Ranking the 5 best finishers in world football since 2010
Clinical finishing is a quality that is of utmost importance in the world of football. Having a good finisher elevates a team and being clinical in front of goal directly determines a team's ability to convert goalscoring opportunities into tangible results.
Finishing is an art and producing precise and calculated strikes is quite a difficult task, especially at the highest level of the game. Some elite strikers have managed to master the art and sustain their prolific goalscoring ability at the very top for extensive periods.
These strikers have been able to convert half-chances into goals regularly and give their sides the edge on a consistent basis. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best finishers in world football since 2010.
#5 Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is widely regarded as one of the finest centre-forwards of the modern era. The iconic French marksman has combined technical qualities with composure and spatial awareness to become one of the most prolific strikers of the 21st century.
His finishing has been world-class, particularly in recent years and has showcased the ability to score from various positions and angles. Benzema's shooting range is outstanding and can also produce a wide variety of finishes including delicate chips, thunderous strikes and accurate headers.
Benzema's incredible goalscoring form and finishing ability were at the heart of Real Madrid's Champions League triumph in the 2021-22 season. He scored 15 goals in 12 appearances in Europe's elite competition that term, including two hat-tricks and two braces in the knockout stages.
#4 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez's finishing skills are nothing short of exceptional. The Uruguayan icon is one of the most lethal finishers we've seen in recent times and at his peak, he was arguably the best striker in the business.
Suarez won the European Golden Shoe awarded to the player with the most goals in the continent's top five leagues twice. He even outscored prime Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the 2015-16 season (40 goals) with Barcelona and shared the award with the former in 2013-14 (31 goals) when he was at Liverpool.
His reactions and anticipation inside the final third and immaculate technique regularly allowed him to outfox defenders and goalkeepers. Suarez will go down in history as one of the finest strikers of the 21st century.
#3 Lionel Messi
Although he has never been an out-and-out striker, Lionel Messi has habitually broken goalscoring records throughout his career. For example, he holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year, netting 91 for club and country in 2012.
An elegant and sharp attacker, Messi is capable of creating space even when there seems to be very little of it on offer inside the final third. Once he gets into a shooting position, he is expected to curl the ball into the back of the net by virtue of his exceptional striking skills.
Messi is also renowned for his ability to produce a wide variety of finishes including exquisite lobs or curling efforts into the corners of the net. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has won the European Golden Shoe a record six times in his decorated career.
He is one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the beautiful game and his incredible goalscoring record is a testament to his world-class finishing skills.
#2 Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has been one of the most consistent and prolific strikers of the last decade. He was in irrepressible goalscoring form during his peak years at Bayern Munich and has won the European Golden Shoe in successive seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22).
The iconic Polish striker has cemented his status as one of the most formidable strikers of the modern era. He is a technically gifted centre-forward who uses a combination of clinical precision and game intelligence to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
Lewandowski is strong in the air and is capable of producing powerful and accurate headers. He has also shown the ability to ruffle the net with powerful drives, curling shots, delicate flicks and one-touch finishes.
He is one of the most well-rounded strikers in the history of the sport. Lewandowski's sharp instincts and composure when presented with opportunities are the kind of stuff young strikers ought to watch and learn from.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of the game. With 838 senior career goals to his name, it's hard to argue against that notion. Ronaldo initially broke onto the scene as a maverick winger capable of producing magic with the ball at his feet.
But under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Ronaldo honed his finishing skills and burgeoned into a prolific goalscorer who was simply unstoppable on his day. He has picked up the European Golden Shoe four times in his career.
Ronaldo's heading ability is unmatched and he is also capable of finding the back of the net from various positions and angles with a variety of strikes. He is the leading goalscorer in men's international football (123 goals) and has won the Ballon d'Or five times in his career.
Not only is Ronaldo arguably the greatest finisher of the modern era but he is also one of the greatest footballers of all time.