British strikers have been giving defenders nightmares all over the world for generations. Some have reached what many consider as the pinnacle of football, having played for the two giants of Spanish football, Real Madrid and Barcelona, with others having won Ballon d’Ors.
Britain has produced a long range of striker styles across the years, with a few generations of the English national team setup attaining so many top strikers that some were unable to get the playing time their ability deserved. From England legends Harry Kane and Alan Shearer to Welsh hero Ian Rush, here are the top 11 British strikers of all time based on the below factors.
Now notoriously known for his immaculate energy and analysis as a pundit, Ian Wright had quite a unique story on his way to glory in his career, as despite early troubles with academies, he managed to sign his first professional contract with Crystal Palace just shy of his 22nd birthday. Scoring goals for fun with the Eagles, Wright would join Arsenal in 1991, where he would go on to become a lethal striker and an icon for the club, winning a Premier League, two FA Cups, a League Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup.
Unfortunately for Wright, he was never quite in favour for England despite being in great form at the time, which meant his record for country was never quite what it could have been.
Until 2018, Geoff Hurst was the only player to have scored a World Cup final hat-trick when he did so for England against West Germany at Wembley in 1966. Hurst was a moments player, scoring goals on the grandest of occasions. Two years before his World Cup final heroics, Hurst netted a crucial equaliser against Preston in the FA Cup final as West Ham went on to win the trophy and qualify for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
In total, Geoff Hurst scored 248 goals for the Hammers, winning three trophies before moving to Stoke for four campaigns. For the Three Lions, Hurst would make 49 appearances, netting 24 goals, but will always be remembered for that famous day on July 30th, 1966.
