23 Most On-Form Strikers in World Football Right Now

Here at B/R World Football, we tend to complain a lot about strikers being off-form and not doing their job. But do we ever credit them for being on-form?

Not enough in my opinion. You'll find the occasional "best forwards in world football right now" or "best strikers" lists, but those generally talk about the same top 10 or 20 forwards or strikers who are the most recognized and accomplished in world football.

Here, we're going to do something different and give the guys who've been scoring goals recently a chance to shine. Hopefully, you should be able to recognize the majority, if not all, of the strikers on this list, but if you don't, it's about time you did.

After all, they are the most on-form strikers in world football right now.

Diego Milito

We'll start with the inspiration for this slideshow: Diego Milito.

Last year, Diego Milito endured a mountain of criticism for looking like a shell of his monster 2009-10 form under Jose Mourinho.

After picking up the UEFA Club Forward of the Year and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year awards in 2009-10, Milito had a down year and became an icon and target for Inter's failures last season.

He hasn't been at his best for much of this season either, but it seems that Claudio Ranieri has worked some of his magic to bring the best back out of Milito.

In his last five league matches, Milito has scored eight goals. Four of those came in Inter's 4-4 draw with Palermo this past Wednesday, in a match Ranieri called "an advert for football."

Here's to hoping Diego Milito keeps bagging goals and returns to his form he showed under Jose Mourinho.

Fabricio Miccoli

Diego Milito wasn't the only striker bagging goals in the Inter Milan and Palermo matchup Wednesday. Milito may have bagged four goals, but Fabricio Miccoli did pretty well for himself too, bagging three.

Palermo have had a modest season, but over the last three games, Miccoli has taken matters into his own hands to will his team to victory.

In a 5-3 win over Genoa, Miccoli scored one goal and assisted three. He followed that performance up with two assists in a 2-0 win over Novara. And then, as we all know, he followed that up with a hat trick against Inter.

All that makes four goals and five assists in three games. Is there any player—never mind striker—who is as active on the stat sheet as Miccoli right now?

A couple of interesting stats to note as well: Earlier this season, Palermo and Inter Milan also racked up the score, with Palermo just shading Inter four goals to three.

Miccoli had great performance that day, scoring two and assisting on another, while Milito bagged two for Inter.

If only Italy hadn't exiled Miccoli from the national team. There's no telling how different things could've been at the 2010 World Cup, or what he could've brought to the squad for Euro 2012.

Antonio Di Natale

Is this guy ever off-form? 

At the age of 34, Antonio Di Natale's ability to continue to light up the goal-scoring charts is nothing short of remarkable. He won the Serie A Top Scorer award for 2010 and 2011, and the way he's playing, it looks like he's on his way to a three-peat.

Despite the loss of star forward Alexis Sanchez, Udinese haven't lost a beat with Di Natale's excellent form. The striker has scored in every competition he's played in this season, and presently has 19 goals and four assists to his name in 25 games.

Udinese sit in third place currently, a remarkable feat for a team whose budget is badly dwarfed by their competitors for a top-three spot (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma, Napoli, Lazio).

Sitting only three points behind title leaders Juventus, Udinese are very much in the hunt. Will they win it? Unlikely, but you can bet that Di Natale will continue banging in goals and carrying his team to success.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

It seems that almost every Serie A team doing well has a world-class forward driving them forward. At this rate, we might not get to talk about any strikers outside of Italy!

Everyone knows Zlatan Ibrahimovic, so I don't think too much background primer is needed here. In any case, it's his form, not his reputation, which earns him a spot here.

With 15 goals in 18 appearances, Ibrahimovic is right up there with Di Natale in the race for the top scorer award. Ibrahimovic has also scored in every competition he's played in, giving him an impressive 21 goals in only 26 appearances.

Of course, the downside to Ibrahimovic with any team is what I like to call the "Ibrahimovic effect": whenever the Swede fails to score, Milan suffers. In games where Ibrahimovic hasn't scored, Milan are 2-1-3.

Luckily for Milan, Ibrahimovic scores pretty often, and when he does, Milan have only lost once in 19 games this season (to Barcelona).

Sounds like a good trade-off to me.

Miroslav Klose

When Miroslav Klose signed with Lazio this summer on a free transfer, many expected next to nothing out of him. He had had an awful season with Bayern Munich, and was playing outside Germany professionally for the first time at the age of 33.

But Klose quickly silenced the doubters and has been a huge reason why Lazio are flying high in fourth place right now, just five points behind title leaders Juventus.

He's not been as hot as the previous four guys on this list as of late, but six goals in six games is surely nothing to scoff at.

And that's not including his most recent international friendly, where he was instrumental in the dismantling of the Netherlands, scoring once and assisting two in a 3-0 win over the Dutch.

Keep on proving the doubters wrong Klose.

Rodrigo Palacio

I have never understood, nor will ever understand, why Rodrigo Palacio insists on having a very strange, skinny ponytail on the back of his head. Someone please tell him to get rid of it.

Luckily for Palacio, his ability to put the ball in the back of the net more than compensates for his ridiculous hairstyle. Palacio has scored 11 goals for Genoa this season, but more importantly, has scored six goals in his last four matches, which is what earns him a spot on this list.

Genoa aren't having a great season by their standards, but were it not for Palacio, they could be much worse off.

Stevan Jovetic

Everyone's favorite Montenegrin (well, second favorite if you're a fan of Mirko Vucinic) has returned in impressive fashion after a year out of the beautiful game.

This season has been a season of upheaval at Fiorentina, with Delio Rossi still trying to put his stamp on his squad and Alberto Gilardino moving to Genoa, but that hasn't stopped Stevan Jovetic from scoring creating magic on the pitch.

Five goals and two assists in his last five games has earned Fiorentina three wins and a draw, and gives Jovetic a deserved place on this list.

Edinson Cavani

I tried hard to resist the urge to include Edinson Cavani, but in the end, I couldn't.

Cavani has scored only three goals in five league games since the start of the new year, but his two-goal match-winning performance to knock Inter Milan out of the Coppa Italia was too good for me to overlook.

He's not reached the heights he hit last season with Napoli, but his performance against Inter was a reminder that on his day, Cavani is still one of the most fearsome strikers in the world.

And five goals in six matches isn't too bad, right?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

I have no intention to make this slideshow about Messi and Ronaldo, so I've included them in the same slide to get this out of the way.

With a ridiculous 31 goals to his name already, Ronaldo is well on track to match last season's total. The fact that Ronaldo has maintained a near 1:1 games-to-goals ratio through two-and-a-half seasons now is completely insane.

He hasn't been on fire recently, scoring "only" four goals in his last five matches, but when you take into consideration that two of those matches were against Barcelona, that's still pretty good for the Portugal captain.

As for Messi, the little Argentine is in the midst of his own spectacular season, and with 36 goals and 17 assists to his name already, who knows what out-of-this-world numbers he'll end with.

However, he's scored only two goals in his last seven matches, which may have Barcelona fans a little worried, and we've actually witnessed a spell of pretty bad form from Barca's Argentinian wizard.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he bounces back with a mountain of goals, though.

I've always said that Ronaldo and Messi play on another level, and a quick look at their numbers easily attests to that. 

Moving back to the strikers from this planet...

Fernando Llorente

If only this guy would agree to a move to Spurs. If only...

Showing a kind of loyalty unheard of in this day and age, Fernando Llorente has snubbed numerous transfer offers from the world's best to remain with modest Athletic Bilbao. 

In his last two matches, Fernando Llorente has scored five goals. Against Rayo Vallecano, Llorente scored a hat trick to give Bilbao a 3-2 win, and against CD Mirandes, Llorente scored two in a 2-1 win to put Bilbao firmly in the driver's seat of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

People often say that La Liga is all about Real Madrid and Barcelona, and for the most part they're right. But to think that La Liga lacks quality strikers outside its top two would be to overlook one of the best target men in the game today, Fernando Llorente.

Mario Gomez

If we're using the high standards set by this list's Italian forwards, then Mario Gomez has not been really on-form. But given that he is the Bundesliga's top scorer and has scored four goals in four games, we'll give him the honors this time.

Mario Gomez's record of 23 goals in 23 domestic and Champions League games makes him look much more efficient than he actually is.

In reality, Mario Gomez has two hat tricks against Napoli and FC Kaiserslautern, as well as a four-goal salvo against SC Freiburg, to thank for such a great stat line.

Regardless, Mario Gomez is one of the top five strikers in the world today, and possibly the best modern target man in the game.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

It's crazy how football works sometimes. Subpar seasons with Real Madrid, Milan and Schalke had all of us convinced that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was a good, but not world-class center-forward.

Yet this season, Huntelaar has proven us all wrong, proving that he is indeed one of the best strikers in the game. 

Due to Huntelaar's 16 goals and eight assists in 18 games, Schalke are level with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich on points, with only goal differential seperating the three.

In addition, Huntelaar has scored 11 goals in the DFB-Pokal and Europa League, though once again, as with Gomez, it must be stated that this is an inflated total due to two four-goal performances; Huntelaar is notorious for taking advantage of weak teams.

Nevertheless, 27 goals and 11 assists in 29 is simply amazing no matter which way you frame it, and Huntelaar's four goals and six assists in his last five games is more than good enough to justify a spot on this list.

Lukas Podolski

Arsenal fans, you may want to skip past this slide.

Podolski has been absolutely on fire this season, and, as usual, is one of the few reasons why FC Koln are not Bundesliga bottom-dwellers right now.

With 15 goals in 18 games, with five in his last five, Podolski has finally proven that he can indeed produce on the domestic level, and not just internationally.

Oh, and just as proof of FC Koln's lack of quality, here's the team's record when Podolski fails to score or assist on goal: zero wins, zero draws, seven losses.

Robert Lewandowski

Football can be a cruel sport at times. Last season, Lucas Barrios was bagging the goals for Borussia Dortmund's title challenge.

But an injury to Barrios opened the door for Robert Lewandowski, and after a slow start, his performances convinced Jurgen Klopp to make Lewandowski his new starting center-forward.

Lewandowski has yet to prove to be a true world-class talent, but then again neither did Lucas Barrios and Borussia Dortmund managed to win the title anyway.

Lewandowski's job is to hold up the ball and score, and he's done so well Borussia Dortmund is tied atop the leaderboards.

Eighteen goals and nine assists in 29 matches are the seasonal numbers for Lewandowski, and he has four goals and two assists in his last three, earning him a selection ib this list.

Marco Reus

Arsenal fans, this might be another slide to skip past.

Marco Reus' talent has been endlessly talked up and hyped up ever since it was revealed that Arsene Wenger had contacted Borussia Monchengladbach manager Lucien Favre about the possibility of signing Reus. 

Unfortunately, that story didn't end the way Wenger and Arsenal fans would've wished.

Reus' numbers aren't the most spectacular on this list, but they're still good enough to make the cut.

In his last three games, he's recorded two goals and three assists, and if you go back to his last seven, the kid has nine goals and three assists, a stretch in which Borussia Monchengladbach has won all seven of their games.

Raul

What? Raul?

At Schalke, Raul has become more about leadership and less about goal-scoring. Nevertheless, his 10 goals in 18 league appearances this year show that he's most definitely still got it.

He recorded a hat trick in Schalke's recent 5-0 rout of Werder Bremen, and his goal and assist in the two prior contests prove he's not nearly done with the game of football just yet.

Robin Van Persie

Introducing the man who has been at the heart of nearly every Arsenal victory this season: Robin van Persie.

Again, with the attention Van Persie recieves, there's no reason for me to indulge in his accomplishments here. Twenty-five goals in 30 games should say it all anyway.

Having led Arsenal's FA Cup comeback against Aston Villa with two goals, and having scored in two out of Arsenal's last three league matches, I think it's pretty safe to say RVP is in good form (as he has been practically all season).

Demba Ba

Demba Ba has been widely acknowledged as the best EPL transfer bargain of summer 2011, and it's easy to see why.

Fifteen goals in 19 EPL matches for Newcastle United has been the biggest reason why Newcastle, whose top priority at the start of the season was to avoid relegation, are currently very solid contenders for Europe.

Before he left for Senegal's disasterous Africa Cup of Nations campaign, Ba scored four goals in his last four matches, including a goal in a massive upset win over Manchester United.

Darren Bent

With his goal against QPR on Wednesday, Darren Bent became the 21st player ever to join the EPL 100-goal club.

To be honest, I was shocked, because I was under the impression that he was having a bad season. But there's no denying it, his four goals in Aston Villa's last five matches are evidence enough that he is indeed in good form.

Clint Dempsey

The American record-breaker just can't stop scoring.

He may not have gotten the big-money January transfer he deserved, and his team may have been knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton, but his seven goals against Newcastle, Charlton and West Brom actually make him the hottest EPL forward on this list.

Let's hope he carries on this form to the USMNT when international fixtures pick up again.

Craig Bellamy

Craig Bellamy has hardly lit up the goal-scoring charts this season. In fact, his nine goals probably make him the lowest scoring striker on this list.

But the dynamism that he has brought to Liverpool is clear and has been crucial in important victories over Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But in case you were worried about me focusing on overall ability for one player, and only goals for the other guys on this list, fret not—Bellamy's three goals in his last three starts proves he's still an able scorer.

Olivier Giroud

In a league notorious for its lack of out-and-out goalscorers (and its low-scoring matches), Olivier Giroud stands far ahead of the rest of the France's Ligue 1 strikers with 15 goals to his name.

In fact, Montpellier value Giroud's services so highly that when Arsenal inquired about his services, they were quoted an outrageous fee of £42 million. Needless to say, Wenger quickly moved on.

The guy is very consistent though, and has been crucial in turning Montpellier into Paris Saint-Germain's biggest title rivals. He's scored three goals in Montpellier's last three, including a winner against Lyon.

Nevertheless, I'd be highly surprised if Giroud was still with Montpellier next season, and anticipate a move abroad in the summer for the promising Frenchman.

Notable Omissions

-Seydou Doumbia: I considered including the African striker, but considering he hasn't played in the Russian Premier League since the end of November and has yet to score at the Africa Cup of Nations, it didn't seem right to call him an "on-form" striker.

-Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema: Quite simply, neither striker is "on-form." An argument could be made for Benzema, since he has racked up the assists lately, but assists are not goals. Higuain just hasn't been on form lately, and his performance against Barcelona was below par (as usual).

-Radamel Falcao abd Roberto Soldado: Same story as Benzema and Higuain. Both are great strikers but have not bagged enough goals lately to justify an inclusion on the list.

Is there anyone you think I missed or didn't mention on the list? Anyone on the list that shouldn't have been included?

Make your opinion known in the comments section below, and thanks for reading.