Ranking the 10 best strikers in world football right now: Mbappe, Kane or Haaland top?

Who are the best No.9s in world football right now? The top three pick themselves, but deciding the order is less straightforward. And who are the closest challengers to the elite goalscorers at Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich?

Before we begin, a quick clarification. This list is dedicated exclusively to strikers and recognised No.9s. That means no wingers, wide forwards or attacking players who drift into central areas — this is all about the specialists leading the line.

With that in mind, here’s our ranking of the 10 best centre-forwards in world football right now.

A controversial shout, perhaps, but we are looking at the best centre-forwards in European football right now.

We’re not interested in knee-jerk recency bias, but there comes a point where the numbers speak for themselves. Undav has scored 21 goals for club and country this calendar year, outscoring some elite players in 2026, with only a select few bettering that tally.

The likes of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike undoubtedly possess more pedigree, and probably more class, than the Germany international. But based on the last 12 months, we can’t honestly rank them above him.

Carlo Ancelotti, what were you thinking?

Taking a clearly cooked Neymar to the World Cup in place of the Chelsea striker is surely the biggest misstep of Don Carlo’s managerial career.

The Brazilian looks like he might finally have ended Chelsea’s No.9 curse. Some doing.

We had Viktor Gyokeres in our last edition of this ranking, but we’re going to have to follow Mikel Arteta’s lead and boot him out for a fit and firing Havertz.

The German is less of a proper striker than every other name in this list, having almost done a Thomas Muller ‘Raumdeuter’ impression in recent weeks. But as tribute acts go, this is top tier.

Havertz might not be as prolific as Gyokeres, but he’s a considerably more complete and talented footballer. The Gunners’ attack looks miles more fluid and functional when he’s leading the line.

A bit of an enigma, Alvarez.

His tendency to drift out of games for long stretches last season, particularly in the less glamorous La Liga fixtures, is difficult to ignore. Eight league goals was a poor return for a player reportedly valued at €150million.

But you look at his big-game credentials, and there’s something undoubtedly alluring about the Argentinian.

He quietly played a key role in Manchester City’s treble, produced some huge moments in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, smashed home that screamer against Switzerland this summer and impressed throughout Atletico Madrid’s run to the Champions League semi-finals.

You get the sense that Alvarez could explode into life in the right set-up. But he needs to show a bit more consistency if he’s to be ranked alongside the modern-day legends at the top of this list.

We’re fascinated to see how he’ll fare this season with Atleti after being denied his dream move. Kick on or sulk?

There’s a perception that all Spain need to become an unstoppable force is a genuine superstar up front. That it was only a lack of cutting edge that stopped them blowing teams away at the World Cup.

That’s a little harsh on Oyarzabal. He scored the winner in the Euro 2024 final, finished the 2026 World Cup with five goals – enough to win the Golden Boot in previous editions – and has 19 goals in his last 23 Spain appearances. That’s an outstanding return.

Yet Oyarzabal seems almost allergic to superstardom. Had he chased bigger moves and built more of a public profile, perhaps he’d be leading the line for one of Europe’s elite. Instead, he’s happily stayed with his boyhood club. Fair play to him.

The fifth-best centre-forward in world football plays in the Turkish Super Lig. What a world.

Save for the obvious exceptions at the top of this list, there’s arguably a dearth of unquestionably world-class centre-forwards in the game today. The wild transfer fees being mooted for certain names is evidence enough of that.

But we look at Osimhen and we wonder how he’s not leading the line for one of Europe’s top clubs. His Champions League performances against Liverpool and Juventus last season were those of a striker ready for a Barcelona or a Manchester United.

This summer’s transfer window came and went for Osimhen, but perhaps 2027 will be his time.

It wasn’t to be for Martinez in the World Cup final. Two enforced changes at centre-back left the Inter striker stranded on the bench. After his decisive interventions against Egypt, Switzerland and England, the feeling of ‘what if?’ will linger over Argentina for a long time.

Forty goals for Argentina. One hundred and seventy-five goals for Inter. Their fourth and third all-time top scorers, respectively. He’s won three Scudetti, winning the Capocannoniere award for Serie A’s top scorer in the last two, and has helped lead the Nerazzurri to two Champions League finals.

You get the sense that El Toro doesn’t quite get the respect he deserves, but that’s the record of an elite-level bagsman.

The top three sit in a league of their own. There’s barely anything separating them. You could easily argue they’re the three best players on the planet, irrespective of position.

So don’t think that by Haaland being third we’re doing him down. It’s simply a testament to the top two’s outrageous class.

On the one hand, you look at Haaland’s minimal touch maps for Manchester City and might conclude that he’s got a limited game. That he relies on the creative quality of others around him. You wouldn’t see him quarterbacking like Harry Kane, for example.

But that would be a misunderstanding of Haaland’s qualities. He made his name scoring nine goals in one game in an Under-20 World Cup match. He scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut… for RB Salzburg, finishing the group stage with eight goals, including strikes against Napoli (twice) and Liverpool.

He maintained those absurd numbers at Borussia Dortmund before winning a treble under a manager not known for building around traditional No.9s. He’s also struck 62 goals in just 55 games for Norway, knocking out Brazil and inspiring their best-ever World Cup campaign.

As a pure No.9, Haaland is already entering all-timer conversations at the age of 26. He might be the game’s purest distillation of the art of centre-forward play since Gerd Muller was racking up Ballon d’Ors, European Cups and World Cups in his 1970s pomp.

“If you never watched Ronaldo Nazario, this is pretty much what it was like.”

So read one of our favourite posts during the World Cup, after Mbappe ripped apart Senegal, or Sweden, or Morocco. We forget which one, such was the routine brilliance of France’s No.10 at this World Cup.

Comparisons to such an icon ought to be sacrilege, but in the case of Mbappe they’re actually on the money. And don’t just take our word for it.

“Look Messi and Ronaldo are two of the best, but Kylian Mbappe is as close to R9 as you’ll see,” says Wayne Rooney.

“He’s skilful, drives at players, run in behind, score goals, and I think we’re at danger of not appreciating it.”

“When I watch Kylian Mbappe, he reminds me of myself in my prime,” Il Fenomeno recently told l’Equipe.

The World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer. The first player in history to win two Golden Boots. We’re witnessing something historic.

There are one or two awkward questions over Mbappe’s lack of defensive effort, and whether that gets exposed at the very highest level. He’s yet to win the Champions League, and you might argue only winning one major trophy with this France is a bit of an underachievement.

But this is the issue of discussing individuals in a collective context. Put Mbappe in front of a proper midfield, like Spain’s, or PSG’s now, and he’d surely flourish.

Goals aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they go a pretty long way if we’re discussing centre-forwards.

And Kane scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season. To put that in context, it’s more than Cristiano Ronaldo ever managed in his peak.

He claimed a second European Golden Shoe, and capped off the campaign scoring a hat-trick in Bayern’s DFB Pokal final victory. Six goals at the World Cup wasn’t a bad return either.

Not only did Kane outscore Haaland and Mbappe last season, but he did it while functioning in a collective context, facilitating play, and often dropping deep to spread balls about like a world-class playmaker.

Kane hasn’t been spectacular of late, but he’s still scored in each of his last five appearances for club and country. Consistent, almost understated, excellence.

Unlike Haaland, he hasn’t won the Champions League. Unlike Mbappe, he hasn’t won the World Cup. But there’s a solid chance that he’ll be the first of the three to get his hands on the Ballon d’Or.