongside the likes of Fernando Torres, Diego Forlan and Diego Costa. He formed a formidable partnership with the Uruguayan and helped the club return to the Champions League. In 2010, they helped the club win the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup.
In 2011, Aguero moved to Manchester City for €45 million and the club used that money to fund a move for Radamel Falcao. At City, Aguero became an instant hit and scored the goal that clinched the Citizens their first ever Premier League title.
Aguero has racked up 201 goals in 292 appearances for Manchester City and this has made him the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
#5. Diego Costa
Diego Costa first moved to Atletico Madrid in 2007 from Braga before going on loan to three different clubs and joining Valladolid in 2009 on a permanent basis.
A year later, he returned to the club on a permanent basis but played second fiddle to the likes of Sergio Aguero and Radamel Falcao. In 2012, he once again went out on loan. It was after this loan spell that he established himself at the club.
In 2012/13, he scored 20 goals in 44 games for the club and the following season, he took over as the club’s main striker after the departure of Radamel Falcao. In 2013/14, he scored 36 goals in 52 games across all competitions and helped the club clinch the league title.
Costa joined Chelsea in 2014, scored 59 goals in 120 games and played a massive role in winning two league titles while he was there.
The Brazil-born Spanish striker returned to Atletico Madrid in January 2018 and ended the season as a Europa League winner.
#4. Diego Forlan
Diego Forlan signed for Atletico Madrid in 2007 after three seasons with Villarreal during which he scored 59 goals in 128 appearances and also shared the European Golden Shoe with Thierry Henry in 2005.
Forlan scored an outstanding 96 goals in 196 games across all competitions for Atletico Madrid. During the 2008/09 season, he scored 32 goals in 33 league games to win the European Golden Shoe for the second time in his career.
During his time with Atletico, Forlan won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2010. In the same year, he also helped Uruguay reach the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup and won the Golden Ball.
Since leaving Atletico Madrid, Forlan went on to play for Inter Milan, Internacional, Cerezo Osaka, Penarol, Mumbai City and Kitchee.
#3. Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid in 2014 from Real Sociedad as a replacement for the outgoing Diego Costa.
Since his move to Atletico, Griezmann has predominantly played as a striker although he played out wide at Sociedad and in his four seasons at Atletico, he has finished as their top scorer in the league and in all competitions every single time.
So far, in 209 games for the club, he has scored 112 goals across all competitions. His incredible record with the Atletico Madrid attracted the interest of other European giants but Atletico Madrid fended off all potential suitors and extended his contract in the summer.
He has so far won the Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de Espana with Atlético Madrid. In 2018, he also won the FIFA World Cup which makes him a strong contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
#2. Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao was at Atletico Madrid for only two seasons but the impact he made in those two seasons is the reason why he ranks so high up the list.
The Colombian international joined Atletico Madrid in 2011 as a replacement for Sergio Aguero. When he joined Atletico, he came on the back of scoring 72 goals in 87 games for Porto.
At Atletico, Falcao scored a mouthwatering 70 goals in 91 games of which 52 were in 68 games in the league. His goals helped them win the Europa League, Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup.
Falcao left Atletico in 2013 to join Monaco but his career hasn’t panned out the way he would have hoped to because of a serious injury. He has slowly found his feet in recent seasons and helped Monaco win the league title in 2017.
#1. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres came through the Atletico Madrid academy and made his debut for the club in May 2001. He was part of the team that gained promotion from the Segunda Division but he only managed to score seven times in 40 games in the second division.
However, at the Spanish top tier, Torres became a crucial member of the Atletico Madrid team. In fact, he was named the club captain at the age of 19 and scored 75 goals in 174 games in the Spanish top tier between 2002 and 2007 before moving to Liverpool.
Torres played for Liverpool, Chelsea and Milan before returning to Atletico Madrid in 2016.
During his second stint with the club, Torres didn’t play the leading role but he still ended up scoring 38 goals in 160 games before leaving in the summer to join J-League club Sagan Tosu.
