World Football: Ranking the 5 Best Forwards of All Time (Based on Goals Scored)
Forward players play at the head of their teams, often instructed to score goals, or create opportunities for their midfield counterparts. Forwards can be fast, can be tall, shot skilful, or even physically strong. Every forward has his own distinctive style, but only the very best of forwards are one of the most prolific in history.
In the end, the point of the forward is to score goals. Goals are therefore, an accurate measure of a forward's ability. The one flaw in this respect is the tactical differences between era( In the 30's, the emphasis was scoring with 5 forwards being the norm. In contrast, the 66 world cup winners England were very defensive as a team, with focus on emphasis and work-rate).
The following list will rank the best forwards of all time based on goals scored in official matches.
5: Gerd Muller(Germany and Bayern Munich)-735 Goals
1 of 5Der Bomber was one of the best strikers in the history of the game. He has been described as "Lethal" by many football legends of past and present. The scored 68 goals in 62 internationals for Germany, an impeccable record. Indeed, the zenith of his career came in the early and the mid '70's, where hewas in scintillating form for both club and country;
In 1972, German coach Helmut Schon was in charge of the German national side, fresh from the dissapointment of losing to a Gianni Rivera-inspired Italy in 1970. The side now had creative genius Gunter Netzer of Borussia Monchengladbach in the side, along with inspirational captain(and central defender/ libero) Beckenbauer.The last jewel of the team was Gerd Muller, who was coming out of a great season with Bayern Munich( being a hugely prolific scporer since his breakout season in 1966) ,and , by scoring 10 goals at World Cup 1970, had established himself as Europe's best marksman.
His crowning glories were yet to come. In 1972, an expectant German team headed off to the European Championships, having defeated England in the second round of qualifying ( where Muller scored 7 of Germany's 10 goals), and was one of the stars of the tournament, and he ended top scorer, scoring 4 out of 5 of Germany's goals. Furthermore, he managed to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 1969, 1972, 1973 and 1974.
1974 was Muller's most successful year in football. Firstly, he won the European Champion's Cup and Bundesliga( scoring 7 times in the competition, including a brace in the second leg of the final against Atletico de Madrid). He also won the World Cup on home soil with a West Germany side devoid of Netzer, instead opting for a more reliable Overath. During this tournament, he scored 4 goals.
He also won the European Champions's cup in 1975 and in 1976.
Muller's goalscoring record stands as such:
"Müller was short, squat, awkward-looking and not notably fast; he never fit the conventional idea of a great footballer, but he had lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts. His short legs gave him a strangely low center of gravity, so he could turn quickly and with perfect balance in spaces and at speeds that would cause other players to fall over. He also had a knack of scoring in unlikely situations." - David Winner, Brilliant Orange.
4: Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Real Madrid)-746 Goals
2 of 5The Hungarian is one of the best players of all time. Born in 1927 in Hungary, the football philosophy he grew up with was introduced by the Lancastrian Jimmy Hogan. He started his football career at Kispest FC, and quickly established himself as one of the best footballers in Hungary. He was there when the new Budapest Honved was formed, when the army took over Kispest.
He is perhaps best remembered for his years at Honved, where he played for the Hungarian national team with one of the greatest teams in any era of football history( Kocsis, Hidekguti,Grosics etc). The Mighty Magyars are best recognized for their 6-3 defeat of long- undefeated England at Wembley, leaving the entirety of the football world watching in awe. The English press unanimously congratulated the Hungarians on not only defeating the English, but also giving their old fashioned long-ball game a template with free-flowing, attacking football.
The Hungarian national side had won the Olympics in 1952, and the Central European Championship in 1973. The cards were on the table for Hungary to win the biggest prize of football: The World Cup. The Galloping Major lead his Magyars to the final , where they faced underdogs west Germany. They had already defeated West Germany 8-3 in the group stage prior to this.
West Germany, had improved steadily as the tournament progressed, eventually perceived to be riding their luck. The unanimous nature of the resignation to West Germany's defeat doubtless inspired the Germans during the pre-match build-up. This was further compounded by the news by the news that Puskas was to play, although not fully fit.
The match began as per predictions, with Ferenc Puskas and Zoltan Czibor scoring twice in the 6th and 8th minutes, respectively. However, Max Morlock got one back for the Germans in the 10th minute and Helmut Rahn scored two in the 18th and the 84th minutes. Germany had found the Mighty Magyars wanting at the last hurdle.
Hungary returned home to jeers, with even the hero Puskas being ridiculed. Soon after, the soviets complicated matters by their takeover of Hungary . Puskas then wanted to escape from Hungary. He eventually made his way to Real Madrid, still with their old stars Alfredo Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa as well as Gento.
Puskas realized that he was not as good as he used to be and allowed Alfredo di Stefano to lead the squad and was content to play a lieutenant to Di Stefano's general. He was destined to go out with one last hurrah, as he won three European Cups with Real Madrid( in 1959, in 1960 and in 1966). He played in only one final of those three wins. He played in the 7-3 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt , where he scored four goals.
Puskas was a flair footballer, a typical Number 10. He shot with power. His passing was exqusite, and he was adept at making runs off the ball, as the Mighty Magyars were famous for doing.
3: Pele (Santos and Brazil)-767 Goals
3 of 5Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Tres Coraces in Brazil. His father, Dondinho was a professional footballer until injury curtailed his career. Dondinho taught the young Dico, as he was then known, two important things. He was taught how to keep his balance by playing on hard grounds, where the occasional bump was easy for Pele to circumvent. His amazing was also complemented by his excellent ball control.
Young Pele was noticed by a scout called Waldemar de Brito, an old Brazil international, who had missed a penalty for Brazil against Spain in the 1934 world Cup. Soon after de Brito noticed the boy's undeniable talent, Pele joined Santos, de Brito's old club. At the age of 16, he was called into the team and became the league's top scorer.
Pele's stock continued to rise as the now 17-year old Pele was called to the Brazil squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. The young prodigy was one of the players of the tournament as Brazil won their first World Cup in 1958. They beat Sweden in the final 5-2, with Pele getting a goal.
He won the Campeonato Paulista in 1958, as well as the Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963. He won the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963. He won the Brazilian First Division 10 times.Pele went to the 1962 world cup in Chile being in the best form of his career. He, however had an injury which prevented him from competing in a large part of the tournament.
In the 1970 World Cup, Brazil had Jairzinho and Pele and Tostao and their playmaker, Gerson. The Coach was Mario Zagallo, the tricky winger from the 1962 World Cup. Brazil then charged to the World Cup 1970 final and won the World Cup.
He was an all round central forward, adept at passing and assisting, balance, and could anticipation of the other player's on the pitch.
2: Romario( Barcelona and Brazil)-771 Goals
4 of 5Romario da Faria Souza was a Brazilian striker, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time Romario, playing in Brazil, was noticed by PSV scouts. He signed for PSV in 1988. His erstwhile manager at PSV, Sir Bobby Robson complained about his work ethic, but pointed to his scintillating performances in matches.
For four out of his five seasons at PSV, he was the top scorer in the Dutch League. He played 108 times in the Eredivisie, scoring 98 times. He was also the top scorer in the Dutch Cup in 1989 and 1990. The UEFA Champions League top scorer in 1990 and 1993 was also Romario.
After his trophy-laden tenure at PSV( he won several domestic titles, the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruijff Schaal),he signed for Barcelona. This was a Golden era at Barcelona, with Johan Cruijff as their manager. This was a team that boasted Koeman, Ferrer, Guardiola and the Bulgarian striker Stoichkov (who was to become Romario's strike partner), a team which had won the European Cup in 1992. A "Dream Team".
Big things were expected of Romario as he moved to Barcelona in 1993, and rightly so. The Brazilian had established himself as one of the best marksmen in Europe. His first season at Barcelona was eventful, to say the least. Naturally, he was the top scorer in La Liga. He also led Barcelona to the Champions League final against Milan, where they lost 4-0. This earned him the accolade of World Player of the year.
After the 1993-94 season, Romario was called up for the Brazilian squad for USA '94. This was undoubtedly the zenith of Romario's career. He scored 5 goals at USA '94, and it was Romario's late goal against Sweden that led Brazil to the final, which they won 3-2 on penalties against Italy. He was named the player of the tournament by FIFA.
After his tenure at Barcelona, he moved to Flamengo in 1995. After spending a year at Flamengo, he went to Valencia. He went back to Flamengo, and then back to Valencia. During this period, he was top scorer in many Brazilian cup competitions and leagues.
The twilight of his international career was in 1997, where he won the Copa America and the Confederations Cup. The moniker "Ro-Ro" was given to his productive partnership with compatriot Ronaldo, who also went to Barcelona from PSV. He scored three goals during the Copa America and seven during the Confederations Cup. He was named the second best player at the Confederations Cup (Silver Ball), and he was top scorer.
Diego Maradona stated in his autobiography Yo soy El Diego, described Romário as an "incredible finisher" adding that he had not seen a striker like him, and mentioning that Romário would be in his all-time "dream team" without any hesitation.
1. Josef Bican (Austria) -805 Goals
5 of 5Bican was an Austrian who spent most of his career in Slavia Prague. Before his tenure at Slavia Prague, he scored 123 goals in 92 games. For Slavia Prague, he scored 395 goals in 217 games. Josef Bican was also an Austrian international, and he scored 19 in 19. He also played for Czechoslovakia and Bohemia and Moravia, scoring 15 in 15.
He was also a member of Hugo Meisl's Austrian Wunderteam, which reached the semifinal of the 1934 World Cup, losing to Germany.
He scored 607 goals in 407 league games. His overall official record stands at 805 goals in 530 games.
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