The three strikers Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé are already favourites for the Ballon d’Or.
The battle to be recognised as the world’s best striker has intensified this season, as Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé all deliver outstanding game after game.
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Both Kane and Haaland scored two goals each for their countries last night, as England and Norway both secured first place in their respective World Cup qualifying groups. The Three Lions completed their qualifying campaign with a perfect record of eight wins out of a possible eight, without conceding a single goal, after a 2-0 win in Albania.
Norway also finished with maximum points, after a 4-1 win over Italy.
Meanwhile, Mbappé scored two goals on Thursday to send France to the World Cup, but he then withdrew from their final qualifier due to injury. With all three strikers taking their outstanding club form over to the national team, they have already established themselves as favourites for next year’s Ballon d’Or.
However, with today’s numbers, Haaland is the current leader, with a remarkable average scoring of 1.33 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes. Kane is not far behind with an impressive average of 1.02, while Mbappé is under one goal per game with 0.86 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes.
If penalties were included, Kane would have risen to the top spot after scoring seven this season. However, given both Bayern Munich and England’s dominance, it is always likely that he will get more opportunities from the penalty spot.
What makes Erling Haaland the best?
While all three stars dominate the goal statistics in their respective leagues, the Premier League is widely recognized as the toughest division in the world. According to the latest Opta Power rankings, the Premier League remains the strongest division globally, followed by Serie A and La Liga, with the Bundesliga in fourth place.
And the strength of the league makes Haaland’s goalscoring even more extraordinary. He is also a goal threat against the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’, and has scored four goals in four games against these opponents this season.
Although the Norwegian has sometimes been criticized for his limited involvement in the build-up play, Haaland is devastating when he receives the ball. His athletic abilities also set him apart from his rivals.
Last season, he recorded the highest top speed in the Champions League at 36.86 km/h. And his physical presence allows him to dominate defenders, as he showed with a recent goal against Brentford.
The combination of speed and strength is something neither Kane nor Mbappé possess.
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Who is the most versatile footballer?
English supporters would argue that Kane’s all-round contribution sets him apart.
He’s comfortable falling deep to tie up the game, and he’s averaging 0.34 assists per 90 minutes – almost double Mbappé’s 0.17 and more than triple Haaland’s 0.10.
His range in passing is also superior to the other strikers, and he contributes more defensively. Mbappé, however, is the strongest dribbler of the three.
He attempts more than twice as many dribbles as Kane or Haaland, and also makes more ball plays. While both Kane and Mbappé have their strengths, goals remain the most important metric when ranking the world’s best striker.
And with Haaland already scoring an incredible 32 goals for club and country this season, he is currently the best striker.
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