World Football: Top Ten Forwards Over The Past Decade
Over the last decade, we have seen some great football.
Several great players have propped up and dazzled fans all over the globe.
Goals are normally the most interesting part of a game. It makes the game more interesting and opens up the game. This is why the people who score the goals are adored and worshiped by the fans.
In this article, I will be looking at the top 10 forwards throughout Europe over the past decade.
I hope to have selected the most consistent, talented and successful forwards in the world.
If you think I have missed out anything, please feel free to comment.
Lionel Messi
1 of 10
Goals: 158
Many may feel that Lionel Messi is not a forward and hence does not deserve a mention.
But I’m of the opinion that he is a forward, so I have gone ahead and put him on the list.
Right now there is no doubt that Messi is the world’s best player and he is playing some scintillating, beautiful football.
When playing, Messi is simply poetry in motion.
He is quick with the ball in his feet, can get past any defense and has a fantastic finish to top it all off.
Over the last five years he has won numerous trophies with Barcelona and several more individually.
Lionel Messi is a two-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner.
Over the last four to five years he has cemented his place as one of the world’s best forwards.
Messi has scored a massive 158 goals in 241 matches for Barcelona. In the last two seasons alone Messi has managed a whooping 85 goals.
He has been supremely consistent and has delivered the goods consistently over the last decade.
Messi right now is unstoppable and can rip apart any defense.
David Villa
2 of 10
Goals: 237
Over the past decade, David Villa has established himself as one of the most feared strikers in the world.
Villa has been deadly not only at club level but on the international stage.
He is the all-time top scorer for the Spanish National team, level with Raul and is on the verge of overtaking him.
Villa was immensely successful for club Sporting Gijon scoring 40 goals in two seasons before moving to Real Zaragoza, with whom he scored 41 goals in two seasons.
But he really shot to prominence during his stay at Valencia, where he became one of the La Liga’s deadliest strikers.
He managed an impressive 129 goals during his five-year stay.
In 2010, Villa was signed by Barcelona.
He picked up from where he left off with Valencia and has found the net 14 times this season.
Villa possesses great technique with a brilliant first touch. He is sharp in front of the goal and can not only score goals but can also set them up.
A great player to have in your team, Villa is easily one of the best strikers right now.
Thierry Henry
3 of 10
Goals: 251
Signed by former manager Wenger from Juventus, Henry's Arsenal career got off to a poor start as he failed to score in his first eight games.
But since then there has been no looking back.
In which ever formation he played, Henry could not stop scoring.
Arsenal's top scorer, he racked up 226 goals in 380 games for the Gunners. During his stay with Arsenal, he became one of the most feared strikers in England and Europe.
Henry's pace, surprising strength and calm and cool finishing made him difficult to control and stop.
He led Arsenal to numerous trophies and won several trophies himself, including the Premier League Golden Boot an impressive four times.
He was an integral part of the Arsenal side that went unbeaten for an entire season and dominated English football.
Henry then moved to Barcelona, where he notched up 49 goals in three seasons. He was a main part of the Barcelona side who achieved the unprecedented sextuple.
He may be past his prime now, but during his days he was one of the world’s best strikers.
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Ruud Van Nistelrooy
4 of 10
Goals: 235
The second-highest scorer in the Champions League, Ruud van Nistelrooy has been immensely consistent for the clubs he has played for.
Whether on the international or the domestic front, Nistelrooy has always been among the goals and has found the net consistently.
During his five-year spell at United, he managed 150 goals and was their all-time highest scorer in European competitions with 38 goals from a mere 47 appearances.
He continued his impressive scoring form with Real Madrid scoring 64 goals in 96 games and won the prestigious Pichichi Trophy in his first season with the Spanish giants.
Despite being 34, he still manages to net regularly with his present club Hamburg SV.
He has scored 16 times in 34 matches and shows no sign of slowing down.
Even internationally he has been extremely successful scoring 33 goals in the past decade.
Raul
5 of 10
Goals: 203
One of the greatest Spanish players of all time, Raul is one of the greatest players to don the jersey of Real Madrid.
After moving from rivals Atletico Madrid, Raul went to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the world.
He is the all-time top scorer for the Spanish national side, tied along with David Villa. He has scored 29 goals for his country over the past decade.
During his stay with Madrid, he won the Pichichi twice in 1999 and 2001. He helped Madrid to six La Liga titles and an impressive three UEFA Champions League trophies.
He is Madrid’s all-time top scorer and was one of their most valuable and consistent players before his transfer to Schalke 04 in 2010.
Even with the German side he has been superb, scoring 11 times already this season.
A truly great player.
Didier Drogba
6 of 10
Goals: 211
Big, strong and physical, Didier Drogba is an absolute beast when on the pitch.
Signed by Chelsea from Marseille back in 2004 for $24 million, Drogba has been worth every single penny.
During his stay at Chelsea, Drogba has established himself as one of the most feared and deadly strikers in Europe.
Drogba makes great use of his strength and physique to outmuscle defenders and tear apart defenses.
With Chelsea, he has made it a habit to score several vital and important goals for the Blues and has helped them to numerous victories.
He has scored in the Carling Cup and FA Cup finals and helped Chelsea to lift many trophies.
Even internationally, Drogba has had a lot of success and has managed 45 goals for his country, Ivory Coast, and is their captain.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
7 of 10
Goals: 193
Zlatan Ibrahimovic currently holds the record for the second-highest transfer fee in football history when he was signed by Barcelona from Inter Milan.
Although his spell at Barcelona was not all that successful, he has been one of the world’s most consistent strikers over the past decade.
During his spells at Ajax, Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan, Ibrahimovic has found the back of the net consistently and has scored some really good goals.
He won the Golden Boot with Inter Milan in 2009 and was instrumental as they won three consecutive Serie A titles.
Now he plays for their rivals, AC Milan, after moving on a loan deal to the Italian giants from Barcelona during the summer of 2010.
He seems to have resurrected his career and has been key in their climb to the top of the table.
He may have his critics, but Ibrahimovic on his day can get past any defense and score goals for fun.
Samuel Eto'o
8 of 10
Goals: 232
One of the greatest African footballers of all time, Eto’o has been one of the world’s most feared and deadly strikers over the past decade.
He has won three UEFA Champions League titles, two with Barcelona and one with Inter Milan. He has scored in both finals with Barcelona.
The Real Madrid reject has been phenomenal this season especially and is making Barcelona regret their decision to sell Eto'o two years back.
He was instrumental in Inter’s run to the final last season and has scored 25 goals already this season.
His pace, smart link up play and composed finishing make him a real threat. Eto'o possesses the ability to run defenses ragged and can terrorize any defense.
Even internationally he has been brilliant, scoring 49 goals for his country, Cameroon.
Ronaldo
9 of 10
Goals: 155
Arguably one of the greatest strikers of all time, Ronaldo may be past his prime, but in his day he could torment any defense.
The all-time top scorer in the FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo has managed 26 goals in the past decade for Brazil.
During his prime, there were none better than Ronaldo when it came to scoring goals. In the last few years he might have struggled to recapture the form that made him such a phenomenon.
But over the last couple of years, he has been playing fairly well for his current club, Corinthians, and has notched up 35 goals for the Brazilian side.
He has struggled a bit with injuries and has had some health issues, but when he is fit there is no stopping the Brazilian magician.
Cristiano Ronaldo
10 of 10
Goals: 187
One of the best players right now, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most talented and gifted footballers to graze the planet.
Whether it is with Real Madrid or with Manchester United, Ronaldo has dazzled and scored some truly remarkable goals.
A master of the free kick, Ronaldo has made it a habit to score some stunning goals via free kicks.
Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Sporting Lisbon as a youngster, Ronaldo has won numerous awards, including the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
With Manchester United, he blossomed into a goal machine, including a great 2007-08 season where he notched up a brilliant 42 goals.
Following his $80 million-fee transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid, Ronaldo has continued to dazzle in the Spanish La Liga.
He has justified his expensive fee and has been scoring for fun in Real Madrid. This season alone he has already scored a breathtaking 31 goals and is currently the top scorer in the La Liga.
Ronaldo is only 25, so he still can improve a lot and continue to take giant leaps forward.
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