UEFA Champions League: Ranking the Top Striker from Each of 8 Remaining Teams
By on March 18, 2013
Claudio Villa/Getty Images
The UEFA Champions League is now down to the quarterfinal
stage, with this season's competition looking extremely exciting after
some down-to-the-wire Last-16 ties.
Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Malaga, Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are the eight remaining teams hoping for glory in Europe's biggest cup competition, and each side will be looking primarily to their main front men to score the goals to help them reach the semifinals.
As some of Europe's best teams, there is of course a plethora of impressive talent in the final third available to each club, and ranking them in order of ability is difficult at times, but that's what we've done here.
Two sets of criteria were applied to rank these players: First, to qualify as a striker, the player has to play in a central attacking role for his team on a regular basis, though the exact role he plays is unimportant, be it target man, second forward or any other tactical variation of an attacker.
Secondly, they were ranked partly in accordance with their performances from this season in the UEFA Champions League and also partly in terms of their general ability at club level shown over the past season or two.
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Claudio Villa/Getty Images
Lars Baron/Getty Images
Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Malaga, Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are the eight remaining teams hoping for glory in Europe's biggest cup competition, and each side will be looking primarily to their main front men to score the goals to help them reach the semifinals.
As some of Europe's best teams, there is of course a plethora of impressive talent in the final third available to each club, and ranking them in order of ability is difficult at times, but that's what we've done here.
Two sets of criteria were applied to rank these players: First, to qualify as a striker, the player has to play in a central attacking role for his team on a regular basis, though the exact role he plays is unimportant, be it target man, second forward or any other tactical variation of an attacker.
Secondly, they were ranked partly in accordance with their performances from this season in the UEFA Champions League and also partly in terms of their general ability at club level shown over the past season or two.
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Claudio Villa/Getty Images
Lars Baron/Getty Images
Burak Yilmaz, Galatasaray
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Eight games (one as sub), eight goals
Forget the rest, Burak Yilmaz of Galatasaray and Turkey is the top-scoring central striker of the entire competition this season.
He is also by far the player upon who a team left in the Champions League is most reliant on—his eight goals contribute 73 percent of Gala's total tally this term.
Yilmaz's impressive consistency and accuracy (he boasts a 28 percent conversion rate) has been a major factor in his team's progression to this stage of the competition. At 27 years of age he is in his prime, and his terrific form this season won't go unnoticed in the summer.
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Eight games (one as sub), eight goals
Forget the rest, Burak Yilmaz of Galatasaray and Turkey is the top-scoring central striker of the entire competition this season.
He is also by far the player upon who a team left in the Champions League is most reliant on—his eight goals contribute 73 percent of Gala's total tally this term.
Yilmaz's impressive consistency and accuracy (he boasts a 28 percent conversion rate) has been a major factor in his team's progression to this stage of the competition. At 27 years of age he is in his prime, and his terrific form this season won't go unnoticed in the summer.
Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Seven games, two goals
Zlatan seems to be getting even better and even more fond of himself as he gains in experience. A big-money move to PSG in Ligue 1 this season has yielded a bucketful of goals, and though he hasn't been as prolific (he has a one start to one goal ratio in Ligue 1) in Europe, his all-round performances have still been impressive to behold.
Ibrahimovic's style of play and immense self-assuredness will ensure he always has his admirers and detractors, but there is no doubting his importance to the newly-assembled cast in Paris.
The Swede possesses the ability to win games for his team with one piece of skill, control or finishing, and he will be vital to PSG's hopes of causing an upset against his former club Barcelona.
Which brings us nicely to the top-ranked forward left in the Champions League...
David Ramos/Getty Images
Lionel Messi, Barcelona
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Eight games (one as sub), seven goals
Who else? Messi continues to break records, be a match-winner and score mountains of goals for Barcelona.
Just when it seemed that someone had found a cure to preventing him from destroying every defence which crossed his path, he goes and hits a brace against AC Milan to aid a remarkable second leg turnaround.
Barça's sheer volume of top quality players means that they have a chance to progress in the Champions League, but it is Messi's goals and class which might tip the balance in their favour to win any given tie, even the final itself. ------------ Bleacher Report.
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Seven games, two goals
Zlatan seems to be getting even better and even more fond of himself as he gains in experience. A big-money move to PSG in Ligue 1 this season has yielded a bucketful of goals, and though he hasn't been as prolific (he has a one start to one goal ratio in Ligue 1) in Europe, his all-round performances have still been impressive to behold.
Ibrahimovic's style of play and immense self-assuredness will ensure he always has his admirers and detractors, but there is no doubting his importance to the newly-assembled cast in Paris.
The Swede possesses the ability to win games for his team with one piece of skill, control or finishing, and he will be vital to PSG's hopes of causing an upset against his former club Barcelona.
Which brings us nicely to the top-ranked forward left in the Champions League...
David Ramos/Getty Images
2012-13 UEFA Champions League record: Eight games (one as sub), seven goals
Who else? Messi continues to break records, be a match-winner and score mountains of goals for Barcelona.
Just when it seemed that someone had found a cure to preventing him from destroying every defence which crossed his path, he goes and hits a brace against AC Milan to aid a remarkable second leg turnaround.
Barça's sheer volume of top quality players means that they have a chance to progress in the Champions League, but it is Messi's goals and class which might tip the balance in their favour to win any given tie, even the final itself. ------------ Bleacher Report.
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