Ranked: The top 10 forwards at the 2018 World Cup

The 2018 Fifa World Cup is just two days away, and we know forwards will play a major role in deciding the outcome.

These are the superstars of the game, the big dogs, the major earners and the award winners. Not that every position isn’t equally important, but the guys at the sharp end of the pitch sticking the ball in the back of the net (or setting up the guy who does) tend to get all the glory as their contribution to the game is directly quantifiable and, you know, awesome.

To win the World Cup you usually need a great forward. For all of Spain’s midfield magic in 2010 they wouldn’t have gotten near the trophy without David Villa’s excellence in the final third. Italy’s defence-first approach in 2006 still needed selfless performances from their strikers. And there’s just no way Brazil could have won the 2002 World Cup without the rampaging Ronaldo.

We here at Squawka have looked through all the final-third difference-makers travelling to Russia and come up with a list of the top 10 forwards at the 2018 Fifa World Cup:

10. Robert Lewandowski

Poland, 94 caps, 53 goals

Poland’s powerhouse has scored a frankly ridiculous 151 goals in 195 games at club level since the last World Cup. He’s one of the world’s most potent marksman and will be Poland’s great hope of getting out of Group H. Lewandowski’s goalscoring is just part of his game, his excellent hold-up and link-play is what makes Poland tick; and they will be hoping he puts on some epic displays in Russia.

Key Stat: Robert Lewandowski has scored 40+ goals across all competitions for Bayern Munich in each of the last three seasons.

9. Kylian Mbappe

France, 15 caps, 4 goals

The brightest young star at the World Cup is also the second youngest player at the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe just finished his first full season as a professional footballer and already costs £165m, has scored over 50 career goals for club and country, and has become his country’s No. 10 and second-most important forward. There’s so much more to come from Kylian Mbappe, but what we’re getting right now is still oh so very special.

Key Stat: At age 19, Kylian Mbappé has scored 50+ senior career goals for club and country: Monaco (27); PSG (21); France (4).

8. Harry Kane

England, 24 caps, 13 goals

Big Harry Kane is England’s first world-class No. 9 at a tournament since Big Alan Shearer in 1998. With Kane’s incredible goal-scoring ability as well as his link-play (especially his synchronicity with club-mates Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli), England will genuinely have a chance to progress in a tournament that would normally chew them up and spit them out.

Key Stat: Last season Harry Kane became the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals with both feet and 5+ headers in a season.

7. Mohamed Salah

Egypt, 57 caps, 33 goals

Despite the best efforts of Sergio Ramos, the Premier League’s leading marksman will be at the World Cup this summer. A shoulder injury may keep Mohamed Salah out of the opener against Uruguay, but he should be fit enough to help Egypt in the next two games where his devastating movement and lethal finishing will likely be the difference between Egypt qualifying or going home early. And if they reach the knockout rounds with Salah firing and their squad all unified? Don’t bet against them.

Key Stat: Last season Mohamed Salah scored more goals in a single 38-game Premier League season than any other player in the competition’s history.

6. Thomas Muller

Germany, 91 caps, 38 goals

When Thomas Muller was 20, he scored five goals at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa (his first five goals for Germany, if you can believe) as Germany finished third. When Thomas Muller was 24, he scored five goals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as Germany finished as champions. Thomas Muller is now 28, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is coming up. You know what happens next.

Key Stat: Thomas Mulller finished the Bundesliga 17/18 season as the top assist provider with 14 assists.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal, 150 caps, 81 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals for his national side than all but two other men in football history. But strangely enough, he only has three goals across the three World Cups he’s played in. That’s despite taking 70 shots in 2006, 2010 and 2014. His shot conversion at the World Cup is 4%. Four. That’s terrible, and you can be sure Portugal’s captain and current European Champion will be bound and determined to redress that imbalance in 2018.

Key Stat: Cristiano Ronaldo finished Champions League top-scorer last season for the sixth consecutive season.

4. Luis Suarez

Uruguay, 98 caps, 51 goals

Going into the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Luis Suarez was the best No. 9 on the planet. His undisputed reign lasted until this past season, and he heads to Russia as one of a select group of elite forwards looking to make the difference. But Suarez has been here before, helping Uruguay to an incredible semi-final berth in 2010. With the biting that marred his 2014 World Cup behind him, expect Suarez to be the head of a resurgent Uruguay side, a forward who epitomises what they’re about: pressing, selfless team-play, intensity, garra and goals.

Key Stat: Luis Suarez finished the La Liga season with at least 25 goals for the third consecutive season for Barcelona.

3. Antoine Griezmann

France, 54 caps, 20 goals

Antoine Griezmann isn’t a traditional No. 9, but is more of a classic second striker who is also an incredible playmaker. The French No. 7 nevertheless is set-up to score goals by the bagful in France’s system, and you can believe he’ll do that this summer; especially if Ousmane Dembele finds his way into Didier Deschamps’ starting XI.

Griezmann enters the tournament having guided Atletico Madrid to a European trophy and seems to be on the verge of a move to Barcelona. And if you believe in omens the last striker that wore No. 7 and transferred to Barcelona in a World Cup summer was Luis Suarez in 2014, and before him it was David Villa in 2010. Oscillating between humiliation and triumph seems about right for the French national team and their poster boy; let’s see where the dice fall.

Key Stat: Antoine Griezmann has now scored seven goals in European competition this season; his joint-best tally in a single campaign.

2. Neymar

Brazil, 85 caps, 55 goals

PSG is such a second-tier football club (dressed up as one of the elite) that everyone has forgotten that Neymar is, you know, the second-best player in world football. There is no one (bar one) even close to being as good as him. Whether he’s dribbling, or passing, or dribbling and passing. Or dribbling, or shooting, or dribbling and shooting. Basically, Neymar’s always carrying the ball and that’s bad for Brazil’s opponents.

He can be his nation’s key playmaker and also their main goalscorer. He’s their talisman (but not to the absurd degree he was in 2014) and is surrounded by a sea of spectacular talent. The Selecao have pinned their hopes on Neymar, but have also surrounded and supported him in the best possible way – it’s not difficult to see Neymar carrying Brazil to glory this summer in Russia.

Key Stat: At age 26, Neymar has now scored 55 goals for Brazil making him their third-highest top scorer behind Pele (77) and Ronaldo (62).

Honourable Mentions

Gabriel Jesus (Brazil), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Timo Werner (Germany), Diego Costa (Spain), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

1. Leo Messi

Argentina, 124 caps, 64 goals

The greatest player in the world. Leo Messi could have gone into the attacking midfielder category as well as this one, in all honesty, he is that ridiculously good. Simultaneously a playmaker and goalscorer, Messi has scored more goals for Argentina than anyone else ever has, and most recently is doing so with the positional profile of a central midfielder.

Messi starts Argentina’s attacks, then drifts forward and finishes them too. He is Argentina’s everything; their beating heartbeat. They have made the final in each of the last three tournaments they’ve entered (the 2014 World Cup, 2015 and 2016 Copas America) and that’s because of Messi’s magnificence.

They’re only at the 2018 World Cup because of Messi, too. No Argentine besides Messi has scored or assisted in a competitive game for La Albiceleste since October 2016. That’s 612 days ago. Messi is literally carrying this ramshackle, injury-hit side of underachievers, has-beens, dullards, Nico Otamendi and Sergio Aguero.

In time, Jorge Sampaoli may transform Argentina (with Messi’s help) into a sleek international outfit. But as things stand they will be relying heavily on Leo Messi’s unimaginable range of talents. Luckily for them, he’s impossibly good, an alien of a footballer who does things no one else could even imagine. Let’s hope, for entertainment’s sake, that he shares his joy with us this summer.

Key Stat: Lionel Messi finished the La Liga season with the most goals (34), joint most assists (12), most take-ons (185) and most chances created (87)