What makes a complete striker?

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At a soccer fan meeting, discussing and debating soccer topics; some relevant and some irrelevant. A few about individual players and a few about teams with great feats, teams that have defied all odds to achieve extraordinary success, the debate became more heated and the tempo picked up, then they propped up this topic; “Who is the best striker in Europe”?

There was silence, each one sinking into himself. It was a subject that made me reflect, but there is another side to this controversy; What really makes a striker? What are the qualities of a striker? How do we tell strikers from strikers?

Reflecting on the interesting topic, ideas came up; views of mine came to life. The fundamental question, as stated above, needed urgent answers to put an end to the debate. First, who is a striker? A striker is a front man in team football, who the whole team looks up to produce goals, which will bring victory, he is that man who hits the net with goals.

Let’s review what does a forward actually do?

Some of the qualities I can glean from a competent striker are: height, speed, skill, strength, wit, calculation, and the ability to tear through opposing defenses single-handedly, and most importantly, good finishing.

Strikers who rave in Europe today possess some, if not all, of the above mentioned qualities of a striker. Possession of all the qualities mentioned above makes him a formidable striker. The best strikers in the history of football have all the qualities; of the stature of Delima Ronaldo, The great Pelé, Roberto Baggio, Romario, etc. which made them famous and deadly during their peak years, back in the days of yore.

Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuaín, among others, are proven goalscorers, who will bury any opportunity they get and punish any defensive line-up. .

Analyzing each of the aforementioned players will highlight the fact that they are all formidable strikers, scoring regularly. England have always been wounded with smart and proven forwards at different times. There was a time when Andy Cole, one of the greatest players to ever wear the red and white shirt for England, was the first player in Premier League history to score five goals in a single game, unbelievable isn’t it? Well, his time is past, but he really captivated the then-EPL fans with his exceptional skills and goal-scoring prowess.

There was Alan Shearer, what do I have to say about this exceptionally good striker? He equaled Andy Cole’s record of five goals in a single game; he scored goals from different angles of the pitch, in different match situations: set pieces, counter-attacks, open play and from even implausible and remote angles of the pitch, as a result of his forceful style of play, some sections of the pitch Fans were not friendly to him, even making him one of the most feared during his time in the Premier League. Although he has not been successful as a manager, he was unable to save Newcastle UTD from relegation troubles, which led to his downfall.

The English football world woke up to the 2009/2010 season to experience something different, a goal scoring experience, a full action experience; The Wayne Rooney experience. Wayne Rooney as a player has become very mature and confident. Looking at the Rooney of five seasons ago compared to this season, one could clearly see the improvement in his playing style, his conduct on the field, the brilliance of team coordination and the like. All of these improvements on Wayne Rooney have made him a formidable and fearsome striker in world football. One of the talents that Rooney possesses that endears me and football fans in general is his ability to single-handedly terrorize opposing defenses with sheer brilliance. Rooney has scored 38 goals so far this season, and most of it has come from his individual brilliance, albeit with the help of his teammates, who have dominated his game in recent games.

Teamwork is another of his talents that he demonstrates in every match, with his power and brilliance he has been able to foster team unity in terms of field play, he distributes passes accurately, he does not cling to the ball without meaning, he He puts himself in the best possible position to be seen in a pass shot that on a good day results in a goal.

Away from England, and on the European scene, is this player, who has been wrongly compared by some to a great soccer legend, the player who singlehandedly destroys opposing teams, not only with his goals, but also with his passing, dribbling, speed, strength and everything in between.

The player, who is the current World Player of the Year, the most dangerous player on the planet today; Lionel Messi! Some regard him as the “ruthless” one, others say that he is the best player to ever walk the earth, but I strongly disagree with this notion. You run out of adjectives to describe him, he is undoubtedly a good player, a proven goalscorer, an intelligent destroyer of opposing teams and worst of all, he gives defenders nightmares, especially in the Spanish League and also in the Champions League, both competitions. where he plays his best football.

The “ruthless” really shows no mercy to teams and players who stand in his way to victory. He has scored 40 goals this season; His shooting and goal accumulation game clearly explains his superiority in Europe. He’s being criticized for not excelling in big games with high expectations of him; he silenced critics of him against Arsenal, after four well-received goals from him to send Arsenal out of Europe’s elite club competition.

Resting the debate, I will say that strikers should be rated with different stats, the inability of a striker to score many goals does not mean that he is not a good striker. Fernando Torres is a brilliant striker, but just because he hasn’t been able to score many goals doesn’t mean he isn’t a complete striker. A complete striker is one who scores goals, has the ability to turn the game around with individual skill, spaces himself into the right positions to receive the ball, and buries it in the back of the net. A striker is a midfielder.

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