The Best Uncelebrated Finishers in Today's Game
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"To name the top 10 strikers in football is an easy task. But to name the top 10 strikers in football today, who aren't big stars, is a mammoth of a task." - Arsene Wenger.
There seems to be an invisible order in football that checks the rise in the number of its "star" players: the vernacular for fame and the equivalent of the A list celebrities in Hollywood. A certain generation can only have a limited number of big names; the criteria for a player's admissibility to the cult, still unknown and random.
What makes a star player is a vague question, one with numerous answers depending on the various perspectives that you look at it. Some may argue that "great players" are the "star players" but that's not true.
Matt LeTissier was an exceptional player, one of the greatest technical players England has ever produced, but he wasn't a star player, was he? The answer to that trivia comes in two. He's one of the greatest players of Southampton and for any Saints fan, he is a star. However, for a neutral, a football pundit, or a fan of a different generation, LeTissier does not fit the definition of a star player. Knowing that today's game allows the spot for only one striker -- two at the most -- in a particular lineup, the rarity of star strikers are a problem.
With Falcao, Jovetic and Cavani deciding on their destinations, there seems to only be Rooney and Lewandowski left to speculate and talk about. Such was the weight of speculation on the two long haired beasts of strikers that nobody even seemed to noticed the sale of Mario Gomez, a player just one season ago, frowned upon as Germany's and Bayern's final solution in the front, and a player who still is absolutely lethal, to Fiorentina.
Leaving this aside, let's look at some of the great strikers in football today who don't fit that particular bill which we've been discussing for entirety of this article so far. Here below are the Top 10 strikers today who aren't big stars.
1. Andreas Cornelius
This is the player who Cardiff City have thrown their money and faith at. An absolute beast of a player, Cornelius stands at 6' 4" and is only 20 years old. Cardiff, as a club, have wisely spent their money on Cornelius, who was the highest scorer in the Danish Superliga last term.
2. Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Santa Cruz has long been a name synonymous to scoring. He still scores. However, his stock has fallen as of now and is no longer as famed as he used to be. Still a great player who shone for Malaga last season, Santa Cruz may still have a chance to shine for the Paraguayan National Team.
3. Oscar Cardozo
An exceptional player, Cardozo is the other Paraguayan to have made the list. As Santa Cruz's career wanes, out rises another Paraguayan to lead the front line of the Paraguayan National Team. Cardozo is already a big star in terms of proving his worth in Europe. Benfica's leading scorer for quite some time now, Cardozo could definitely make it to the hall of fame of strikers should he bag a couple of important goals for his country.
4. Fred
Frederico Chaves Guedes or simply, Fred, seems to be the first striking option of Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. Fred is not a typical Brazilian forward, he's low in samba, and doesn't carry much flair about him. What he offers is balance and simplicity to an already skill flooded Brazilian lineup. 16 goals in 30 appearances for Brazil, is not bad either. Fred has both the manager's backing and the statistics behind him, and I don't see any reason he won't be able to shine in the coming World Cup.
5. Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku, hailed as the "New Drogba" since he was 16, is the future star striker of football. Signed by Chelsea from Anderlecht for a whopping 20 million pounds, Lukaku's announced himself to the world when he completed a successful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion , netting 17 league goals in the process, not to forget his final day hat-trick against Manchester United, on what was Sir Alex Ferguson's last competitive game in charge. He is an absolute beast of a player, gifted with physical prowess that only few players can match up to. However, another young striker that goes by the name of Christian Benteke, already a star in English football, is a few miles ahead of Lukaku on being Belgium's number one choice striker.
6. Bafétimbi Gomis
One simply can't get over the fact that Gomis is now already 28 years old. Gomis was once regarded as the next great French striker. After joining Lyon in 2009, Gomis seemed set to become a powerhouse of a striker, and follow the likes of Trezeguet, Henry and Benzema into stardom. That never happened. However, time is still on Bafétimbi's side and you can't really rule him out to be a very late bloomer quite yet.
7. Jay Rodriguez
An England under-21 international of Spanish descent, Rodriguez shone for the Saints last season. He's quick, strong, and direct, and he can't seem to stop receiving favorable reviews from manager, Pochettino. Southampton have in Jay, a young, English striker, who if nurtured well, could take over the reins of the great Ricky Lambert.
8. Stefan Kießling
Barely 29 and already having over 222 league appearances for Leverkusen shows just how integral Kießling is to the club's setup. A decent striker, Kießling has 6 international caps with Germany, not bagging any goals in the process. A failure he may be in the international stage, but in the club level, only a few strikers can compete with his dominance as a club's prime striker. Kießling's 25 league goals last term beat Robert Lewandowski's 24 to crown him as the Bundesliga's highest scorer. A second stint with the national team may not be too far away for Stefan.
9. Burak Yilmaz
Gala fans have Drogba's name on their lips at the moment, but they can't, and shouldn't, forget what Yilmaz delivered last season. Yilmaz's 8 goals in 8 Champions League appearances for Galatasaray , was key for the team's success in Europe last season. He also bagged in 25 goals for the 30 league appearances he made for the Turkish side.
10. Michu
Michu, the "Golden Boy," was seen by many pundits as the best signing in the English Premier League last season. Bought from Rayo Vallecano for a mere 2 million pounds, the "Michu deal" was a big bargain. Scoring 2 goals and providing an assist on his league début for Swansea put Michu on the stage quite immediately. Michu went on to bag a total of 18 league goals in the 2012-13 season for the Swans, which is an incredibly high return for the 2 million pounds they paid for him. Miguel Pérez Cuesta is his real name, and even with the addition of star signing Wilfried Bony, we still expect Michu to continue being the Golden Boy for his club.
Special Mentions:-
Siem DeJong(Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(Borussia Dortmund), Son Heung-Min(Bayer Leverkusen), Artjoms Rudņevs(Hamburg S.V.), Fabio Borini(Liverpool), Alvaro Morata(Real Madrid).
Statistics borrowed from Goal.com, Bbc.com and Espnfc.com
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