The 5 Greatest strikers of all time
Scoring goals is the most important thing in football. A team would not be able to win a football match without scoring goals irrespective of how well they might otherwise have played. Therefore, strikers are very important to a team because they usually are the match-winners. They also provide the defining moments in a football match, which remain in the minds of football-lovers for a long time.
Football has been graced by a number of extraordinary strikers over the decades. Therefore, it is not easy to select the top five strikers from a plethora of greats. Let us have a look at the list now:
#5. Marco Van Basten
Van Basten was quite possibly the best player in the world during his prime. However, it remains a pity that his prime did not last long. He had recurrent injuries which shortened his career. Still, he would comfortably feature among the greatest strikers of all time by virtue of his string of excellent performances for both his club and country.
Van Basten gained prominence while playing for Ajax Amsterdam, but became a legend while playing for AC Milan. He was a very important part of the great Milan side of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which won every possible title in Europe and the world. He joined forces with fellow countrymen Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit to make Milan a tremendous side. He became a rage in Italy with his acrobatic volleys and opportunistic strikes. He also won three Ballon d’Ors, two European Cups and three Serie A titles for Milan.
Basten was very successful for his national team too, and won the European Championship with the Netherlands in 1988, scoring in the final against USSR in that tournament. Much was expected of him in the 1990 World Cup, but he could do little. He finished with a very impressive tally of 277 goals from 373 matches in his club career and 24 goals from 58 matches for his national team, retired from football in 1992, and would always remain among the finest footballers his country has ever produced.