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In the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the "more than one goal a game" ratio has become the definitive standard for strikers. These almost impossible standards set by supernaturally talented players, unfortunately, eclipse our collective ability to appreciate quality forwards.
We fail to laud many gifted strikers who, for skill and ability, might have been considered world beaters in previous generations. Here, we look at five of the most underrated strikers of the 21st century.
#5 Antonio Di Natale
The digital version of Antonio Di Natale went down as a bit of a "cult hero" in football video games in the early 2010s. However, the real-life player was a fountain of youth and a devastatingly efficient centre-forward for Udinese. He is even recognized historically as their greatest player ever.
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Di Natale scored more than 150 goals in Serie A after his 30th birthday. He scored 23 goals in 33 games during the season in which he turned 35, adding a further 31 across the next two campaigns. It's truly remarkable to see a player, let alone a striker, reach his peak at the age of 32. That year, he came in third only behind Messi and Ronaldo in the European goalscoring charts.
In a country where goalscoring heroes such as Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero are celebrated, this legend is sadly overlooked for the fact he hit his peak so late in his career. Di Natale's loyalty to Udinese unfortunately meant he didn't play for any of the top Italian clubs either.
#4 Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani burst onto the Italian scene at Palermo, where he scored 37 goals in 117 appearances. Eventually, Napoli came calling for the Uruguayan's signature.
It was in Naples that Cavani graduated into one of the most consistent goalscoring forwards in all of Europe. He racked up 30+ goals in all three of his seasons, peaking with 38 goals in the 2012-13 campaign. Cavani's deadly marksmanship saw him form a formidable partnership with Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik.
Much like his idol Gabriel Batistuta, Cavani was blessed with an explosive ability in front of goal.
At Paris Saint Germain, Cavani was forced under the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It mirrored his time with the Uruguayan national team, where he was often overshadowed by Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. Despite that, Cavani still shone, scoring a remarkable 138 times across seven seasons for the Parisian outfit. He also has 53 goals in 123 matches for Uruguay.
Now in perhaps his final big European soujourn at Manchester United, Cavani has once again earned praise for his ability to score with lethal effect. However, he seems to have been usurped once again, this time by Cristiano Ronaldo's return in 2021.
#3 Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain is a mercurial and at times frustrating striker. He is now seeing out the end of his career at Inter Miami in the MLS. But a glance at his statistics provides us with an eye-watering number of goals for the biggest clubs in Spain and Italy in prolific fashion.
Cruelly overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, many forget Higuain scored a remarkable 107 goals in 190 games for Los Blancos. Sent out to pastures anew in Napoli, he became a cult hero as a talisman for their first real title challenge since the days of Diego Maradona.
Higuain went on to score 71 goals over the course of three seasons, once equalling the record of most goals in a season with 36. He then moved on to bitter rivals Juventus for a record £90 million fee that saw him labeled a turncoat and a "judas."
On the international front, he had to bear the pressure and brunt of being unable to "gift" Leo Messi an international trophy. Regardless, Higuain recorded 75 caps and scored 31 goals and will go down as one of the best strikers in Argentina's history.
#2 Miroslav Klose
German hitman Miroslav Klose is a recognizable yet severely underrated talent in his professional career. His career honors include a DFL Ligapokal with Werder Bremen, and two League Titles, two DFB Pokals, one DFB-Ligapokal, one German Super Cup and one UEFA Champions League final appearance for Bayern. He also won a Coppa Italia with Lazio, while winning a World Cup and securing two runners-up medals (World Cup 2002, Euro 2008) with Germany.
An outstanding career that saw him plunder 202 goals in a little more than 500 club games does not reflect how effective and lethal a striker Klose was. Ever so imperious in the air, he often pulled the attention of two center backs to mark him, freeing up space for his teammates to attack.
The German team's all-time top scorer is also the highest scoring player in FIFA competitions with 16 goals. Yet, when talking of the legendary strikers of the 2000s and early 2010s such as Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Raul and David Villa, Klose's name only comes in as a cruel afterthought.
#1 Olivier Giroud
It seems pointless to need to defend a man who, over the course of his career, has been a Champions League, Europa League and five-time FA Cup winner. And that's not even starting off with his French national team career, with whom he won the World Cup in 2018. Olivier Giroud is also the nation's second all-time top scorer with 46 goals.
Yet he's somehow been slandered and maligned as a "go-kart" and a one-dimensional player. In an era of pacy forwards, Giroud is the last of a dying breed of "target men" renowned as much for his strength and heading ability as he is for his composure in the box.
Powering Montpellier to their unthinkable 2012 title win earned him a move to the Premier League with Arsenal. Giroud ended up scoring over 100 goals for the Gunners. Sold as a "past it" to Chelsea, the Frenchman still managed to add two European trophies to his cabiner. By the time he departed to AC Milan, Giroud had an enviable 90 goals and 32 assists to his name in 255 Premier League appearances for the two London clubs.
The compilation of his greatest goals will also leave many future generations thinking he must be one of the greatest players of all time. Giroud is a certain bonfide legend, if there ever was, who will hopefully get the praise he deserves in hindsight.
