Over the year, we have seen some of the best forwards in the soccer world. The main objective of soccer is to score a goal to win the game. And the forwards are the most responsible position on the team to score the goals.
The goalkeepers, strikers, and full-backs are some of the highest-paid positions in soccer. However, the forwards are not that far behind them.
Fans are impressed by goals. It must be why the forward players of the team are the most popular among the others.
Today in the soccer world, there are more top-class forwards. As the forwards are in the position, and typically, forwards score more goals than other players in the team.
Therefore, today we bring you a list compiled with the top 12 best forwards in soccer. Let us explore this list together.
Top 12 Best Forwards in Soccer
This list is prepared from various trusted sources on the internet like Sportskeeda, FourFourTwo, etc.
Let’s take a quick look at the table before diving into the details of the list.
| Player’s Name | Team |
| 12. Marcus Rashford | Manchester United |
| 11. Son Heung-min | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10. Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich |
| 9. Phil Foden | Manchester City |
| 8. Ciro Immobile | Lazio |
| 7. Jadon Sancho | Manchester United |
| 6. Mohamed Salah | Liverpool |
| 5. Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich |
| 4. Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 3. Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2. Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United |
| 1. Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain |
12. Marcus Rashford
We will start our list of the top best forwards in soccer with Marcus Rashford. 26 year-old Rashford is an English professional soccer player playing for Machester United and the England national team.
Rashford’s soccer journey started at the age of five when he started playing for Fletcher Moss Rangers. Then, at age seven, he joined the academy system at Manchester United.
On his first-team debut against Danish Football Club, Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League in 2016, Rashford scored two goals. Then, after three days at his Premier League debut against Arsenal, he again scored two goals.
Rashford has won many titles and set several records. So far, he has won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, and Europa League. In addition, he is the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match.
Similarly, he is also the UEFA Euro’s youngest player. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020, Rashford represented England.
This young player is one of the tops forwards in the soccer world right at the moment. Moreover, he is a campaigner against racism, homelessness, and child hunger in the UK.
11. Son Heung-min
The following forward on our list is a South Korean professional player, Son Heung-min. He is a professional soccer player for the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He is also a captain of the South Korean national team.
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Heung-min was born in Chucheon, Gangwon, South Korea. He later relocated to Germany to join Hamburger SV at age 16. Then in 2010, the South Korean player made his debut in the German Bundesliga.
Before joining Tottenham Hotspur, he was also signed by Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record of €10 million contract. After that, Tottenham signed Heung-min for £22 million. This made him the most expensive Asian player in history.
Heung-min represented South Korea at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. Similarly, he has also represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games.
Son is regarded as one of the best three Asian players in European football history. He was the first Asian player in history to score more than 50 goals in the Premier League.
In 2019, Heung-min was nominated for the Ballon d’Or. He is an icon of South Korean culture. Additionally, he has also been listed in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40, where he ranked 9th in 2019 and 4th in 2020 and 2021.
10. Serge Gnabry
Born on July 14, 1995, Serge Gnabry is a German professional soccer player who plays for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team.
Gnabry made his professional debut in September 2012 in England with Arsenal in Premier League. After that, he played for West Bromwich Albion and then moved back to Germany.
In 2016, after moving to Germany, Gnarby joined Werder Bremen. He made his international debut the same year in November.
Then in 2017, he was signed by Bayern Munich before being loaned to 1899 Hoffenheim for the 2017–18 season. In his first season with Bayern Munich, Gnabry won the Bundesliga title and was named the season’s player.
The following season, Gnarby won a continental treble (consisting of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and UEFA Champions League) after scoring 23 goals.
In UEFA Euro 2020, Gnarby represented his country Germany.
9. Phil Foden
Phil Foden was born Philip Walter Foden in Stockport, England. This 23 year-old English player plays Manchester City and the England national team for the club.
Foden made his debut for Manchester City in 2017. He also bagged the FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Ball award following England’s triumphant Under-17 World Cup campaign.
This achievement was a significant breakthrough for Foden’s professional soccer career. He was even named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
Since his professional debut, Foden has made over 100 appearances for the club. Similarly, he has also represented England at many youth levels. In 2020, Foden made his debut in the senior team in the UEFA Nations League.
In 2019, Foden became the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League. Foden was also named the Premier League Young Player of the Season and the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2021.
8. Ciro Immobile
Another forward to make it to our list is Ciro Immobile. He is a 34 year-old Italian professional player for Serie A club Lazio and the Italy national team.
Immobile’s career started in Sorrento, and in 2009, he was purchased by Juventus. Then Juventus loaned him to three Serie B clubs, including Pescara, with whom he won the league title as the top scorer.
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Then in 2012, Immobile moved to Genoa and then to Torino. After a breakout season at Torino, he was sold to the German club Borussia Dortmund for around €18 million in 2014. Then, again in 2015, he was moved to Spanish club Sevilla.
Then again, in 2016, he was loaned to Torino and later sold to Lazio. Immobile has quite a career moving from club to club. In 2014, he made his debut for the Italian national team.
However, despite moving from club to club, Ciro has the record for most Serie A goals in a season, three Capocannoniere titles, and European Golden Shoe. In 2019-20, he won a Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles with Lazio.
Ciro Immobile is currently Lazio’s highest all-time leading goalscorer.
7. Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho is another English forward to make in our list of the best forwards in soccer. He is a 24 year-old professional player, playing for Manchester United and the England national team.
Sancho was a previous youth player with Watford and Manchester City. The English footballer signed his first senior contract with Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
He was part of the England youth team that won the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In 2018, Sancho made his debut for the senior team.
Known for his trickery, pace, and use of feints in one-on-one situations, Sancho established himself as a first-team regular in his senior second season. In 2018-19, his team became the Bundesliga Team of the season.
In 2019, Jadon was a runner-up for the Kopa Trophy, and in 2020, he made his debut for the senior team Golden Boy.
6. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is regarded as one of the best players in the world. He was born Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly in Egypt.
Salah is an Egyptian forward who plays for the club Liverpool. He is also a captain of the Egypt national team and started his senior career with the Egyptian club Al Mokawloon.
Then, Salah joined Swiss side Basel where his performances attracted the Premier League side, Chelsea. In 2014, Chelsea signed him for £11 million. Later he was loaned to Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Roma.
Roma signed him for €15 million, and in 2017, he helped the club finish in second-place and a club-record points tally. Then again, in the same year, Liverpool signed Salah for a then club-record fee of £36.9 million.
Salah is famous for his finishing, dribbling, and speed, making him one of the greatest players in the soccer world. In his debut season, he won the Premier League Golden Boot. Similarly, he also became the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
5. Robert Lewandowski
On our fifth rank of the best forwards in soccer is a Polish professional soccer player, Robert Lewandowski. The player is the captain of the Poland national team and plays for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
Born on August 21, 1988, Lewandowski is one of the most successful players in Bundesliga history. In 2010, he signed with Borussia Dortmund. With the club, he won two consecutive Bundesliga titles and the league’s top goalscorer award.
Before the start of the 2014-15 season, Lewandowski signed with Bayern Munich. Lewandowski played a major role in winning the UEFA Champions League.
He is one of the two-player to win the European treble while being the highest goalscorer in all three competitions and the first to do it as the sole top scorer.
Lewandowski has many notable wins and awards under his name. For example, in the 2020-21 season, he became the Polish Footballer of the Year, a record nine times, and the Polish Sports Personality of the Year twice.
Similarly, in 2020, he won the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award. He also won the Bundesliga Top Scorer Award. Robert has scored over 500 senior career goals for the club and country.
4. Neymar
Famously known as Neymar, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is a Brazilian professional forward playing for Paris Saint-Germain. 32 year-old Neymar also plays for the Brazil national team.
The 1.75 m tall player made his professional debut at the age of 17 with Santos. After joining the club, Neymar helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, including a Copa de Brasil.
In 2011, he played a significant role in the team winning the 2011 Copa Libertadores. Neymar later relocated to Europe to join the club Barcelona. He was part of the attacking trio for Barcelona.
Along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Neymar helped Barcelona win the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League and finished third for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Paris Saint-Germain signed Neymar in 2017 for €222 million, which made him the most expensive player ever. He won three league titles, three Coupe de France and two Coupe de la Ligue. Similarly, he also won the domestic treble.
Neymar is considered one of the world’s most prominent sportsmen. Times also included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2017. Likewise, Forbes ranked him the world’s third highest-paid athlete in 2019.
3. Kylian Mbappé
On our third rank of the best forward of soccer is Kylian Mbappé. Born on December 20, 1998, he is French professional soccer forward, playing for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.
At age 16, Mbappé made his first professional debut with Ligue 1 club Monaco. It was the beginning of his senior career.
After making his debut with Monaco, he was able to win a Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year, the Ligue 1 title, and the Golden Boy award.
In 2017, Paris Saint-Germain signed Mbappé on an initial loan. However, he was made permanent in 2018. After signing with Paris Saint-Germain, he became the second-most expensive player and most expensive teenager.
After signing with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé has won three Ligue 1 titles and three Coupe de France titles.
He also became Ligue 1 Player of the Year twice and Ligue 1 top scorer for three consecutive seasons. Moreover, Mbappé is the third-highest goalscorer in the club’s history.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he became the youngest French player to score.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Regarded as one of the best and greatest players in soccer history is the world-famous Portuguese forward player, Cristiano Ronaldo. 39 year old Ronaldo has some of the most impressive profiles in the soccer world.
Currently playing for Manchester United, he is also the captain of the Portugal national team. Before signing with the United, Ronaldo began his senior club career with Sporting CP.
In his very first season, he won the FA Cup. After that, Ronaldo impressed the whole world with his skills and list of achievements, which keeps adding up.
Ronaldo holds records for most appearances, most goals, and assists in the Champions League.
Similarly, he also holds the record for most goals in the European Championship, most international goals by a male player, and most international appearances by a European male.
Cristiano Ronaldo is among those few players who have made over 1,100 professional career appearances and scored over 790 official senior career goals for the club and country.
1. Lionel Messi
We have come to the end of our list for the best forward in soccer. In our number one spot is one of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi. 36 year-old Messi is an Argentine professional forward player.
In 2004, Messi made his first competitive debut with Barcelona. Within the next three years, he was an integral part of the club.
He plays for the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and is the Argentina national team captain. The 5 ft 7 inches tall player spent his entire professional career with Barcelona before leaving the club and signing for Paris Saint-Germain.
While with Barcelona, Messi won a club-record 35 trophies, ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Similarly, he is a seven Ballon d’Or award winner.
The records that Messi holds are for most goals in La Liga, a La Liga and European league season, and most hat-tricks in La Liga. Likewise, he also holds a record for the UEFA Champions League and most assists in La Liga, a La Liga season, and the Copa América.
Messi is one of the most prolific goalscorers and a creative playmaker in the history of soccer. This Argentine player has scored over 750 senior career goals for the club and country.
Conclusion
The forwards in soccer play an integral part in a team winning a game. They are the goal scorers and the frontline of attack, as well as the leading offensive players.
This concludes our list of the top 12 best forwards in soccer. So what do you think of our list?
