Top 10 strikers in football’s history

This enforced break in the football calendar has given people plenty of opportunity to reflect on some of the great matches, seasons and players.

Here, the PA news agency has picked out 10 of the best strikers to have graced the field.

Pele

Romario

Another Brazilian with an eye for goal and a dubious tally in excess of 1,000 goals when exhibition matches and the like are taken into consideration. But there is no disputing the 1994 World Cup winner’s ability in front of goal, having shone for the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona during a long and varied career that saw him named World Player of the Year in 1994.

Ronaldo

Gerd Muller

Ferenc Puskas

Alfredo Di Stefano

Much of Puskas’ time in Madrid overlapped with another goalscoring great. Argentina-born Di Stefano scored a remarkable number of goals in South America during spells with River Plate, Huracan and Millonarios. Having moved to Europe in 1953, he continued his fine goalscoring streak by netting 308 times in 396 official matches in the famous white jersey. Di Stefano died aged 88 in 2014 and is considered the best player in Real Madrid’s history.

Marco Van Basten

Shone brightly for Ajax, AC Milan and Holland during the 1980s and 1990s, winning medals aplenty and numerous individual accolades. Named world player of the year in 1992, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner was known for beautiful goals such as his stunning volley against the Soviet Union in the final of the 1988 European Championship. Ankle issues sadly saw his career come to a premature end.

Jimmy Greaves

Eusebio

Fernando Peyroteo

Another Portuguese goalscoring great born in Africa – albeit a name few may be familiar with by comparison to Eusebio. Having left Angola for Lisbon as a 19-year-old, Peyroteo joined Sporting and became the most clinical scorer in Portuguese history with 541 goals in just 334 matches for the club – that is an average of 1.63 goals per game. He died at the age of 60 in 1978.