SP. The 15 best number 9s in football history have been ranked

The number nine is one of football’s most fabled shirts. Countless players have been assigned this iconic digit throughout history and plenty of these recipients have gone on to carve out careers of legend, leaving indelible marks on the beautiful game.

Ballon d’Or winners, serial champions and prolific goalscorers have defined the number nine shirt since the concept of identifying digits was introduced almost a century ago. The idea of a talismanic number nine is still revered in England, where numbers are intertwined with specific positions, and has been translated across the globe.

Lists, as a concept, are subjective. Two lists on the same topic can have different entrants depending on the opinion of the writer. That being considered, here are the best to have ever had that iconic digit draped across their backs,

Ranking Factors

• Wore the number nine shirt regularly
• Goals
• Team honours
• Individual accolades

15 Erling Haaland

No9 at: Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City

That Erling Haaland’s career is still in its infancy is as impressive as it is terrifying. The Norwegian striker moved from his native country to Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, where he quickly established himself as one of football’s brightest prospects. A move to Borussia Dortmund came six months later and after two years in Germany, Manchester City won the competitive race for his coveted signature.

The goalscorer needed just 105 games to rack up a century of goals for City, guiding Pep Guardiola’s side to a European treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in his debut season with a record-setting 52 goals in 53 games across all competitions. Haaland is still just 24 years old. It is completely fair to assume that his resume, reputation and ultimately, his legacy, will only continue to grow.

14 Samuel Eto’o

No9 at: Espanyol, Mallorca, Barcelona, Inter, Anzhi, Antalyaspor

In a career spanning over two decades, Samuel Eto’o established himself as a legend of the game. He scored 364 goals in 732 appearances, spending time in Spain, Italy, Russia, England and Turkey during his time in European football. The Cameroonian won two Champions League titles with Barcelona and another with Inter Milan, playing a key role in each success and becoming the first player to win European trebles in consecutive seasons.

Eto’o was a lethal finisher of the ball with a pace and physicality that allowed him to compete with anybody who dared mark him. With this came longevity, as the cerebral striker consistently competed and put in performances of elite calibre until the end of his career.

13 George Weah

No9 at: Monaco, PSG, AC Milan

People of a younger age may know the name George Weah as the man that, from 2018 to 2024, was the President of Liberia. Prior to entering politics, Weah had a storied career in football, moving to Europe at the age of 22 after beginning his playing career in his home country. After seven years in France with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, Weah moved to AC Milan.

In 1995, the year he joined Milan, Weah became the first African player (not including Eusebio, who was born in Africa but played for Portugal) to win the Ballon d’Or, a reward for the electric form he showcased in the mid-90s. Even in his later career, his prolific rate in front of goal never diminished, such as when he scored two goals for Chelsea as the Blues became the first FA Cup winners of the 21st century.

12 Karim Benzema

No9 at: Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad

Now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, Karim Benzema carved out a reputation for himself as one of Europe’s best-ever strikers before departing the continent. After a promising start to his career with Lyon, Benzema moved to Spain in 2009 to join Real Madrid, where he would stay for 14 years.

Boasting nearly 450 goals, Benzema collected five Champions League titles and four La Liga crowns. In 2022, after stepping out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, the Frenchman was awarded the Ballon d’Or for an exceptional year of performances, a fair reward to recognise just how good Benzema has been across his entire career.

11 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

No9 at: Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester United, LA Galaxy

Few players have the fame to be known solely by their first name. Of the ones that are, perhaps none are as infamous as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede talked the talk throughout his career, but unlike many, he had the sheer quality to back up the outlandish statements he would spout whenever a microphone was in his general vicinity.

Ibrahimovic played for nine clubs in seven different countries throughout his career, with stints in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, England and America’s Major League Soccer, notching just under 500 goals in just under 800 games. When Zlatan retired in 2023, it was a loss to football both with regards to quality and personality.

10 Gabriel Batistuta

No9 at: Fiorentina

After establishing himself in his home country of Argentina, the man that would come to be known as Batigol moved to Italy in 1991, joining Fiorentina, where he would stay for nine years. His consistent level of incredible quality made him a hero to the Viola faithful, especially when he remained with the club and helped them to promotion after relegation to Serie B in 1993, going on to lift the Coppa Italia with the team three years later.

Batistuta never won the league with Fiorentina, but that takes nothing away from the legacy he has left behind, encapsulated by the 245 goals he scored across his career. The talismanic Argentine did pick up a Serie A title in his debut season with Roma, racking up 20 goals as the capital side won the third league crown in their entire history in 2001.

9 Davor Suker

No9 at: Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal, West Ham United

Davor Suker is a player that is revered in his home country and across the world. Croatia’s record scorer with 45 goals was part of his nation’s fabled 1998 World Cup side that finished third, an achievement that contributed to Suker placing second in that year’s Ballon d’Or race, alongside his strong club form.

Suker spent the bulk of his career in Spain, first with Sevilla, before joining Real Madrid. He had a brief stint in England with Arsenal and West Ham United, finishing his time as a player in Germany. In a 19-year career, Suker’s dynamic style of play and consistent finishing established him as a true great of the game.

8 Marco van Basten

No9 at: Ajax, AC Milan

That Marco van Basten retired in his late-20s and is still regarded as one of the best players of all time is a testament to his ability. Simultaneously, it is food for thought as to how much higher he would be held by fans had injury not disrupted his career, which he spent solely with Ajax and AC Milan.

The Dutch attacker, who collected three Ballon d’Or awards in his 14-year career, won the top flight in Italy and the Netherlands on seven occasions, while also helping guide his national team to their only major title at the European Championships in 1988. Van Basten was a deadly marksman, boasting 277 goals in just 373 matches.

7 Robert Lewandowski

No9 at: Znicz Pruszkow, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski has cultivated a reputation as one of his generation’s most lethal strikers and with good reason. The all-time top scorer of the Polish national side spent four years with Borussia Dortmund before moving to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he established himself as one of the best in the world. His infamous performance against Wolfsburg, where he scored five goals in nine minutes, springs to mind.

In 2020, no Ballon d’Or was awarded due to COVID-19, but many felt that Lewandowski should have won it were the award being presented, such was his ability at the time. When Lionel Messi claimed the award in 2021, he even admitted that Lewandowski “deserved” the award.

6 Gerd Muller

No9 at: Bayern Munich

Gerd Muller scored 570 goals across his career, an impressive number regardless of anything else. When it is considered, though, that he achieved this while playing only 613 games, it only bolsters the reputation of the World Cup-winning West German superstar.

Muller was as deadly for his country as he was for his club, netting more goals than he had appearances in an international career spanning just eight years. A remarkable feat few can match – even if he did wear the number 13 while playing for West Germany during the nation’s golden era. Der Bomber’s quality did not go unnnoticed as, in 1970, the attacker was awarded the Ballon d’Or for his ability.

5 Alfredo Di Stefano

No9 at: Real Madrid

Alfredo Di Stefano spent four years in his native Argentina and four years in Colombia, going on to represent both international sides, before moving to Real Madrid in 1953. Despite being 27 at the time of his transfer, Di Stefano spent over a decade with the capital giants, and from 1957 to 1961, represented the Spanish team internationally.

The ultimate all-rounder left no blade of grass uncovered, charging around with his head up and chest out. Di Stefano scored 300 goals, won two Ballon d’Or titles, lifted five European Cups and eight La Liga titles in a career that, by the time it ended, had established him as one of the game’s greatest.

4 Bobby Charlton

No9 at: Manchester United

A World Cup winner with England, a three-time First Division champion with Manchester United and up until the 21st century, the Three Lions’ record scorer, Sir Bobby Charlton is unquestionably one of the best to ever wear the number nine. Starting his career out wide before drifting into a more central midfield role, Charlton’s quality was appreciated by managers and teammates alike. Even the English top-flight’s referees once voted him as the “Model Player”. Charlton captained Manchester United to European glory in 1968, an emotional triumph that came a decade after the Munich disaster robbed the club of eight players and three members of staff during a failed takeoff.

3 Luis Suarez

No9 at: Groningen, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Nacional, Gremio, Inter Miami

It is probably safe to say that Luis Suarez is one of the most controversial players in recent football history. With an infamous handball at the 2010 World Cup and three separate biting incidents, he has been an easy figure to dislike for many opposing fanbases, but his quality can not be overlooked.

The Uruguayan gunman has played almost 800 games and scored almost 600 goals in a career that is still going on, the striker now plying his trade with Inter Miami. After coming within a whisker of Premier League glory at Liverpool, Suarez found sustained success in La Liga with Barcelona, forming the central focal point of a frontline which contained Lionel Messi and Neymar.

2 Alan Shearer

No9 at: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United

The Premier League’s record scorer, Alan Shearer’s 260 goals in the English top flight were far from a coincidence. The Geordie goalscorer quickly established himself as one of England’s brightest prospects in his youth before moving to Blackburn Rovers in 1992, where he won his sole Premier League title three years later.

In 1996, Shearer moved to boyhood club Newcastle United, where he would stay for the rest of his career, establishing himself not only as a local hero, but as one of the game’s deadliest strikers. Les Ferdinand was in possession of the number nine shirt upon Shearer’s arrival but, after some persuading, graciously gave up the digit so that his new teammate could fulfill a childhood dream of becoming Newcastle’s number nine.

1 Ronaldo

No9 at: Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid, Corinthians

Football’s best-ever number nine, a player so good that simply saying “R9” is enough for anyone to know who is being referred to. After ripping through the Brazilian top flight with 44 goals in 47 games for Cruzeiro, Ronaldo burst onto the scene in Europe with PSV Eindhoven, and across his time with Barcelona and Inter Milan, established himself as the best striker in the world.

The Brazillian won two Ballon d’Or trophies, a pair of World Cups, and a La Liga title, notching 309 goals in 482 games. He had his struggles with injuries, and in spite of that, still carved out the legacy that stands to this day.

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 29-10-24.