by Mihail Matikov

Created on: April 03, 2009   Last Updated: April 05, 2009

Goals are the fundamental part of football. Players try to score them; goalkeepers try to save them; fans are dying to watch them. Usually the strikers are the most idolized or blamed players of the game. If they score, we love them and sing for them, but if they miss and fail the team, we point our fingers to them, claiming them "guilty".

The striker is the most responsible position in today's football. Clubs are paying millions for goalscorers, hoping they will score for their team too. Sometimes is quite unfair to blame them for our favorite team lose or cheering them for winning the game. There are many fantastic strikers in European football today and it is hard to claim who is the best of them. My choice is defined by couple of categories such as team player, efficiency and age.

Undoubtedly the best scorer, although not a typical striker, is Leonel Messi from Barcelona. His fitness, speed and unselfishness make him the best young striker in European football as of today. He scored 30 goals along with 13 assists this season , which put him on top of my list. He is the key player for FC Barcelona and, being only 21 years of age, his future is more than bright. Messi is very important for the national team of Argentina as well, playing every single qualifying game.

Fernando Torres, a FC Liverpool player, is another great striker as well. After his transfer from Atletico Madrid he revealed his full potential and is a key player for his team. Torres scored 33 goals for Liverpool in his opening season, which made him an idol for the fans. His speed and very precise kick are lethal for the goalkeepers. He always seems to come out of nowhere, just at the right moment and place to score. This season he missed many games due injuries and could not show his full potential, but scored the winning goals in the games against Portsmouth and Chelsea.

Even 31 years old, Thierry Henry is still one of the most dangerous strikers today. After a poor, first season for FC Barcelona, where he played at a very unusual position, Henry scored 22 goals this season, assisting for nine more. He is a legend of FC Arsenal and many of the fans still cry, seeing him play for Barcelona. For less then nine years in London he scored 229 goals and became Arsenal's best scorer of all times. I don't think his age is a problem because he proved the old cliche saying "There are no old players, there are players who have skills and talent, and players who don't". I hope he maintains his form next season as well, because it it more than a pleasure to watch this magnificent player on the field.

There are many others who are worth mentioning. Nicolas Anelka is the top-scorer in England as of today, but his inconsistency deprives him from being one of the best. Wayne Rooney is another one who has the potential to be the best, but the many injuries he suffers are not helping him. Filippo Inzaghi is another veteran who is a legend in Italy. He scored more than 300 goals in his career. Inzaghi is also the only player in the world who has scored at least one goal in every international competition. However, he is in the end of his career and is less likely that he will score again soon. Ruud Van Nistelrooy, the Dutch striker, is natural born goal-master. His career, however, went into decline after leaving Manchester United to join FC Real Madrid.

Many more strikers are fighting for the "Golden Boot", the European award for the best goalscorer each year, but only the few I wrote about above are the real best strikers in Europe right now.

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