10 Hottest Strikers in World Football Right Now

All strikers blow hot and cold. Sometimes they're scoring for fun, and sometimes they can't pass into an empty net from two yards.

This slide show is not designed to highlight the "best" strikers, but those in the hottest form who just can't stop scoring right now.

Maybe their streaks will end this week. Maybe they'll run all season. Either way, defenders lining up against these men in the near future will be worried.

10. Bas Dost

Bas Dost has scored 26 goals in 27 games for Dutch side Heerenveen this season, including five in one Eredivisie match against Excelsior.

The 22-year-old Dutch forward has played internationally at the Under-21 level, but he is yet to represent the senior side.

9. Rodrigo Palacio

Rodrigo Palacio has scored nine in his last nine games for Genoa in Serie A, most recently popping up with a late double to deny Parma in a 2-2 draw.

The Argentine has been their most important player this season, with 14 goals from his 20 appearances in Italy's top flight.

8. Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero had a barren January, but the Manchester City striker is very much back in goals in February.

Aguero has scored four in his last five, and his Premier League haul is now up to 16 in 25 games.

Aguero's continued form is key to City's title push, and his goals could prove a defining factor in their run.

7. Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is the leading marksman in France this season, with 16 goals in 24 games in Ligue 1 for Montpellier.

French international Giroud has scored two hat tricks in that haul, helping his team to the top of table and attracting no shortage of interest from other clubs along the way.

Here's a recent report from The Week that links him to Arsenal.

6. Antonio Di Natale

Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale has been Serie A's top scorer for the past two seasons, and it looks like he might make it a hat trick.

Di Natale has scored nine in his last nine games and has 18 in 23 games in Italy's top league for the 2011-12 campaign.

He could feature for Italy against the U.S. men's national team on Wednesday night.

5. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has been in sizzling form for Schalke this season. The Dutchman has scored 18 goals in the Bundesliga and helped himself to a hat trick his last time out in the Europa League.

His partnership with Raul has produced 29 goals for the German side and prompted much speculation concerning the futures of both men this summer.

Huntelaar is part of the Netherlands squad set to take on England on Wednesday night.

4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on course to win a ninth straight league title with AC Milan this season—spread across five teams and three countries.

The Swede has scored 15 times in Serie A and five times in the Champions League, most recently from the penalty spot in Milan's 4-0 rout of Arsenal.

He really is as good as he thinks he is.

3. Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie is the Premier League's leading scorer this season, with 23 goals in just 26 appearances for Arsenal.

The Dutchman's total haul is 31 in 40 starts for the 2011-12 campaign, which includes two on international duty.

RVP is in the form of his life right now, and Arsenal will be desperate to keep him this summer. To do so, they'll surely need to secure Champions League football.

Even that might not be enough.

2. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has once again been in prolific form for Barcelona this season.

He's scored a ridiculous 28 goals in 24 La Liga games, and he helped himself to five hat tricks along the way.

Messi isn't an out-and-out striker, but his knack for finding space and making runs at the right time, not to mention the quality of the teammates around him, ensures he has plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his natural finishing abilities.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one goal ahead of Lionel Messi in the La Liga scoring charts, with 29 from his 24 appearances this season.

The Real Madrid superstar has failed to score in just one of his last nine games for Madrid, and he's collected a ridiculous six hat tricks in the 2011-12 campaign.