Best forwards in the world: Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland ranked

There are few things in football as exciting to supporters as watching dynamic forwards dance their way through to goal.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the attacking scene for years, but as their powers fade, new stars have risen in their place with the influential figures no longer featuring on the European stage.

Kylian Mbappe will hope to emulate the latter at Real Madrid, but while he has a rightful claim to be labelled the best forward in the world, thanks to his work both as a centre forward and from the left-hand side, others also have a strong case.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele has flourished in his central role, winning back-to-back Champions League's and claiming the 2025 Ballon d'Or, while Lamine Yamal has helped guide Barcelona to back-to-back La Liga titles at just 18-years-old.

While it is difficult to definitively measure who the world’s best attackers are, Sports Mole has attempted to compile a list of the 10 best active forwards.

Top 10 forwards in the world

10. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal and England)

Debut year: 2019

Teams: Arsenal

Notable trophies won: Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield

Arsenal have had several Hale End success stories down the years, but maybe none more prominent than Bukayo Saka, a newly-crowned Premier League champion.

The England winger shook off the devastation of missing the crucial penalty in the Euro 2020 final to become one of the Premier League's most feared attackers and set-piece takers, now boasting over 50 goals and 50 assists in the competition.

Saka registered at least 20 direct goal involvements in three straight seasons between 2022-23 and 2024-25 and, although his output dipped slightly to 19 contributions in 49 games in 2025-26, the winger still played a key role in helping Arsenal lift their first Premier League title in over 20 years.

9. Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain and France)

Debut year: 2015

Teams: Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain

Notable trophies won: Ballon d'Or, World Cup, Copa del Rey, La Liga, Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele's transformation into one of the world's finest attacking players has been nothing short of remarkable, considering many thought the Frenchman's career was beyond salvation.

Accusations had been thrown at him that he was lax too often without the ball, but the attacker has been one of PSG's most aggressive players out of possession in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Dembele's intensity was key to helping his side finally win the Champions League, with the attacker picking up two assists in the final against Inter Milan in May 2025.

Dembele ended the season with 33 goals and 13 assists, resulting in the forward winning the Ballon d'Or in September 2025, and he is in the running for the individual award once again in 2026.

Despite an injury-hit start to the 2025-26 season, Dembele got back to his best and ended the campaign with 20 goals and 11 assists in 39 appearances, including scoring in the Champions League final as PSG secured the trophy for the second consecutive season.

8. Raphinha (Barcelona and Brazil)

Debut year: 2015

Teams: Avai FC, Vitoria de Guimaraes, Rennes, Sporting Lisbon, Leeds United, Barcelona

Notable trophies won: La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana

Raphinha was always a talented player, but few would have expected him to have produced the campaign he did in 2024-25, with the forward scoring 34 goals and providing 22 assists for Barcelona in all competitions.

In just 14 Champions League games for the Catalans that term, the Brazilian netted 13 times and registered eight assists, and his tally equalled the record for the most goal involvements in a single Champions League season, though Cristiano Ronaldo only needed 11 matches to reach that total in 2013-14.

Raphinha backed that up during an injury-hit 2025-26 campaign, scoring 21 goals and registering seven assists in 33 games across all competitions, helping Barcelona lift consecutive La Liga titles.

7. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid and Brazil)

Debut year: 2017

Teams: Flamengo, Real Madrid

Notable trophies won: Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana

Vinicius Junior has established himself as one of the finest forwards in the world, with his speed, technical qualities and threat in the final third making him a dangerous asset from the left.

His career began in Brazil at Flamengo before playing his debut season for Los Blancos in 2018-19, though he struggled to settle in Spain, with the attacker scoring just eight league goals in his first three campaigns.

However, the Brazilian struck a formidable partnership with Karim Benzema in 2021-22, scoring 22 goals and providing 17 assists in all competitions.

Vinicius Junior also netted the winning goal in the Champions League final that season against Liverpool, and he has since continued to excel, with the winger playing a key role in a second Champions League win in 2023-24.

6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)

Debut year: 2017

Teams: Dinamo Tbilisi, Rustavi, Lokomotiv Moscow, Rubin Kazan, Dinamo Batumi, Napoli, PSG

Notable trophies won: Champions League, Ligue 1, Serie A, UEFA Super Cup, Coupe de France, Intercontinental Cup, French Super Cup

Arguably the greatest Georgian player to ever step foot onto a field - and still not even in the prime of his career yet - PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has taken Europe by storm over the past few years.

Earning his big break with Napoli before a £72m transfer to PSG in 2025, Kvaratskhelia was not at all fazed by filling Kylian Mbappe's boots and ended his first half-season at the club with a Champions League winners' medal, scoring in the final against Inter Milan.

Kvaratskhelia elevated his game to new heights in 2025-26, either scoring or assisting in seven Champions League matches up to the final, wreaking havoc on full-backs and goalkeepers by cutting inside and bending a delightful strike into the far corner with his right boot.

5. Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

Debut year: 2020

Teams: Reading, Crystal Palace, Bayern Munich

Notable trophies won: Bundesliga, German Super Cup

One that got away for all of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, Michael Olise - a product of all three academy networks - has blossomed into one of the deadliest wingers in the world since linking up with Harry Kane at Bayern Munich.

The France international's potential was evident during his stint at Crystal Palace, but he has elevated his game to heights perhaps many thought were unimaginable during his days at Selhurst Park.

During the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, no player provided more assists than Olise's 18 - a record for a Bayern player in their debut season - and he ended the campaign with a phenomenal 20 goals and 23 assists across all competitions.

Olise once again showcased his importance for Vincent Kompany's side in a remarkable 2025-26 campaign, scoring 22 goals and registering 26 assists in 52 appearances, making him a worthy inclusion in the top five of this list.

4. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

Debut year: 2023

Teams: Barcelona

Notable trophies won: La Liga, European Championships, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana

Despite establishing himself as a starter for Barcelona in 2023-24, Yamal does not turn 20 until July 2027, and his career to date has been remarkable.

The teenager made his debut for Barca at just 15 years, nine months, and 16 days old, making him the fifth youngest player in La Liga's history, as well as the youngest player to appear for Barcelona's first team.

Yamal was instrumental to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, registering an assist in the round of 16, the quarter-final and final itself, while also scoring in the semi-final.

The wide attacker's creative skillset was key for Barcelona in 2024-25, with his tally of 21 assists only bettered by one teammate.

Yamal followed that stunning season up with a wonderful 2025-26 campaign, scoring 24 goals and registering 17 assists across all competitions.

Football fans have made tentative comparisons to Messi, though Yamal still has some way to go before he can claim the Argentine's throne as arguably the best player of all time.

3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)

Debut year: 2017

Teams: Bryne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City

Notable trophies won: Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, DFB-Pokal, EFL Cup

Erling Haaland currently holds the record for the most goals ever scored in a single Premier League season (36), and he managed that feat in his debut season for Manchester City in 2022-23.

The striker played a key role in helping City win two league titles, as well as their first Champions League crown in 2022-23, and he is arguably the best striker in Europe.

Haaland also finished as runner-up to Lionel Messi in the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings, but while he was unable to get the better of the Argentine, he did equal Ronaldo's record of the quickest player to score 100 goals in all competitions for one club (105 appearances) in Europe's top five leagues in September 2024.

Despite netting 22 times in the Premier League in 2024-25, there were some who criticised the forward for his performances, which highlights the standard that he is held to.

However, he was back at his prolific best in the 2025-26 campaign, lifting a third Premier League Golden Boot award in four seasons, having netted 27 goals in 35 Premier League games, alongside eight assists.

2. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich and England)

Debut year: 2011

Teams: Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich

Notable trophies won: Bundesliga, German Super Cup, DFB Pokal

Harry Kane is one of the few strikers able to compete with Haaland for the title as the world's best number nine, with his recent displays in Germany furthering his legacy.

In terms of his output in 2024-25, the Englishman netted 38 times and racked up 12 assists, though his numbers were slightly short of the 44 goals and 12 assists he managed for Bayern in 2023-24.

He has only gone from strength to strength in another triumphant campaign in 2025-26, too, firing the German giants to another Bundesliga title with 36 goals and five assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances, having notched a total of 61 goals in 51 games in all competitions.

Kane has changed his playstyle as he has aged, as while he was previously an expert in the penalty area, he has often been seen dropping deep to collect possession and play passes to teammates.

The striker failed to win a trophy during his time in England with Tottenham Hotspur, but his legacy in his home country is beyond reproach considering his 213 Premier League goals makes him the second highest scorer in the history of the division.

1. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid and France)

Debut year: 2015

Teams: Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid

Notable trophies won: World Cup, UEFA Nations League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions, UEFA Super Cup

Kylian Mbappe finally secured his dream move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, leaving Paris Saint-Germain upon the expiry of his contract.

The Frenchman left PSG having scored 256 times for the club, as well as having registered 110 assists, in 308 games.

Though the winger had to adjust to a new role as Real's striker, he still managed to excel, finding the back of the net 44 times in 59 matches for Los Blancos, while providing a further five assists.

Real failed to win La Liga or the Champions League in 2024-25, but Mbappe proved that he can still make an impact at the highest level, and he was arguably let down by his teammates.

Despite another trophyless campaign for Real Madrid in 2025-26, Mbappe remained at his best, scoring 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions.

Given Mbappe's consistent goalscoring output no matter the difficulty of his environment, it is only right that the French forward tops this list.