by Ian Farquharson

Created on: October 28, 2009

Best Strikers in European Soccer.

Soccer fans watch football, first and foremost, to enjoy their team winning games and scoring goals and because of their ability to stick the ball in the back of the net, strikers are generally the most celebrated players. When you look at a list of the greatest footballers ever, it will tend to be filled by the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, George Best and Johan Cruyff, all of whom were world famous strikers and recognized goal scorers. The best strikers are generally exciting to watch and by their own ability can electrify a crowd. The best leagues in Europe tend to attract the best players and when considering who the top strikers are, these are the places to look. At present I consider that the Spanish and English leagues have the best players and this is where I would look for the top striker.

Spain

The two teams generally vying for supremacy in Spain are Barcelona and Real Madrid. The best striker at Barcelona is currently the Argentinean Lionel Messi. He possesses incredible skill and can beat opponents at will, scores goals for fun and is also a great link player, bringing others into the game. He probably sets up as many goals as he scores and his attributes make him a formidable opponent. He was one of the main reasons that Barcelona did so well last season, at the culmination of which they won the Champions League with Messi scoring a goal in the final. Barcelona was the best side in Europe last year and Messi was a big part of their success.

At Real Madrid the best striker is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has only recently joined them, but during his time at Manchester United he showed that he is one of the best players in Europe. He has fantastic ability when running with the ball and is extremely hard to dispossess, can score with both head and foot and his ability at free kicks is one of the best in the world. He has started at Real Madrid in the same vein as he played at United and his time in Spain should confirm him as one of the world's top players.

England

Manchester United and Chelsea have been the dominant teams in England of recent years with Arsenal and Liverpool chasing. The best strikers in English football at present would be Wayne Rooney of United, Didier Drogba of Chelsea and Fernando Torres of Liverpool. Rooney hit the big time at a young age with Everton but even then it was obvious he was a special player. He has incredible strength and awareness and this makes him a great penalty box predator with

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