SP. Luis Suarez ranked his 5 greatest strikers in football history – but left out Cristiano Ronaldo

Luis Suarez has spent his career firing in goals and making memories alongside some of the greatest strikers to grace the game. The polarising Uruguayan attacker is a menace with the ball at his feet – his extraordinary potency was vital for Liverpool and Barcelona during his stays at Anfield and Camp Nou.

The 37-year-old moved to Inter Miami in January 2024 and was reunited with former Barca teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. With the Catalans, his career peaked, bagging 195 goals and 113 assists in 283 games, winning 13 major trophies, including the continental treble in the 2014-15 season.

Suarez is recognised as one of the best frontmen in history, alongside Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazario. But who does the two-time European Golden Boot winner feel sits atop the throne of football’s forwards?

Bleacher Report tasked the former Ajax striker with ranking his top five in December 2019, but surprisingly, there was no place in his list for football’s greatest-ever goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo.

5 Romario

Career span: 1985 – Present

There aren’t many better goalscorers to have graced the game than Brazil icon Romario, who spent his career finding the net with ease. A clinical finisher whose exceptional dribbling, agility and Samba style of play lit up world football. He flourished for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with a remarkable 128 goals in 148 games, helping Boeren win three Eredivisie titles and three Dutch Cups.

Suarez explained how Romario’s finishing astounded him:

“The (finishing), the finishing from him was amazing.”

Romario was also prolific for Selecao and fired his nation to World Cup glory in 1994 with five goals and three assists in seven games. He also had fans at Barca’s Camp Nou on their feet during his time in Catalonia, bagging 30 goals and winning the La Liga Golden Boot in 1994 as the Blaugrana clinched the title.

4 Ronaldo Nazario

Career span: 1993-2011

There was nothing quite like watching Ronaldo Nazario in his pomp, a glorious striker who had the world watching when he heroically struck gold at the World Cup in 2002. The Brazilian legend was nicknamed ‘O Fenomeno’ (The phenomenon) and lived up to that moniker with sensational performances for clubs and countries.

“He’s really good. He’s so quick, he’s so fast, he’s an intelligent guy. He’s a really good player.”

Ronaldo terrorised defenders with unbelievable pace, clever movement and instinctive finishing. He won the Golden Boot at the 2002 World Cup with eight goals and achieved massive success with Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning the European Golden Boot in 1997. He won the Ballon d’Or twice and is up there with the best Selecao talents.

3 Diego Forlan

Career span: 1994–2019

Suarez followed in Diego Forlan’s footsteps when he joined Atletico Madrid in 2020, but he couldn’t catch his compatriot on the goalscoring front. Forlan spent four years at the Wanda Metropolitano and hit an impressive 96 goals in 198 games. He was a hardworking frontman whose leadership qualities made him a role model for young Uruguayan prospects.

Forlan partnered Suarez up front 58 times for Uruguay, and they struck fear into the opposition, including in their nation’s triumph at Copa America in 2011. He spoke highly of the former Manchester United man:

“One of the best of my career is Forlan. I played with him and he’s a really good striker. He was clear-minded, played for the team, he’s a striker who likes to score many goals. Shoots from where he wants.”

Forlan won the European Golden Boot twice during his career with Atletico and Villarreal. His goalscoring exploits helped Los Colchoneros win the Europa League in 2010 and the UEFA Super Cup a year later.

2 Gabriel Batistuta

Career span: 1988–2002

If you want a striker who relished spearheading his team to glory and doing so by hitting the back of the net, you needn’t look further than Gabriel Batistuta. An Argentine icon who is the only player in history to score two hat-tricks in different World Cups, his athleticism and aggressive style gave defenders nightmares.

Suarez idolized Batistuta growing up:

“He was my favourite player when I was a child. A really good number nine around the area, he shot free-kicks, he loved to play for the team. I loved his character.”

Batistuta’s peak mostly came in Serie A with Fiorentina, where he struck 203 goals in 331 games. He also clinched the Scudetto with AS Roma in 2001 and two Copa America titles with Argentina.

1 Lionel Messi

Career span: 2004 – Present

It should come as no surprise to hear that Suarez named Messi as his greatest forward, given he’s spent many years playing alongside the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. The duo formed Barca’s deadly MSN frontline alongside Neymar, and they wowed fans at Camp Nou, winning the continental treble, among several other trophies.

Suarez waxed lyrical about Messi, who he’s built a strong friendship with:

“He is one of the best in the world. Easy decision for me. When you have a really good connection and relationship outside of the pitch I think it makes it easy for me.”

Messi isn’t a centre-forward by trade, but his attacking dominance throughout his trophy-laden career is second to none. A masterful player whose genius is unparalleled, he reached footballing nirvana in 2022 when captaining Argentina to the World Cup, doing so with seven goals and three assists, including a brace in the final win over France.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 30/12/2024.