Tag: world

Key Takeaways

• Some of the best players on the planet wear the number nine shirt for their club teams.
• Erling Haaland is not the only Norwegian number nine to lead the line for one of Europe’s elite sides.
• Barcelona’s 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski has been rejuvenated by the summer appointment of Hansi Flick.

The number nine shirt went out of fashion in the opening two decades of the 21st century. Traditionally the squad number of choice for each team’s starting striker, the Premier League‘s three most prolific centre-forwards since 2000 – Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero – all opted for the number 10.

Lionel Messi underscored the enduring popularity of that figure, while Cristiano Ronaldo‘s rise to stardom spawned a flood of acolytes demanding the number seven shirt. But there has been a shift back to nine in recent years.

Through a mixture of preference and circumstance, arguably three of the four best players on the planet right now turn out for their club side draped in a curved number nine. There are plenty of other potent forwards outside that elite bracket of Ballon d’Or contenders following in the long tradition of prolific number nines.

Ranking Factors

• Goals – The first demand of any number nine.
• All-round play – The best nines have a more well-rounded role in the modern game.
• Honours – Individual and collective accolades will be taken into consideration.

9 Alexander Sorloth

Atletico Madrid

Alexander Sorloth was one goal behind Girona’s Artem Dovbyk in the race for last season’s La Liga top scorer award when he strained a muscle with his first shot in the final game of the campaign. Despite the disappointment, the former Crystal Palace misfit could look back upon an impressive 23-goal haul – a tally no Villarreal player has surpassed since Diego Forlan in 2005.

Atletico Madrid triggered Sorloth’s modest £26.7m release clause in the summer. The Norwegian put last season’s prolific form down to the confidence of knowing that he would start every week – a luxury which is not afforded in a squad which boasts the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Angel Correa. Sorloth is understandably still finding his feet, but the 28-year-old has had moments in red and white stripes to justify why Diego Simeone called him a “special footballer”.

8 Dusan Vlahovic

Juventus

There was plenty of fuss when Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus from Fiorentina in the winter of 2022 and inherited Cristiano Ronaldo’s vacated squad number. The Serbian international didn’t buy into the hype. “The number seven jersey represents nothing,” he shrugged before revealing the digit that he really wanted. “I chose it because it’s the closest to number nine.”

Vlahovic upgraded after the departure of Alvaro Morata six months later. The refined forward has struggled at times in Juve’s signature black and white stripes. A hostage to his teammates’ creativity, Vlahovic did well to score as many as 16 league goals for a desperately defensive outfit last season.

7 Inaki Williams

Athletic Club

The role of the striker – namely, the team’s number nine – is woven into the very fabric of Athletic Club de Bilbao. La Liga’s award for the top scorer at the end of each season is called the Pichichi in honour of the former Athletic legend, the first in a long line of prolific centre-forwards for the Basque giants.

Inaki Williams has carried the burden of the club’s number nine shirt since 2018 and represents perhaps the most selfless incumbent. No cause is lost for the tireless runner, no goalkeeper’s heels are safe from his snapping tackles. Williams channelled that generosity of spirit into a hat-trick of assists against Las Palmas in September, becoming the first Athletic player to achieve such a feat since his manager, Ernesto Valverde, three decades earlier.

6 Marcus Thuram

Inter Milan

When Inter Milan sealed the club’s 20th Serie A title with a derby win over AC Milan in April 2024, earning a second star on the shirt, Marcus Thuram celebrated by draping his number nine jersey over a corner flag which had sported their rivals’ flag. Rather than a pointed jab at Milan, this has been the Frenchman’s signature celebration for years.

During his time at Borussia Monchengladbach, Thuram would even request his teammates’ kit, singling out the star player from that particular contest for celebration by bouncing around the pitch post-match with a billowing makeshift flag. While his legendary father Lilian rarely ventured away from the number 21 at club level, Marcus is forging a reputation as one of the modern game’s best number nines.

5 Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting CP

Just two short years ago, Viktor Gyokeres had been dropped to the bench in a Coventry City side which was languishing in the lower reaches of the Championship table. Mark Robins swiftly restored the Swede to the starting lineup and the Sky Blues embarked upon a dizzying upward surge thanks largely to the prolific form of their towering frontman.

In the wake of Coventry’s play-off final defeat to Luton Town, Gyokeres turned down the advances of Fulham and West Ham United to join Sporting CP. The mobile all-rounder won four consecutive Player of the Month awards as the Lisbon outfit stormed to just their second title in the last two decades. The “Swedish tank”, as he has been branded by the club’s adoring fanbase, has enjoyed an even more prolific start to his second campaign in Portugal, making those memories of England’s second tier seem like a lifetime ago.

4 Robert Lewandowski

Barcelona

As Robert Lewandowski‘s manager, Hansi Flick may be biased, but few could argue with his assessment that the Pole has been “the best number nine in the last 10 years”. Last season was the first time in a decade that Lewandowski failed to register 20 league goals, but the 36-year-old has rediscovered his best form since Flick’s summer appointment.

At the tip of a more direct Barcelona, Lewandowski has been provided with far more chances to avoid a repeat of last term’s off-year (which saw him still produce 19 La Liga goals). “We are looking to get the ball into the box more quickly this season,” the former Bayern Munich star explained. “As a striker, that’s my zone; that’s where I want the ball.”

3 Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid

Real Madrid conquered Europe and Spain during Jude Bellingham’s debut season, but the Englishman still saw room for improvement. “It’s the only little thing that maybe we are missing,” he noted, “that clinical nine.” Kylian Mbappe, a player who has scored at least 30 goals across all competitions in each of the last six seasons, certainly fits the bill – even if he is a reluctant number nine.

Had Vinicius Junior not been the proud owner of Madrid’s number seven shirt, Mbappe surely would have opted for his favourite digit. Much like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman has had to settle for the nine during his debut season in the Spanish capital but hasn’t let it affect his swift adaptation.

2 Erling Haaland

Manchester City

Erling Haaland is the ultimate in number-nine efficiency. Since the start of last season, Manchester City‘s unrelenting talisman has averaged a shot every 5.3 touches – comfortably the highest rate of any player across Europe’s top five leagues. For comparison, a typical poacher such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still needed 8.6 touches to get a shot off.

City’s towering forward has also upped his defensive work rate this season – much to the delight of Pep Guardiola – and is clearly benefitting from a rare summer off to relax, reset and chop some wood. “I have never felt better,” Haaland ominously warned ahead of a record-breaking start to the current campaign.

1 Harry Kane

Bayern Munich

Harry Kane only scored one goal from five matches against Vincent Kompany during their shared days on the pitch. The England captain has been far more prolific with the former Manchester City centre-back watching on from the technical area.

Kane shattered almost every available record during his debut campaign at Bayern Munich with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, even if the Bundesliga giants failed to win a trophy. At one point, Thomas Muller joked that the club’s new arrival wouldn’t have enough space in his hotel room to store every match ball he earned for each hat-trick scored.

The former Tottenham forward – who accepted the vacant number nine shirt as his preferred 10 was taken – has since found permanent Bavarian accommodation but shown no sign of slowing down. After netting a second treble in as many games in mid-September, Kane grinned: “I keep all the balls after hat-tricks. The lads might be sick of signing them, but keep them coming.”

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 28-09-24.