The Greatest Soccer No. 9s of All Time

The No. 9 in soccer isn’t just a shirt number—it’s a role that defines a position and a very specific skill set.

While a No. 10 is typically the creative playmaker, a No. 6 anchors the midfield and a No. 11 brings pace out wide, the No. 9 is usually the team’s primary scorer—the player tasked with finishing moves and delivering the goals that win games.

There’s always some overlap, but more often than not, a player wearing the No. 9 shirt is a classic striker: a clinical finisher who thrives in and around the penalty area.

Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the greatest No. 9s in soccer history, focusing on players who wore the jersey for the majority of their careers.

20. Silvio Piola

Silvio Piola looking stern. — Silvio Piola was an early star of Italian soccer. | STAFF/AFP/Getty Images

Italy’s first true soccer superstar, Silvio Piola remains Serie A’s all-time top scorer with 274 goals, a record that has stood since his retirement in 1954. He achieved this feat across spells with Pro Vercelli, Lazio and Novara, finishing as the leading scorer for each of those clubs.

Piola also made his mark on the international stage, scoring twice in the 1938 World Cup final to help Italy defeat Hungary 4–2.

Fittingly, his legacy is honored in Italy with two stadiums named after him—the Stadio Silvio Piola in Novara and another of the same name in Vercelli.

19. Samuel Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o holds a unique place in soccer history as the only player to win back-to-back European trebles with two different clubs in consecutive seasons—lifting La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2008–09, before repeating the feat by winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League again with Inter Milan the very next year.

He is also the all-time leading scorer in Africa Cup of Nations history and a two-time winner of the tournament with Cameroon.

Blisteringly quick, technically gifted and comfortable with either foot, Eto’o scored 421 goals during his career—more than enough to secure his status among the game’s all-time great No. 9s.

18. Erling Haaland

Since bursting onto the scene with RB Salzburg in 2019, Erling Haaland has scored at a truly absurd rate—already surpassing 350 goals for club and country, including prolific spells with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.

Records have fallen wherever he’s gone. Still in the early stages of his career, the Norwegian goal machine already holds the Premier League single-season scoring record with 36 goals in 2022–23, and is the fastest and youngest player to reach 40 Champions League goals.

If his current trajectory continues, his final goal tally—and trophy haul—will be staggering, and his place on this list will only rise.

17. Harry Kane

Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading scorer, Harry Kane’s ability in front of goal was never in doubt—but questions lingered over whether he could replicate that success at a true European powerhouse prior to his 2023 move to Bayern Munich.

He’s since answered those doubts in emphatic fashion, scoring over 40 goals in each of his first three seasons in Germany—including a remarkable 61-goal campaign in 2025–26.

A striker who needs only the slightest opening to find the net—whether with his right foot, left foot or head—Kane combines ruthless finishing with elite playmaking ability, making him one of the most complete forwards of his generation.

16. Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer remains the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer with 260 goals—a record that still looks untouchable today.

He may not have always been the most graceful striker, but he was relentlessly effective: powerful, quick, perfectly positioned and armed with a thunderous right foot that could almost rip the net apart.

15. Jean-Pierre Papin

Jean-Pierre Papin celebrating. — Jean-Pierre Papin was prolific across multiple countries. | STAFF/AFP/Getty Images

Before Paris Saint-Germain’s rise to dominance in French soccer, it was Marseille who ruled the late 1980s and early ’90s—and Jean-Pierre Papin was their talisman. His 184 goals for the club powered them to four consecutive Ligue 1 (then Division 1) titles.

Renowned for his sharp movement, explosive pace and devastating volleys, Papin also enjoyed success with AC Milan and Bayern Munich during a glittering career that saw him score over 400 goals.

14. Uwe Seeler

A true one-club icon, Uwe Seeler spent virtually his entire career with boyhood side Hamburger SV—aside from a brief one-match cameo with Cork Celtic—scoring an incredible 496 goals to cement his place as the club’s all-time leading scorer.

He was just as reliable on the international stage, netting 43 goals in 72 appearances for West Germany and making history as the first player ever to score in four separate World Cups.

13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimović wearing the No. 9. — Zlatan Ibrahimović is soccer’s most quotable No. 9. | FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Zlatan Ibrahimović scored goals everywhere he went—573 in total for clubs including Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona, PSG, Juventus, Inter, Manchester United, LA Galaxy as well as for Sweden—but it wasn’t just the volume that set him apart. It was the outrageous manner in which he did it.

From acrobatic kung-fu strikes to perfectly executed scissor kicks, thunderous volleys and dazzling solo runs, Ibrahimović built a highlight reel few could rival. His unpredictability, supreme confidence and towering presence made him a constant nightmare for defenders.

12. Gabriel Batistuta

Gabriel Batistuta’s trophy haul—featuring just one Serie A title, a Coppa Italia, two Copas América and a handful of lesser honors—hardly does justice to his true quality.

With 56 goals in 78 appearances for Argentina, he remains his nation’s second all-time top scorer behind only Lionel Messi, while the majority of his 299 club goals came during a legendary spell with Fiorentina. Remarkably loyal, he stayed with the Italian side for nearly a decade, even following their relegation to Serie B, despite strong interest from Europe’s elite clubs.

Renowned for his positional intelligence and a thunderous right foot, “Batigol” blended elegance with sheer power in a way few strikers ever have.

11. Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema led the line for a dominant Real Madrid side that captured four La Liga titles and five Champions League trophies during his 14-year spell at the club from 2009–23. In that time, he racked up an incredible 354 goals—surpassed only by Cristiano Ronaldo in the club’s history.

Gifted with exceptional technique, vision and the ability to link play, Benzema was far more than just a finisher—he also ranks among Madrid’s all-time assist leaders.

His all-around brilliance was finally rewarded with a Ballon d’Or in 2022.

10. Robert Lewandowski

Since the turn of the century, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more goals than Robert Lewandowski, who has racked up over 740 (and counting) for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Poland.

A ruthlessly efficient finisher who needs barely half a chance, Lewandowski was at his most devastating with Bayern, scoring an astonishing 375 goals in just 344 appearances as he helped the club win everything available, including eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.

He is also the most unfortunate player never to win a Ballon d’Or, having been the overwhelming favorite in 2020 after a 55-goal season—only for the award to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

9. Hugo Sanchez

When discussing Real Madrid’s greatest forwards, names like Karim Benzema, Raúl, Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano—and even Cristiano Ronaldo—are often the first to come to mind. Hugo Sánchez, however, firmly belongs in that conversation, even if he’s sometimes overlooked.

Widely regarded as Mexico’s greatest ever player, Sánchez scored 208 goals in 282 appearances for Real Madrid from 1985–92, playing a key role in the club’s run of five consecutive La Liga titles, along with several other major honors.

A prolific scorer wherever he went—including spells with Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano and Pumas UNAM—he finished his career with an impressive 513 goals.

8. Paolo Rossi

Paolo Rossi was something of a hybrid No. 9—while he often wore the shirt and knew exactly where the goal was, his game blended the intelligence and subtle playmaking of a No. 10 with the quick feet and movement of a wide attacker.

The 1982 Ballon d’Or winner had a career that, much like his playing style, was brief but brilliant—disrupted by injuries and a match-fixing scandal.

But his performances at the 1982 World Cup remain the defining chapter. Rossi scored six goals, including a famous hat-trick against Brazil, a brace in the semifinal against Poland, and the opening goal in the final against West Germany, as Italy lifted the trophy. A tournament run for the ages.

7. George Weah

George Weah is the only African player to have won the Ballon d'Or. | IMAGO/Buzzi

George Weah remains the only African player in history to win the Ballon d’Or, claiming the award in 1995 during a spell that saw him represent both Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.

With PSG, he helped guide the club to the Champions League semifinals while finishing as top scorer with eight goals, before moving to Italy and continuing his dominance at the San Siro.

While not a traditional out-and-out poacher like others on this list, Weah was instead a powerful, unstoppable force—capable of driving through entire defences as if they weren’t there and producing match-winning moments out of nowhere, with a level of individual brilliance few, if any, others possessed at the time.

6. Gunnar Nordahl

The legendary Gunnar Nordahl scored exactly 500 goals during his career, including 221 for AC Milan—a club record that still stands today. His five Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer) awards also remain unmatched.

A powerful, physically dominant striker with superb positioning and clinical finishing, Nordahl also helped Sweden win gold at the 1948 Summer Olympics, where he finished as joint top scorer.

5. Luis Suarez

Luis Suárez is one of soccer’s modern greats. | Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Whether in the Netherlands with Ajax, England with Liverpool, Spain with Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, Brazil with Grêmio, or the United States with Inter Miami—goals have followed Luis Suárez wherever he’s gone.

The Uruguayan striker—powerful, relentless, never afraid to attempt the extraordinary and fiercely (if sometimes overly) competitive—has scored more than 600 goals for club and country throughout his illustrious career.

A remarkable 121 of those came during just three incredible seasons at Barcelona between 2014–15 and 2016–17, where he formed the focal point of arguably the most lethal attacking trio in soccer history alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.

4. Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten was ever-reliable from the spot. | Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Had his career not been cut short at just 28 by injury, it’s fascinating to imagine what Marco van Basten might have achieved.

Even so, by the time of his early retirement, he had already accomplished more—and scored more—than most forwards could ever dream of: 307 goals, three Ballon d’Or awards, four Serie A titles, two European Cups and the 1988 European Championship.

His iconic tight-angled volley for the Netherlands against the Soviet Union in the final of the latter remains one of the greatest goals in soccer history, and the perfect encapsulation of his technical brilliance and finishing ability.

3. Gerd Muller

Gerd Müller scored an incredible 565 goals in just 607 games for Bayern Munich between 1965 and 1979. Remarkably, 66 of those came in a single season (1972–73), a record that still stands at the club today.

“Der Bomber” also netted 68 goals in 62 appearances for West Germany, including the decisive strike in the 1974 World Cup final.

Few strikers in history have been as lethal inside the box as the German icon, who was the ultimate fox in the box—possessing a goalscoring instinct that simply can’t be taught.

2. Alfredo Di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stefano played for both Spain and Argentina. | Getty

When Real Madrid won an unprecedented five consecutive European Cups from 1956–1960, Alfredo Di Stéfano was the driving force behind every triumph. He scored five, seven, 10, six and eight goals across those campaigns respectively, finding the net in every final and even recording a hat-trick in the last.

That level of dominance remains almost unmatched in soccer history—and quite possibly always will be—which more than justifies his place among the greatest No. 9s the game has ever seen.

1. Ronaldo Nazario

The OG Ronaldo. — Ronaldo Nazario is the GOAT No. 9. | Getty/Claudio Villa Archive

Ronaldo Nazário was nicknamed “R9” for a reason. He was the very definition of a No. 9—and quite simply the greatest to ever wear the shirt.

Although injuries ultimately curtailed his career, in his prime there was nothing and nobody who could stop the Brazilian. He made a career out of taking on defenders, rounding goalkeepers and relentlessly finding the back of the net—something the two-time World Cup winner did over 400 times for club and country.

He had it all: blistering pace, raw strength, outrageous skill, explosive power, and that unmistakable touch of star quality that you simply couldn’t define.

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