Ronaldo Nazario tops list of 21st century's best centre-forwards

A recent analysis has sought to address one of modern football’s most compelling debates: defining the single greatest centre-forward of the 21st century A BBC Sport ranking placed Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário at the top of a list of ten of the modern era's most formidable strikers, sparking fresh discussion among fans and pundits The ranking considers players whose careers have significantly featured in the sport since the year 2000.

The case for Ronaldo, known as 'O Fenômeno', is built on a foundation of extraordinary talent demonstrated at a young age Before turning 21, he had already commanded world-record transfer fees with moves to Barcelona and then Inter Milan, following a prolific period at PSV Eindhoven He became the youngest-ever recipient of the Ballon d'Or and had scored over 200 goals for club and country by the turn of the millennium His trajectory was significantly altered by a severe knee injury in April 2000, which the analysis suggests is a key factor in any debate about his career

The list of the greatest football strikers of the 21st century is populated by other legendary figures who have defined the position Following Ronaldo in the ranking are France's Thierry Henry, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Uruguay's Luis Suárez The list also includes some of the top centre-forwards in football today: Poland's Robert Lewandowski, England's Harry Kane, and Norway's Erling Haaland The top ten is rounded out by Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba, Argentina's Sergio Agüero, and France's Karim Benzema, highlighting the depth of talent and variety of styles the 'Number 9' role has encompassed over the past two decades