Baku, June 7, AZERTAC

The best strikers in the world are the most valuable people in the game. The most difficult thing in football is to score goals – and that makes the striker’s role the most important on the field.

The transfer market would certainly agree and of course, being a striker isn’t just about finishing anymore: you also have to hold up, link play, press, run the channels and bully defences. All of this was considered by esteemed experts at FourFourTwo, along with current ability, form and historic record even coming into play.

The 10 best strikers in the world right now:

10. Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain and France)

His form at Eintracht Frankfurt under Oliver Glasner saw him crack the France squad for the 2022 World Cup where he came oh-so close to scoring a 120th-minute winner in the final and then earn a €80 million move to Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

After a promising but not spectacular debut season for the French giants, the exit of Kylian Mbappe should see Randal Kolo Muani thrust more firmly into the Parisien spotlight next season as he looks to live up to the hype that has seen him compared to Thierry Henry.

9. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa and England)

The 28-year-old has come on leaps and bounds under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, as the forward spearheaded the Villans charge into the Champions League with 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season.

Ollie Watkins now be considered one of the Premier League’s best strikers and is the leading candidate to back up Harry Kane for England.

8. Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting and Sweden)

Seasoned Championship-watchers knew that Viktor Gyokeres was a talent after a pair of prolific seasons at Coventry City, but it’s fair to say that a 43-goal season for Sporting was not on many people’s bingo cards this year.

After having the season of his life, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see the 26-year-old back in English football soon, this time at the top end of the Premier League.

7. Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea)

He may have lost his partner in crime this summer after Harry Kane upped sticks for the Bundesliga, but Son hasn't been phased by this, as he assumed the striker position and the captaincy at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou.

The 31-year-old is suited to the Australian’s style of play and as he gets set for a tenth season in north London, should now be in the conversation when it comes to the Premier League’s greatest foreign imports.

6. Lautaro Martinez

Lautaro Martinez is well on his way to becoming an Inter Milan legend after skippering the San Siro side to the Serie A title this year, ending the season eight goals clear of his nearest rival at the top of the league’s goalscoring charts.

Has that intensity and tenacity that fans love to see in their players and will be looking to win a third major honour with Argentina this summer at the Copa America.

5. Alexander Isak (Newcastle United and Sweden)

While he didn’t come cheap at £63 million, Newcastle United hit the jackpot with Alexander Isak, who has matured into one of the best strikers in the world during his two seasons so far at St James’ Park.

With 25 goals this season, Isak is arguably the Magpies’ best striker since Alan Shearer, with a style that is more than reminiscent of another Premier League legend in Thierry Henry. Newcastle may well have to fend off bids for the Swede this summer.

4. Victor Osimhen (Napoli and Nigeria)

Another player for whom it’s difficult to talk about without throwing forward to the future, given just how many rumours there are circulating about where the Nigerian will be playing next.

Victor Osimhen didn’t quite hit the same heights this season as he did during Napoli’s unforgettable Serie A-winning 2022/23 campaign, but he did squeeze an Africa Cup of Nations run to the final in on his way to a 17-goal season. It’s easy to see why plenty of Europe’s big hitters want to sign him, as his energy, skills and finishing ability will make him a success in any of Europe’s big leagues.

3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)

For most human beings, a return of 38 goals would mark a brilliant season, but for Erling Haaland it was the footballing equivalent of that difficult second-album syndrome following his historic first season with Manchester City.

If nothing else, the Leeds-born Norwegian has shown us he is human after all following missed chances like the one in the Manchester derby, but this relative drop-off is in relation to his own barely-believable standards.

2. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France)

It’s been a somewhat strange season for Kylian Mbappe, as it became clear early on that he was ready to let his contract tick down and finally seal that long-awaited move to Real Madrid.

Yes, he topped the Ligue 1 scoring chart by a mile and yes, Paris Saint-Germain eased to a third straight title, but you get the feeling everyone was waiting for what was about to happen. Mbappe now heads to Euro 2024 with the ink on his mega-bucks Madrid deal still wet, knowing that a strong showing will put him as a favourite for the Ballon d’Or, while the rest of the footballing world is getting ready to see just how Carlo Ancelotti’s stacked attacking line-up with look next season.

Given what the France skipper has achieved already, it’s easy to forget that Mbappe is still only 25 and the rest of Europe will have to face up to the fact he will enter his peak years at the Bernabeu.

1. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

The England captain’s wait for a major trophy goes on after Bayern Munich finished the season empty-handed for the first time in a decade, but it would be churlish to blame Kane for the German side blanking. Kane had the most prolific season of his career, netting 44 times for Bayern as he fully justified his €100 million price tag.

It is clear that 30-year-old Kane is in the prime years of his career, a point he has underlined this season by removing himself from his north London comfort zone and seamlessly adapting to a new league and culture.

And could that first major trophy come later this summer? England know they cannot afford to waste their all-time leading goalscorers’ peak years if they are to finally end their title drought.